All Chapters of HIS SECRETARY'S SECRET : Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

Damian PovNathan's preschool was having a spring play and both parents were invited to attend. I got the email from the school and knew Bella would be there. We hadn't seen each other in three weeks. Not since I picked up Nathan and saw Andrew in the background. Three weeks of avoiding each other. Three weeks of only communicating through text about custody logistics. Three weeks of pretending we could co parent without actually interacting.I showed up early hoping to get a seat far from wherever Bella chose to sit. But the preschool director Mrs Patterson had other ideas. She saw me come in and immediately directed me to the front row. "Parents sit together" she said cheerfully. "We have name cards."Sure enough there was a seat with my name next to a seat with Bella's name. We were assigned to sit together. To watch our son perform in a play about spring flowers while sitting side by side like we were still a family. The universe had a cruel sense of humor.Bella arrived ten minut

Damian PovThe same publisher who sent Bella an advance copy sent one to me. A thick envelope with "The Other Woman: A Love Story by Karen Tyler" printed on the cover. I opened it at work during my lunch break and immediately regretted it. The cover letter said they wanted to give me a chance to respond before publication. Like that made sending me Karen's lies any better.I started reading at my desk in the basement office. The dedication page made me angry. The table of contents made me sick. But I kept reading because I needed to know what Karen was saying about me. I needed to know how she was rewriting our story.She painted me as a predator. A manipulative boss who used his power to seduce a vulnerable employee. She wrote that I pursued her relentlessly. That I made promises about leaving Bella. That I told her I loved her and meant it. She described me as emotionally abusive. Said I controlled her. Said I threatened her job if she didn't continue the affair. Every word was a li

Damian PovI sat in my studio apartment staring at job rejection emails and seriously considered leaving. Not just the apartment. The whole city. Maybe even the state. I could start over somewhere new. Somewhere nobody knew about Karen or the affair or the book. Somewhere I could be anonymous and rebuild without my past following me everywhere.The idea took hold over several days. I researched other cities. Looked at apartments. Checked job markets. Denver had opportunities. So did Austin. Portland. Seattle. Places where I could disappear and start fresh. Places where "Damian Roberts" didn't immediately bring up Karen's book and scandal and ruined reputation.But leaving meant leaving Nathan. Seeing him every other week instead of every other day. Missing soccer games and school events and the daily little things that made being his father worth all the pain. The custody agreement said I had to stay within the county unless Bella agreed to let me move. She would never agree. Why woul

Damian PovAfter a month of job rejections I lowered my standards. No more applying for management positions or anything in my field. I applied everywhere. Retail. Fast food. Warehouses. Anything that would hire someone with a ruined reputation. Most places still said no. But a bar on the edge of town said yes.The owner Mike was a gruff man in his fifties who didn't care about my past. "You have experience with customer service" he asked during the interview."I ran a company" I said. "I dealt with clients and employees. I can handle customer service.""You know how to make drinks" Mike asked."I can learn" I said. "I'm a fast learner. I need this job. I'll work hard."Mike looked at me for a long moment. "You're the guy from that book aren't you" he said. "The Karen Tyler thing. The affair and the trial.""Yes" I admitted. There was no point lying. "That's me. But I'm just trying to make a living. Support my son. I'll be a good employee I promise.""I don't care about your personal

Damian PovI saw the video before my shift ended. Mike showed it to me on his phone around midnight when things slowed down and said "Isn't that your ex wife.""Yes" I said. "That's Bella."I watched it twice standing behind the bar. Bella standing up in that bookstore and saying her name clearly and then saying everything that needed to be said directly to Karen's face while Karen sat there trying to hold her composed expression together. By the time security walked Bella out the room was already on her side. You could feel it in the video even before the comments confirmed it."Good for her" Mike said and went back to counting the register.I finished my shift and drove home and sat in my car outside the apartment for a while. I thought about Bella in that bookstore. About how much courage that took. About how she had lost everything the same way I had and she was the one fighting back publicly while I was pouring drinks and trying not to be recognized.The next Saturday was worse t