Chapter 23: More Like You've Become My Boss

After washing up.

Joy leaned back against the headboard, wet hair soaking into the pillowcase.

Exhaustion pressed down on her like lead. Her eyes drifted shut before she could stop them.

The dream wasn't peaceful. Just fragments.

"Joy Bennett, I know you're pretty, but try focusing on your studies for once!"

Her homeroom teacher, up at the front, pushing glasses up her nose, lenses catching the light, pointing straight at her in front of the whole class.

"Stop spending all your energy chasing boys and disrupting my classroom."

Whispers pressed in around her, fingers poking at her back.

"Girls like her don't end up like that by accident. Little fox."

The scene shifted the registry office now.

Nathaniel's face, dark and close, disgust written across it.

"You got what you wanted."

"Feels good, doesn't it? All that scheming just to end up in someone's bed."

"No I didn't"

Joy jolted awake, cold sweat beading across her forehead.

The room sat in dead silence.

The sheets beside her were smooth and untouched.

She checked her phone. 3 a.m.

He never came back. Good.

She sat up, pulled the robe tight, and padded barefoot to the French doors, pushing them open.

Cool night air slid under the collar of her robe.

The terrace was enormous, connected to an infinity pool. Moonlight scattered across the surface like a crushed crescent thrown into water.

Joy sank into a lounge chair.

She pulled her knees up, wrapped her arms around them, and curled into as small a shape as she could manage.

She stared at the water, unblinking.

Just when it felt like the night would never end, dawn finally broke.

Joy blinked her dry, aching eyes and shifted her legs numb, pins and needles crawling up from her ankles.

She stood, using the railing for support, and staggered back inside through the French doors.

*Beep, beep, beep

The lock disengaged.

Joy went rigid.

The door opened.

"Morning, ma'am!" Lily called brightly.

Joy pulled herself together and smiled, nodding. "Morning."

"What would you like for breakfast? I'll get started right away."

"Anything simple is fine."

"Sure should I prepare the same for Mr. Cross?"

"Just mine. He didn't come home."

Lily paused.

First night married, and the husband doesn't come home at all. In most families, that would set off a firestorm tears, at the very least.

Privately, Lily was impressed. No wonder she'd landed a Cross the woman clearly had nerves of steel.

Joy finished getting ready in the bathroom.

She leaned on the sink, studying her reflection.

Her fingers drifted to the bridge of her nose, high and straight now.

Can't wear the silicone here. If Lily catches it, there's no explaining that away.

I'll have to sort this out somewhere else.

After breakfast, Joy changed into something plain and unremarkable and slipped out.

Highgate Residences was luxury housing, but it sat a fair distance from the nearest subway station. She walked twenty minutes before disappearing into the morning commuter crowd.

She ducked into a station restroom.

Ten minutes later, the stall door opened.

Miss Bennett had returned.

The subway ride into the office took half the time her old commute did one of the few upsides of the move.

At her desk, bag barely set down, Mrs. Walker leaned over, visibly nervous.

"Watch yourself these next few days. Mr. Cross is in a mood."

Joy pushed her glasses up, offering a polished, professional smile. "Noted. Thanks for the warning."

Ding. The elevator opened.

Nathaniel had arrived.

His expression could've frozen someone at ten paces.

He walked straight toward his office then stopped.

Turned. His cold gaze landed on her.

"Miss Bennett. In here."

He pushed the door open and disappeared inside.

Joy's grip tightened around the folder in her hands.

She was genuinely afraid of him now the faint finger marks still ghosting across her throat made it hard to breathe just thinking about it.

She exhaled, talked herself back into the role of "Miss Bennett," and made herself walk in.

The second the door opened, cigarette smoke hit her.

Her stomach lurched instantly.

She frowned, hand flying to cover her mouth and nose, fighting down the nausea.

Nathaniel caught the motion out of the corner of his eye, paused mid-drag, then stubbed the cigarette out fast.

He got up, cracked the window to let cold air clear the smoke, then dropped back into his chair, flipping through a document with studied indifference.

"You were out sick for days. Still not better?"

Joy pressed her lips together.

Ironic, she thought. My husband, technically and he still doesn't know it's me.

Thank god for that.

She kept her eyes down, voice flat and professional. "Mr. Cross, I'm pregnant."

His hand froze mid-page.

"I may need time off for prenatal appointments going forward. I won't let it affect my work I'm happy to make up the hours."

Something hit Nathaniel square in the chest, dull and heavy.

A long pause.

"...Right." His voice came out rough, the word hollow. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, sir."

She gave a small nod, turned, and left, shutting the door behind her.

The second the latch clicked

Nathaniel yanked his tie loose and slammed the file down on the desk.

His hand shook slightly as he reached for his cigarettes.

Lit one. Dragged deep. Smoke curling around him.

She's someone's wife now. About to be a mother.

Thinking of the calculating woman waiting for him at home, he wanted to put his fist through the wall.

Lunch, in the cafeteria.

The smell of hot oil hit Joy wrong. She pressed a hand to her chest, stepped back, and turned to Megan behind her.

"Grab me something light? We'll eat in the small conference room I need to tell you something."

Megan nodded. "Go ahead, I'll catch up."

Ten minutes later, in the small conference room.

Megan dug into her rice with enthusiasm.

Joy picked at a few pieces of greens, chewing slowly.

"You're just eating grass?" Megan finally couldn't take it.

Joy set down her fork, smiling faintly. "No appetite."

"Eat something anyway." Megan dropped a rib onto her plate. "You said you had something important what is it?"

"After you finish eating."

"I'm listening now. Go ahead."

Joy set her fork down entirely and looked at her. "I'm pregnant. And I'm married."

"cough"

Megan nearly choked, gulped down water to clear her throat, then burst out laughing.

"Okay, that joke needs work. You'd have better luck telling me you're my new boss."

"In a way," Joy said evenly, "I kind of am. Temporarily."

Megan reached over and pressed a hand to Joy's forehead. "Are you running a fever? Delirious?"

Joy pulled the hand away, met her eyes, and said, dead serious, "I'm pregnant with Nathaniel Cross's child."

Megan's eyes went wide, like she'd seen a ghost.

She blinked, then dug a finger in her ear like she'd misheard.

"...Hang on. I think I'm hallucinating."

"You're not." Joy pulled out a napkin, dabbing her mouth. "We got the marriage certificate yesterday."

"Oh my god" Megan yanked out her phone, checking the date. "It's not April Fool's... wait, I get it. You lost a dare, right? Someone dared you to say this?"

Joy smiled but it didn't reach her eyes.

"I wish it were that simple.”