7. New Boss, Old Hurt

The days after Caspian showed up were weird. I kept thinking about him. He was going to help the family business, but he was also the guy I kissed at the club. It didn't make any sense. And the way he looked at Hector sometimes… it was like there was something else going on.

Juliet was bossy as ever. She kept telling Hector and me that we had to act like a happy couple. It felt fake and gross. Hector seemed jumpy. He was always on his phone, whispering. He was probably trying to settle scores with Jessica. Or maybe they have progressed with their secret affairs somewhere else.

Me? I was just a mess of feelings. Mad at Hector, annoyed at Juliet, and… well, there was still this strange pull towards Caspian. That kiss at the club kept popping into my head. At that instance, I decided that I needed to get out of the house. The air inside felt heavy so I went to the grocery store, hoping a little fresh air would clear my head. But as I parked my car, I heard this voice that made my stomach sink.

“Well, look who it is.”

It was no other person than Jessica. She stood by her car with this mean smile on her face. How did she even know I would be here, has she been following me? She’d always been jealous and nasty ever since our childhood, and what she did with Hector just made it worse.

I took a deep breath and tried to act normal. “Jessica. Hi.”

“Oh, ‘hi’ now?” she said, leaning against her car. Her eyes were full of something mean. “I was just wondering how the poor little wife who got cheated on was doing.”

Her words about me being a “poor little wife” stung, especially with everything that had happened with the baby. I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of seeing me upset.

“I’m doing okay,” I said, trying to sound like I meant it.

Her smile got wider, like she knew something I didn’t. “Oh, I bet. Especially now that you’re free to go after other guys, right?”

I frowned. What was she talking about?

She laughed, a short, ugly sound. “Word gets around, Avery. Hector didn't forget to mention about you and some guy at a club last night that we met. Guess you didn’t waste any time.”

My face grew hot. Hector is still sleeping with her? “It’s none of your business, Jessica,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Sure it is,” she said, taking a step closer. 

“You’re the one who slept with my husband, Jessica!” I shot back, my voice shaking.

“He probably just felt sorry for you,” she sneered. “It’s not like you could keep him happy after… you know.” She looked at my stomach, a cruel reminder of the baby we lost.

Tears came to my eyes, and I squeezed my hands into fists. I didn’t want to cry in front of her. Again, I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of seeing me upset.

“And now I hear you’ve got your claws into some rich guy,” she went on, her voice dripping with something nasty. “Sleeping your way to the top, just like I always said you would.”

Her words hit hard. She thought I was using Caspian. The idea was so wrong it almost made me laugh, but it also made me angry.

“You don’t know anything about me, Jessica,” I said, my voice trembling.

“Oh, I think I do,” she said, her eyes shining with mean happiness. “You’re just a user, Avery. Always wanting more than you deserve. Even though Hector married you, you can never have him all to yourself.”

“Just leave me alone, Jessica,” I said, my voice low and tight. I couldn’t listen to her anymore.

The cruelty of her words was too much. Something inside me just broke. Later that evening, I found myself on Desmond’s doorstep. His small apartment always felt like a safe harbor, a place where I could just be myself, messy emotions and all.

He took one look at my face and pulled me inside, no questions asked. I sank onto his worn couch, the familiar scent of old books and his slightly burnt toast somehow comforting.

“Rough day?” he asked gently, handing me a mug of his usual chamomile tea.

I nodded, the words tumbling out of me in a rush. I told him about Caspian being the investor, about the awkward meeting with Hector and Juliet, and then about the nasty encounter with Jessica in the parking lot.

Desmond listened patiently, his brow furrowed with concern. He was his usual supportive self, offering words of comfort and outrage at Jessica’s cruelty. But when I got to the part about Caspian, his expression shifted, a shadow of something I couldn’t quite place crossing his features.

“So, this Caspian… he’s the one who’s taking over the business?” Desmond asked slowly, stirring his own tea thoughtfully.

“Yeah,” I said, taking a sip of the lukewarm liquid. “It’s so weird, Des. I just… I can’t shake this feeling that it’s all connected somehow. Me meeting him at the club, him being the investor… it feels too strange to be a coincidence.”

Desmond was quiet for a moment, his gaze distant. Then he looked at me, his eyes holding a new seriousness. “Avery,” he said, his voice low, “you need to be careful.”

I frowned. “Careful? What do you mean?”

He hesitated, as if choosing his words carefully. “Well… I did a little digging. You know me, I'm always researching about people and other stuff.”

“Digging?”

He nodded. “Yeah. After you told me about him at the club. Something about him… I don’t know, it just felt off. So I looked him up.”

My heart started to beat a little faster. “And? What did you find?”

Desmond sighed, running a hand through his messy brown hair. “His name… Caspian Sterling? It’s not exactly a common one. I didn't find a single record about him and that's so weird.”

He didn’t elaborate, but the gravity in his voice was enough to send a chill down my spine. Whatever Desmond hadn't found, it had clearly worried him.

“Avery,” he continued, his eyes pleading, “please be careful with this guy since we don't know anything about him. Don’t trust him too quickly. Especially after everything you’ve been through with Hector… you’re vulnerable right now. Just… keep your eyes open, okay? For both of them.”

His words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken warnings. My mind raced, trying to piece together this new but odd information.