Secrets Written in Light

Right before the gift hit the bottom of the trash bin, Marvin Smith came at me with boiling anger. His hands clenched as he stood an inch from my face, his eyes wide with rage."Tracy, someone gave you a gift out of kindness, and you tossed it without a second thought? Where's your sense of decency?" he snapped."If you're too high and mighty for this place, then pack up and leave. Stop being a thorn in everyone's side!"I suppressed a chuckle as I stared back at the man before me, his eyes red with fury.Everything about Marvin was a joke.I let out a weary sigh and met his gaze. "If someone cared about their image, they wouldn't pull stunts like these for all to see. Plus, a decent person wouldn't get caught in such an act with other women."The onlooking colleagues, who had been enjoying the show, looked at each other in disbelief. Ever since I started working here, I never said no to Marvin. No matter how absurd his demands were, I would always carry them out to perfection.

He was right — I never should have cared in the first place. There was nothing left to care about even then.I cut ties with every company chat group without a second thought.As the sky began to lighten, I made my way home but ran into Marvin at the elevator. He glanced at me like I was nothing, scorned, and quickly looked away."Spent the night here mulling things over? Come to any realizations?"I hit the elevator button, my voice dripping with indifference. "Yeah, I've had an epiphany. I'm done."Marvin whipped around to face me, arms folded, taking in my ragged state from head to toe."You never wanted to be my right hand from the get-go. Guess what? That other company you're eyeing? They wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot pole now. Last warning — think before you let anything else slip."He was not wrong.Back when I was fresh on the job scene, I had options. However, Marvin, in the early days of his venture, was alone and scared out of his wits.He pleaded with me to jo

Struggling to sit up, I shook my head, a sharp pain in my belly making it impossible to get a word out.My coworker, standing off to the side with hands on hips, glared at me. "Look at you, getting caught red-handed in someone else's house. We might as well have walked in on you cheating. Got any excuses?"You're nothing but a shameless flirt, always trying to worm your way to the top. Makes sense that you were aiming for the supervisor's bed all along."If you're not the mistress, then what's your excuse for being at Mr. Smith's place, sneaking around like a thief?"...The room was filled with relentless jeers. Wendy kept wiping away tears that were not there, her voice breaking."Tracy, I get it, you're ambitious, and that's fine. Everyone screws up. Just say you're sorry, and I'll let it go."Just don't let it happen again, alright? It's not a good look."You're lucky you ran into someone as forgiving as me. Anyone else might have made you pay with your life..."I tried to

I turned a deaf ear to his tender call and retreated to the spare bedroom.I had barely settled into bed when the mattress beside me dipped, and Marvin edged closer with caution. "Back so soon and straight to bed? Are you feeling okay? Maybe we should get you checked out at the hospital?" I did not answer, but he kept steadied on, relentlessly. "Tracy, I slaved away in the kitchen all day, whipping up all your favorite meals. It's not every day we get this chance, so come on, let's enjoy a meal together."He showed me his hand, marked with blisters. "I even burned myself for you, so come on, cut me some slack. You weren't always this distant." Annoyed, I shifted away from his touch, "I'm not hungry. I just want to sleep." However, he persisted, scooting closer once more. "I'll sleep with you, and we can have a bite before bed." I dodged him again, but cornered myself. His patience snapped, and he sat up, his voice a low, angry rumble. "Tracy, don't be ridiculous!" I sto

"I'm sorry, I've been neglecting you lately. Let's go home, okay? Let's go home and bring this baby into the world. I promise I'll take good care of both of you!"He was already pulling me off the gurney as he spoke, "Tracy, I've got a really important meeting soon, but I'll drop you off at home and come back to be with you later."I laughed, a bitter sound, as I pushed him away. "We're getting a divorce, it's already settled. You don't get a say in this anymore."Marvin massaged his forehead, trying to keep his voice even and calm."Divorce is our business, and we should deal with it at home. Even if you take me to court, I won't agree to it. Tell me what's wrong, and I'll fix it," he pleaded.The nurse, losing her patience, snapped, "Are you going to proceed with the surgery or not?"Marvin bellowed, "Forget it!"He scooped me up and stormed out, not pausing for a second.It was not until we were nearly in the car that he finally slowed down.However, then, just as he had fe