Almost Caught

“Ms," Ivan called reaching out to touch her.

Without raising her head, she pushed past him and stumbled into the rack of sunglasses, falling with it to the floor. Without hesitation, she hurried back up and ran out with the sanitry pad in her hand.

“Hey, come back here. You need to pay for that," one of the guards yelled.

" It's fine,” she heard Ivan say. " I'll pay for that.”

Valeria ran without looking back until she got home.

"Why did you have to run from your boss?,” Callista asked, applying a balm on Valeria's wrist.

"I can't let him see me soak with my own blood.”

" So what if he sees you? You said he's married, does his wife not get her menstrual period?”

" It's different.”

Callista shrugged. " I don't see how.”

"I'm just so happy he didn't get to see me.”

" Yeah, at the risk of your wrist.”

Valeria pulled her wrist away from Callista. " I can't deal with you right now.”

They both laughed.

***

Valeria reached the office the next day, wearing a long sleeve shirt that covered her swollen wrist.

The pain had gotten worse so she had to leave the sleeve unbuttoned.

" You should dress properly, we're having an important client over,” Ivan said, looking at her shirt sleeve.

" Yes, sir,” she bowed.

She lifted her hand but winced when she tried to button her sleeve. Ivan noticed.

"Are you okay?” He asked, genuinely concerned.

“Uhm…yes, I'm fine.”

Ivan studied her briefly.

" Did he hit you?”

"What?” Valeria's eyes widened. " No, I fell.”

He paused, staring at her suspiciously.

" I know it's not my business, but—”

"Seriously, he didn't,” Valeria laughed.

His eyes drifted to her swollen wrist.

" You need to take something for that.”

She nodded. " I have.”

He paused again, then pressed the intercom.

"An icepack, please.”

"You don't have to bother, sir. I've—”

" I'm not doing this for you,” he cuts in. " I'm doing this so you can do your job well, Mrs Ravelle.”

Damn. Mrs Ravelle. 

She almost forgot that it was her.

"Okay,” she whispered, looking down.

She wished  he would stop looking into her eyes like that. He was unfairly handsome, more than he had the right to. She secretly wished her mystery husband would be this good looking.

A few minutes later, a young lady walked in with an icepack.

“You stay here and tend to your wrist,  I'll handle my schedule for today,” he stated, his voice leaving no room for arguments.

He left Valeria while he attended a meeting.

Valeria sat stiffly on the couch, the ice pack pressed to her wrist, staring at the door he had just walked through.

“Mrs Ravelle,” she whispered, then let out a little laughter.

She flexed her fingers slightly, and pain shot up her arm.

Great!

First week at a new job and she already looked like someone in a crime documentary.

She glanced around Ivan’s office, and noticed there were no framed wedding pictures, no smiling bride on the desk, no trace of a woman.

Strange.

Her phone buzzed with a message from her mystery husband, and jolted her back to reality. 

She bit her lip before replying.

>It’s fine. My boss is… intense.

She hesitated.

>Handsome, annoyingly competent, newly married and very proud of it.

Three dots appeared, indicating he was typing.

She smiled.

Before she could type anything else, the office door opened.

She nearly dropped her phone as Ivan stepped in, loosening his tie slightly. His eyes immediately landed on her hand.

“Still swollen,” he muttered.

“I’m fine,” she replied too quickly, sliding her phone face down on the desk.

He walked around to his side of the desk, close enough that she caught a faint scent of his cologne. Something clean, intoxicating, and dangerous.

He stood beside her, quiet. When she looked up, his eyes held hers for a moment too long.

“Clients will be here in ten minutes,” he continued. “I need you present.”

“I will be,” she replied.

He took another look at her wrist.

“Go home early if it worsens.”

She blinked. “You just said we had important clients.”

“I did.”

“So—?”

“I also said I need you to be functional.”

She hesitated then nodded.

***

The meeting went smoothly. She took notes with her good hand, forcing herself not to flinch every time she wrote.

Ivan barely looked at her, but every time she shifted, he noticed.

At 4:47 p.m., he checked his watch. At 4:52, he checked again. At 4:58, he stood.

“That will be all,” he told the clients.

Once they left, he turned to her.

“You’re leaving.”

She blinked. “What?”

“You’re pale.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

She opened her mouth to argue.

 “That was an order,” he asserted, firmly.

He picked up his jacket and walked out again, already on his phone.

Valeria's phone buzzed with a message from her husband.

She smiled sheepishly and walked towards the chair.

>Nothing, about to get off work.

She gasped, >Already?

Valeria sprang to her feet, grabbed her bag and headed out. Once in the elevator, she typed. >Fine. I'll be there at six

As soon as Valeria stepped out of the office building, she spotted her boss and ran behind a parked van. She didn't want him offering to drip her off again.

Her phone buzzed with a text from her mystery husband.

Valeria hesitated, mentally making a choice from the few clothes she'd brought from her father's house.

>A purple blouse and blue jean pants.

She lifted her eyes and saw Ivan's car drive out. Quickly, she left her hiding spot and hurried home. She couldn't afford  reeking of sweat in front of her husband.

At exactly 5:40p.m, Valeria was at the cafe, checking her phone and occasionally looking out the glass wall. 

At 5:50, Ivan arrived. As soon as he stepped down from his car, he spotted someone from the back, with the exact colour of cloth his mystery wife had told him.

He smiled to himself, straightened and walked toward the cafe.

Meanwhile, Valeria quickly took out a mirror to fix her makeup before putting it back.

She closed her damp and trembling palms, her heartbeat ticked with the hand of the clock, her breathing was uneven.

Ivan stepped in and approached her from the back, his eyes fixed on her curly blonde hair.

Finally, he was standing behind his long awaited wife. He steadied himself, stretched out his hand and placed it on Valeria's shoulder. 

Valeria stiffened, and began to turn her head very slowly.