4. Replaced

Audrey stiffened, a lump effectively clogging her throat.

She tried to comprehend the double meaning behind her husband's reassurance to Emily just now. It couldn't possibly be what she was thinking, right? Theodore had claimed his meeting with Emily earlier had just been a business date, right?

Although a part of her already knew what was coming, she still found it hard to accept the thought.

She fought to convince herself to stick by his earlier claims. Theodore couldn't betray her, and same went for Emily too. Because for fuck sake, they were best friends.

Audrey's thoughts were disrupted as the door to the living room finally pushed open to reveal Theodore gently guiding Emily in as though she were an egg.

Audrey felt a painful constriction around her chest as she witnessed her husband holding his secretary—her best friend! In a way, he shouldn't. However, despite Audrey's racing pulse, she struggled to keep her cool and remain firm as her gaze observed them intently. She still couldn't believe any of it though.

Theodore and Emily didn't notice she was standing there at first, not until Emily looked away from Theodore and then tapped him for his attention upon spotting Audrey, standing there and observing them like an eagle ready to strike its prey.

"A-Audrey," Emily stammered, dread contorting her features as she instinctively pulled away from Theodore who was still holding her, upon locking eyes with Audrey's icy ones.

Theodore then looked in Audrey's direction. "Audrey," He muttered, quite taken aback to see her in the living room.

Even though her veins were currently coursing with a mix of blood and anger, Audrey stayed calm and quiet.

She forced a smile to appear on her face as she faced Theodore. But the smile came out mirthless, just as she intended. To let him know she wasn't about to entertain any of his bullshit!

"Mind telling me why you're home with your secretary, love?" Audrey asked politely, despite the anger already building within her. "Here to continue the business discussion or what?".

Theodore avoided her eyes as his gaze trailed to Emily, who was still quite taken aback by the unexpected encounter with Audrey.

Audrey noted the affection in Theodore's eyes as she watched him reach out to Emily and reassure her that everything was going to be okay while completely disregarding Audrey's presence. Now, that was huge disrespect—something Audrey couldn't overlook.

"Is somebody going to tell what the fuck she is doing here or what?" Audrey barked, her patience wearing thin as she glanced between them.

Theodore inhaled a lungful of air and exhaled. He then moved away from Emily, advancing towards Audrey in not-too-confident strides. He stopped a few steps before, his gaze mirroring her cold demeanor.

Audrey remained composed as she studied him. Something felt strange. Unusual. Off. About him. She couldn't decipher what it was.

"Listen, I fucked up, Audrey." He said, his eyes shifting between hers in masked anxiety. "But the deed has already been done."

"What are you talking about?" Audrey's features contorted to a frown. "What is she doing here?" She asked the question she was mostly concerned about.

However, Theodore's following response caught her off guard.

"I think... No, I want a divorce, Audrey." He said, his words were uncertain yet firm.

These unexpected words nearly caused Audrey's heart to explode. They hit her like a punch in the gut and rendered her speechless as her lips parted with shock and disbelief.

It took a minute or two before she managed to reel back to reality. "What?" she spluttered.

But Theodore reiterated undeterred. "Let's get a divorce. This marriage ain't working and we both know that."

"What the fuck are you talking about? What marriage ain't working?" She retorted irritably.

"Maybe the problem isn't you, Audrey. Maybe it's me. But I'm fucking tired." He sighed sharply. "I must have fallen out of love with you somewhere along the line. I can't keep doing this, I feel so suffocated." He said, massaging his temples.

A dry scoff holding no amusement whatsoever rolled out of Audrey's nostrils. "You can't be serious. This must be some sort of prank, isn't it? Please, tell me that's what this is. Perhaps, you thought pranking me on our third marriage anniversary would be fun, didn't you Theo?" She tried to laugh but the tension in the room made it clear to her that this was neither a prank nor a dream—it was fucking reality. Her husband really wanted a divorce.

"Wait, are you serious?" Audrey was fazed. "Where is this coming from? What's going on, Theo?"

"Are you deaf? I just told you that I must have fallen out of love with you somewhere along the line."

"Along what fucking line?" Audrey shot back. "You and I have been good so far, so what the fuck are you talking about?".

"I honestly can't keep doing this, Audrey. I think I've given you a valid reason why,"

Audrey scoffed Incredulously, understanding dawning on her as her gaze shifted to observe Emily, who stood behind Theo, probably using him as a shield to avoid her wrath.

"It's her, isn't it?" Audrey said. "That earlier—It was never a business conversation, am I correct?"

Theodore was quiet.

Audrey chuckled mirthlessly. Tonight's discovery felt surreal. Tonight was supposed to be a special night—The night she celebrated her third marriage anniversary with her husband. However, the universe seemed to have planned a whole different thing planned for her instead.

"How long?" Audrey asked, her eyes darting between Theodore, searching for a hint of remorse but there was none in them.

"Eleven months, clocking a year next week." He even had the audacity to answer her inquiry.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." She muttered before yelling. "You mean to tell me you've been cheating on me with her for the past couple of months?"

Audrey calmed. "I don't get it. This is so unexpected. What happened? What went wrong between us, Theodore? Was I not good enough for you? Was I such a terrible wife to the extent you had to sought solace from my fucking best friend?"

"Trust me, it's nothing like that, Audrey," Theodore replied. "I've just come to realize I have a stronger connection with Emily."

"So you're divorcing me because of that?"

But Theodore shook his head, his clear, steel blue orbs gleaming as he replied. "No. Not just that." He hesitated. "Emily is carrying my child."