The Devil's work

Taylor’s POV

My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles ached as I navigated the street that led either to my destruction or revelation.

I fought with everything in me to keep the tears from spilling down my face. It should not have surprised me, and yet I did not know why it was hitting harder now than it had before.

At last I reached the house. My phone rang, and I answered, hearing my sister’s low voice.

“Are you there yet?” she asked, whispering.

The words felt heavier than they should have, but I answered anyway. “Yeah. I am.” I closed my eyes.

“Okay. I waited for your arrival. I will go in now,” she said, and then hung up.

I was so lost in my thoughts the phone slipped from my hand onto my lap. Slowly my gaze drifted back to the house and I threw my head back, a dull ache forming at my temples.

How could this happen to me? When I was little I watched my parents argue every single day and I promised myself I would never live the same life. So when I married Devon I kept quiet to avoid fights. Yet nothing had prepared me for this moment.

Maybe I am not enough for a man. For the past month he has been giving all manner of excuses to avoid coming home, even when I had just endured my miscarriage. He has been absent from my life in ways I never imagined. What hurts more than the absence is the timing. A child had to appear now.

Last week he missed my appointment at the hospital for the pregnancy test. He must have lost hope, but I did not. Now that I was positive he missed the moment to be with his ex-girlfriend.

This hurt like hell. I had noticed the excuses and I had sent Bri to uncover his secret. Disappointed, I found out that he had been seeing his ex-girlfriend.

What had I not done? What did she have that I did not? That may sound cliché, but the question raced through my mind.

What has our two-year marriage done to push him away? I needed answers and I doubted he would give any.

Ring. Ring.

“What happened, Bri? Are you in?” I asked, ready to move.

She answered in a frustrated tone. “This is the third time we have come. I am getting tired. They are not around.”

Numb of feeling, I said, “Oh. We can try another day. Are you coming back?”

“Of course not. I am heading to my cafe. It is not far from here.”

“Sure. Thank you. I am leaving.”

My head throbbed from stress. I should be at my office working or preparing for my baby’s arrival, but fate had decided to punish me by turning me into a lowlife detective.

With one last sigh I started to turn the car back when I noticed another vehicle parked on the street. I had never seen that car before, but it looked like the exact car I had put on a wishlist for my birthday.

That bastard. Did he buy her the car that was meant for me?

I grabbed my purse and walked quickly toward the house. Voices drifted through the open windows, the sound of people arguing in the home Bri had confirmed earlier as empty.

“What the hell? Why did she lie to me?” someone shouted.

My fingers tightened around the doorknob and when I pushed the door open the sight slammed into me.

Devon sat on the couch and Ivy, his ex-girlfriend, sat beside him. Bri stood in front of them, shouting, and I assumed she was accusing them of god knows what.

As soon as they saw me I felt Devon’s presence drain away. My eyes were cold and dead and I knew they told him I had nothing left to give. I had not planned to show emotion, so I would not break.

“Do you realize what I am going through? I dodged her all week. Bitch, why are you staring at me like that?” Bri spat.

She faltered and I took my time studying her. So all this while she had not been on my side, but working with my husband. The devil did have his workers.

“Well, bitch, stare all you want but it doesn’t cut short the ten thousand dollars I’m getting!?” Bri sneered.

Rage rose up before I could stop it. I said, “So that was all it took for you to go to hell and work with him?”

She froze and slowly turned away.

“Taylor!” Devon said softly as he rose to his feet.

I lifted a finger and hushed him. “I did not ask you to open your dirty mouth. You have no right to talk to me.”

Bri stood trembling. Why was she shaking? Of course I could not bring myself to harm her.

“I trusted you for months with this blast and you betrayed me in this way? For how much? Ten thousand? A whopping ten thousand!” I said, smiling with mockery before continuing. “You should be happy. That would get you a Lamborghini in a split second.”

Her eyes dropped to the floor and she avoided my stare. It was absurd that I could have exposed them weeks ago and put an end to this marriage.

“You disgust me,” I said.

Suddenly Ivy pushed forward, furious as ever. “You have no right to talk to her like that. You are the disgusting one here.”

My gaze slid to Ivy’s face and I scoffed. “You do not have to patronize me. I have prepared for this day for months. What else do you have to say? I am a woman who does not have time for her husband, a workaholic, a snob. Huh? Go ahead and perform the little script you wrote for yourself,” I said, pointing toward her pockets.

Kissing my teeth I passed by her, brushing her shoulder as I walked straight to the devil in his den.

“You have one minute,” I commanded, holding my emotions in check.

He knit his brows and immediately understood. Clearing his throat while I glared into his eyes, he began, “I can explain, but not right now. You should not have come here.”

“Shut your trap. Do not play the manipulation card. How dare you question me? You are the one caught up in this mess, Devon West!”

A few minutes before I had decided not to give him the satisfaction of seeing me hurt. But I could not hold it anymore. I needed answers.

“So why have you been coming here for the past months? What am I missing? Huh, Devon?” I demanded, eager for an explanation.

In a sudden move he cupped my face and said, “We should go home. You are tired.”

Just as I felt myself ready to explode, my eyes landed on a door that led into a room decorated like a child’s.

I moved closer and he gripped my hand to pull me back, but I slipped free and ran into the room.

“Ah!” I yelled, covering my mouth with my palm.

My eyes could not lie to me. This was a room for a little child. Is this the reason he had been coming here? He had an illegitimate child with his ex.

Earlier I had sworn I would not cry, but my emotions were no longer containable. Tears streamed down my cheeks.

A year ago his father had suggested that he get back together with his ex to secure an heir and apparently he had done it. I could not believe I had trusted him all those days.

“You should leave, Taylor. Please,” he shouted from behind me.

I staggered back, forcing the tears that had already escaped into submission. I thought I could walk away, but this changed everything. He had betrayed me in the worst way possible, striking at one of my deepest insecurities. If he had waited he would have had his prayers answered.

I turned without speaking, my hands trembling as I reached into my purse for the papers and threw them at his face.

“What? Tell me. Is this a divorce letter? You can't do this to me?” he yelled, trying to grab my hand. I flinched.

I needed to get out of there. I felt my sanity fray. It was too much to bear.

I could hear his pleas as he followed me.

“Babe. Let her go,” Ivy begged Devon.

“Shut up. I can handle this,” he shot back in anger.

I reached my car and he grabbed my wrist, forcing me to turn toward him.

“We can fix this. Please. Listen to me,” he pleaded.

“If you touch my hand one more time I will make sure to kill you. Let go, you devil,” I said, my voice shaking with barely controlled fury.

“Why are you calling me that?” he asked.

My lips trembled as I spoke. “Because you are just like him. You are a devil in an angel’s form. The only difference between the two of you is your faces.”

I got into my car, locked the doors, and drove away. My subconscious took over the steering while my conscious mind clung to the horror I had witnessed.

This changed everything. Could I live with the constant reminder of his betrayal? It would break me for years.

I picked up my phone and dialed the doctor. “Hello. I would like to come in for a favor. A horrible one. Now.”