He Uses Me to Pave Her Path

I slipped the ring off my finger and tossed it onto the table.

My husband, Jack Lumber, frowned as he looked at me.

After a few seconds, he said irritably, "Grow up, Nora. I'm working with the press on a standard food safety inspection. Everything is strictly by the book."

He pinched the bridge of his nose and stepped closer. "You know what's happening in the disaster zone. Thousands of lives are on the line. I have to minimize the risk."

His words used to be reassuring, but now they sounded cold and empty.

Before they burned the disaster relief meals, I'd handed him the inspection reports. He didn't even look. He just glanced down at his phone, then told me to go ahead.

Meanwhile, Shirley Watson stood nearby, putting on a concerned look as if she'd come to smooth things over.

"Nora, this is all my fault," she said, trying to sound apologetic.

"I've done a lot of undercover investigations into illegal food operations. I noticed something was off about the meat in the meal boxes. I was worried people in the disaster zone could get sick.

"So I immediately reported it to Jack and exposed the issue on my livestream. It's just a professional instinct. Please don't be angry with him."

On her livestream, she'd pointed at the camera and condemned me for profiting from a national disaster. Now she was standing in front of me, pretending she was just there to mediate.

She really knew how to play both sides.

"If you only suspected something was wrong, why did your livestream team have four cameras set up in advance?"

I looked her straight in the eye.

"And why was the press release about contaminated meals published exactly one minute before the food was seized? Ms. Watson, are you a psychic?"

The corner of Shirley's mouth twitched.

Jack immediately stepped between us.

"Nora, that's enough! The media was there to cover the relief effort. They just happened to catch what was happening. Shirley is a reporter doing her job. Do you really have to assume the worst of everyone?"

He held his arm out protectively, shielding her from me.

I looked down at the simple silver band lying on the table. Three years ago, he'd slid it onto my finger. His eyes had been warm and full of certainty as he said, "You're stuck with me now."

I picked up the ring and looked at it one last time.

"Well, I hope it was all worth it." With that, I turned and walked out.

"Nora!" Jack called after me.

I didn't look back.

Back in the office, the air felt stale, thick with the smell of printer paper and instant coffee.

Dozens of employees sat at their desks, staring at the cancellation notices scattered on the tables. Major cinema chains, regional supermarkets, and distributors in seven states had all pulled their orders.

They all gave the same reason. They wanted to avoid the fallout from the food safety controversy.

The 30,000 relief meals were part of an official aid program approved by our board. I had personally overseen production and made sure we sourced every ingredient from reputable suppliers. Now, it had all been reduced to ash in an incinerator.

The company was now being accused of profiting from a national disaster. We'd lost half our business, costing us tens of millions of dollars overnight.

Helen Jones from Administration had her head down on the desk. Her shoulders were trembling. She'd worked for me for three years and was one of the most efficient people in the department.

I walked over and gently tapped the edge of her desk.

She looked up, and tears were brimming in her eyes. "Ms. Kurt, my parents called me today. They asked if I was working for some corrupt, shady food company. I told them I wasn't, but they didn't believe me."

Someone behind us shoved their keyboard aside with a dull thud. No one said a word, but their frustration was clear.