Chapter 4: Making Plans

Henry pushed Flora aside and wrapped Olivia in a hug as she continued crying.

“My God, Flora,” he scolded, shouting at her. “Why would you do that? I understand you’re upset but you can’t just do that. She’s your sister!”

Flora ignored him and walked to her wardrobe. She pulled out a box and opened it, pushing her clothes – her real clothes, not the nonsense Henry’s mother liked – into it forcefully. Next, she threw in a pair of slippers and flat shoes. She packed other essentials into the box and zipped it up firmly. She jerked up the box and rolled it past her slimy husband and evil sister.

“Flora!” he called out, still embracing Olivia. “You can’t leave like this, we-we still need to talk.”

She paused and looked at him from head to toe. How had she ever thought this man was attractive? Now that theveil of love was gone, Flora could list a thousand things that were not pleasing about Henry.

His beard was unkept, his hands were too bony, his chest was too wide. To boot, he was a coward and a cheat.

Seriously, what had young Flora been thinking? She took her eyes off him and kept moving to the door. “We’ll meet in court Henry.”

He did not follow her, but he remained on the bed comforting Olivia. At the staircase, she called for the maids who helped her carry the box down the stairs and to the gate.

The maid who’d been dusting when Flora had arrived was among them but she did not look Flora in the eyes as she carried one end of the box and followed obediently. As she and the other maid set the box down outside the gate, Flora told her to stay.

“Caterina,” she said softly. “How long has this been going on?”

The maid began to stammer. “M-m-madam…”

“I’m not going to confront Henry or anything like that. I just want to know, how long had Henry been sleeping with my step-sister?”

The maid swallowed. “I don’t know when it began, madam, but it’s been more than a year.”

“Thank you. You can go.”

The maid walked away quickly. As Flora waited for her cab, the images of Olivia and Henry on that bed repeated over and over in her head. This was more than a betrayal. This was treachery. It was one thing for Henry to cheat on her, but to cheat on her with Olivia?

He knew what Olivia had done to her. He knew the pain Olivia had caused her. Many times, when they were still friends in college, he’d been her shoulder to cry on when Olivia had stolen again from her, or seduced another one of Flora’s boyfriends.

For a long time, Henry had been Flora’s only friend apart from Eva. So how could he do this to her? How could he betray her by sleeping with a woman who had bullied Flora so much when they had been growing up?

On the ride home, Flora thought long and hard about what had happened to her these past few days. She had always a meek person who took what life threw at her with no complaining but this was too much.

She was going to ruin her husband so completely he would regret ever hurting her. For the first time in her life, Flora Grey, soon to be Flora Wicks again, was going to take revenge!

Flora was draining a pot of spaghetti when Eva walked into the apartment, hands full with case files.

She had loved to cook since she was a little girl but ever since her marriage with Henry had deteriorated, cooking had become a chore instead of the fun hobby it once was.

However, in Eva’s small kitchen, there was no pressure to be perfect, a fact Flora appreciated as she checked on the simmering sauce. To make dinner was now a joy. She found herself humming an old song as she washed her hands in the sink

“How was your day?” Eva asked as she dropped the files on a couch in the living room and groaned. She sniffed the air as she gently massaged her shoulder. “That smells delicious, Flo. It’s been so long since I’ve eaten something that’s not take-out. When do we eat?”

“Go take a shower,” Flora said with a smile as she stirred the sauce then turned off the stove. “It’ll be here when you’re done.”

“It’d better,” said her friend playfully. Her stomach took that moment to growl loudly and they both burst into laughter.

It took Eva fifteen minutes to take a quick shower and put on her ratty pajamas and in that time, Flora set the table for two and dished out helpings of pasta for both of them. Eva flashed her a grateful smile as she sat and began to eat. “This is delicious Flora. Now, tell me about your day. Did you get the stuff you needed from your place?”

Flora nodded, picking at her food. “Yeah.” She spoke. “I also saw Henry and Olivia together. In my bed.”

Eva’s eyes went wide as she dropped her fork, cheeks bulging with spaghetti. She took a moment to swallow, choking slightly. Flora got her a cup of water, and patted her back gently till she had calmed down significantly.

“That disgusting minx!”

“If I had known you’d have such a strong reaction, I’d have told you right before bed,” Flora said with a small laugh. “Are you feeling better?”

Eva waved her away. “Forget about me! What do you mean you saw Henry and Olivia together?!”

“Exactly that,” Flora said. “Olivia is definitely his mystery mistress he’s leaving me for.”

“The one who is making him so happy?” Eva snorted, taking a sip of her water. “I didn’t know Olivia was capable of bringing happiness to anyone. I mean, of all people, he had to go for your evil step-sister?”

“I’m just as shocked,” Flora admitted as she took her seat again. “Somehow, this hurts worse than being served divorce papers on my anniversary. Knowing that Olivia is the reason I got them in the first place boils my blood.”

Eva nodded, twirling pasta around her fork. “She’s always doing nonsense like this. Once you get something she wants it, no matter what it is. Remember when you found her with your ex Chris a week after you started dating? Or that summer she stole all those sundresses and bathing suits you bought and tried to pass them off as hers? She’s a devil.”

“She’s gone too far this time, Eva.” Flora pressed a hand to her head. “I can’t let both of them get away with doing this to me. I feel as if I’ll burst if I don’t do something.”

Eva reached across the table to grasp her hand in comfort, and Flora held on to it like a lifeline. “You know, when I thought Henry’s mistress was just some random woman, I just wanted to end this nightmare and put it behind me. But knowing that he betrayed me like this with Olivia, even after knowing everything she has done to me, is killing me. I want him to hurt Eva.”

Eva sighed, and squeezed her hand. “I wish you hadn’t dropped off those signed papers this morning. I’d been able to do something.”

Something clicked in Flora’s mind, and she got off the kitchen stool and raced to the living room where her bag was propped up against the sofa. After rifling through it for a few charged seconds, she found the papers in the brown envelope exactly as she’d packaged it before she’d left Eva’s apartment.

In all the chaos of finding Henry and Olivia together, and the theatrics of Olivia’s tears, she had totally forgotten to give Henry the signed papers!

“I didn’t give them to him,” she said to Eva as she entered the kitchen, triumphantly waving the brown envelope. “I didn’t even realize it until now.”

Eva gave her a wide, wide smile. “At least one good thing has come out of the trauma of seeing those two naked together.”

Flora grimaced. “Don’t remind me of that image please.” She took her seat again, placing the envelope in the middle of the kitchen table. “Will it matter that I’ve signed them?”

“Don’t forget what an awesome lawyer your friend is, Flora. You didn’t give them to him, and that’s all I need. Give me a minute.” She cleared her plate and fixed her gaze on Flora’s meal. “You still want that?”

Flora shook her head, watching as Eva ate quickly and dropped both dishes in the sink.

She sighed with pleasure. “I’m telling you Flo, that was a meal fit for a queen.”

“It was just pasta,” Flora said, blushing.

“Accept my thanks, lady. Now let’s get to business.” Eva tapped the brown envelope. “Henry is trying to avoid a contestable divorce, because he’s the cause of your marriage breaking down. If it gets to court, all the things he’s giving you here – the summerhouse, cars and all that – is nothing compared to what the court will award you when he’s forced to reveal all his assets. The problem is, we’re going to need definite proof that he cheated on you. Right now, all we have to go on is what he said to you and what you saw.”

“He didn’t mention it in the divorce papers?”

“To my surprise, he was too smart for that. If you don’t want to go to court, I can in touch with his lawyers and let them know we don’t accept the terms of the divorce.”

Flora nodded, understanding where Eva was going with this. “So, you want to use his fear of going to court against him, right? To ask for much more than what he wants to give?”

“Exactly Flo. What is Henry’s most valued asset?”

“His company,” Flora said with no hesitation. "Now that I think about it, that’s what would hurt him much more than giving me any of the houses or the cars. I would own part of his greatest achievement in life.”

“Well,” said Eva with a satisfied grin, “Now I know exactly what to demand for.”