The Wrong Number

By Wednesday evening, the office had mostly emptied.The board meeting was on Thursday morning, and I had spent two days building the deck. Daniel would stand in front of eleven people and walk them through the quarter, and I wanted every page to be perfect. I had pulled the numbers from Finance myself. I had given the final layout to Rachael only to format and print, because she had complained all week that I wasn't giving her real work.I should have known better.I wasn't suspicious. It was habit. For four years I had checked everything three times before leaving it on Daniel's desk, because nobody else would. So at six o'clock, with my feet aching and my back throbbing, I opened the final file and started from page one.Page four was wrong.I stopped scrolling.Asia region revenue. The growth number said fourteen percent. I knew it wasn't fourteen. I remembered the Finance sheet, and the number was four.I opened the original file and put the two side by side.Four percent. Then f

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Flowers and Thorns

There were flowers on my desk when I arrived.White roses, a dozen at least, wrapped in cream paper. A small card was tucked between the stems.For the best assistant I've ever had. D."Aww," someone said behind me, in a voice that wasn't kind. "Look at that."I turned around.Two women stood by the printer with coffee cups in their hands. One was tall, with a sharp bob. The other was shorter and wore too much perfume. I had seen them both whispering with Rachael all week."Tiffany from Marketing," the tall one said, smiling. "And this is Cora.""I know who you are.""Do you?" Cora laughed. "Because we weren't sure you knew who anyone was. You just showed up.""I showed up on Monday. You've had five days to get over it."Tiffany's smile twitched. "Those flowers are lovely. Guilt always smells nice.""Does it?" I picked up the card and slid it into my drawer. "You'd know better than me. You've been apologizing to Rachael all week."Cora's mouth fell open. "Excuse me?""You are Rachael'

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Jealous

I was typing the Voss summary when Daniel stopped beside my desk. He wasn't looking at me. He was looking at the white roses sticking out of the bin."Why are my flowers in the trash?""The smell makes me nauseous.""You told me once that you like white roses.""That was four years ago. I don't like them anymore."I kept my eyes on the screen and carried on typing."Emma, look at me.""I'm busy.""I'm trying here." His voice dropped. "I'm trying to fix us. I sent flowers, I gave you a job, I moved Rachael out of the house. What more do you want me to do?"I stopped typing."I want you to stop acting like a bunch of flowers cancels four years, Daniel. You keep saying you're trying, as if I'm supposed to clap for you.""That's not what I'm saying.""Then what are you saying?"Two women from Accounting walked past with their files, slowed down when they heard us, and walked faster. I lowered my voice."I'm not doing this here.""Fine. Then answer me one thing." He folded his arms. "Why d

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The Café on Marlow Street

I deleted the message from my phone the next morning, then took it out of the trash and saved the photo in a folder instead. I already knew who sent it. Rachael stormed out of that restaurant with murder in her eyes, and a few hours later an unknown number sent me a picture. I wanted to show Daniel, but after the way he behaved over Mr. Hale, he would probably fire the man before asking a single question, and Rachael would simply cry and say she knew nothing.So I went downstairs and ate breakfast like nothing had happened.At lunchtime, I told Daniel I was going for a check-up with Dr. Hart. It was partly true because I had an appointment at three, but I used the back stairs and left through the side entrance, and in the taxi my heart was racing as if I was running away from something. For two weeks he had been sending soup to my desk and moving my chair closer to the window, and he never once asked why I kept pressing my hand against my side. Lying to him made me feel awful, but I

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Dinner for Two

Daniel was standing beside the elevator when I came out of the office at six."I booked a table for tonight," he said, taking my bag from my hand before I could stop him. "Just the two of us.""Why?" I asked, confused."Because I want to take my wife out to dinner. Is that so strange?"It was very strange. In four years, he had never taken me to dinner, not even on our wedding anniversary, and I was too surprised to answer. I wanted to say no, but a small, foolish part of me was curious. I nodded and followed him to the car, still wondering what was going on in his head.The restaurant was on the top floor of a hotel by the river, the kind of place people book months ahead. But when we walked in, the whole floor was empty except for one table by the window with candles on it. A chef in a white uniform came out to greet Daniel by name, and I stared at the empty room, then at him."Did you book the whole place?""You don't like being stared at." He pulled out my chair. "I remembered."

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Todos os capítulos de After the Divorce, I Became Untouchable : Capítulo 51 - Capítulo 55

The Wrong Number

Flowers and Thorns

Jealous

The Café on Marlow Street

Dinner for Two