All Chapters of After Three Years: She Wakes Up: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

“Well?” Misha raised his eyebrow as he folded his arms and repeated his question. “Aren’t you going to answer me? Where have you been, Ariana? Have you been seeing someone else?”Was he joking? Glaring at him in disbelief, I wanted to spit in his face over the hypocrisy of this moment. Misha, of all people, was jealous and angry because he mistook my best friend Allison for a date–while he was standing here next to his mistress. The shameless nerve of this man is unbelievable. “I was at work, Misha,” I answer with an exasperated sigh. ”And if you don’t mind, it’s been a long day, and I could use a bit of a nap.” While I knew I’d need to give Misha a better description of my day, but I felt like I might fall asleep on the spot, and I didn’t want to discuss my day, or my troubles, in front of Mavis. My life, my marriage, was none of her business.But Misha didn’t agree. Before I could walk around the two of them he reached out, grabbing the collar of the jacket wrapped around my sh

The problem was, it was taking too long. I had only been home for three days and I was already on edge. The doctor said no more stress. I needed to take it easy–eat well, sleep well–or I might lose my baby. The problem was that I was I had far too many troubles right now to really relax. And now, in addition to worrying about my job and my mother, I had to worry about Misha forcing himself on me. How could I keep myself calm? Thankfully, it was Sunday. I don’t work on Sunday, but I decided to take Dr. Clark’s advice to heart, and prepare for my day in advance. I was going into the office this afternoon to set up tomorrow’s labs. That would give me enough time to eat a proper breakfast, dress well, and enter the lecture hall tomorrow like the professional researcher that I am. This morning, without Misha hovering around like a vulture, I can take a bit of peace for myself. Mavis’ call really was a blessing in disguise.___On Sunday mornings, there was a yoga class that I used to

“That is so gross,” Allison’s nose wrinkled as she turned my phone to the side, as if watching the scene from a different angle would make it less offensive. “Dear God, Ari. If you didn’t already know, this would be the nail in his coffin.” She sighed as she handed the phone back to me. “Too bad the video was so blurry.” I nodded in agreement, frowning in disappointment. “Yeah, that’s what Stephanie had said too.” After recording the nasty scene in the private training room, I immediately sent the footage to my lawyer, Stephanie Quinn. And while she was impressed that I had been able to capture this moment, she also informed me that it "just wasn’t good enough."“The image isn’t clear and their faces aren’t visible,” she explained bluntly. "If we were to use this in a trial, his team could claim that it was a random couple, or that you had pulled it from a porno.” It had been a disappointment to hear those words, but I also appreciated her honesty–even if it was discouraging. Stepha

Allison began to cackle as soon as the door to the boutique closed softly behind us. She sounded a bit like a cartoon villain, drawing the attention of people passing by, and I found myself trying to shrink smaller to avoid notice.I love my friend, but sometimes she's a little too much.My nervous, underfed stomach flipped and I turned one last time to see Mavis' hard glare through the glass door. I had nothing to do with her predicament, but as she watched me walk away, I knew that in the end it wouldn't matter.I'm sure she'd find a way to blame me, and make herself look innocent at the same time. I have never been the type of brazen person to take revenge so openly. I couldn't even build up the courage to leave my husband until I was pushed over the edge by betrayal after betrayal. I just wanted my marriage to be over. I didn't have room in my heart to be petty. Allison, however, had plenty of room for trivial emotions. As she continued to chuckle, I reviewed the last hour in m

Kat’s unremarkable appearance was, I soon learned, part of her talents. “I’m good at what I do, because nobody notices me,” she smirked slightly, although it didn’t seem prideful the way Dr. Clark’s sideways smirk always felt. Her expression felt more like she was stating an obvious fact. “I can adapt to any crowd and blend into the shadows.” “She really can,” Ally confirmed with a confident nod. “She doesn’t just work surveillance for Starbright, Kat also sometimes serves as my private security.” During business hours or whenever Kat is traveling out of the area, Kat often moves around with a small entourage of very intimidating guards. “I’ve never noticed her as part of your usual crew?” I point out. “That’s the point,” Ally’s smile brightened her whole face. “She’s usually in plain clothes, but she’s always armed–with both a camera and a gun.” “Even now?” I ask, looking across the table at the unassuming woman. She was wearing a loose hoodie, a pair of yoga pants, and a simple