“You don’t wish you had my life,” I snort. It came out more bitterly than I intended.
Camila stops, just looking at me. It almost seems like she wants to tell me something, but she’s not sure if she should.
“What?” I finally say.
“Nothing.” She clears her throat. “I have to head out now. But I hope you two have a nice time at dinner.”
“Thanks.”
She hesitates. “And make sure to put Ziggy outside before Graham comes back down. You know how he feels about the dog.”
That’s right. For reasons I don’t understand, Graham doesn’t seem to like Ziggy much. I have a horrible feeling that one of these days, Ziggy might simply disappear during the night and I’ll never know he even existed. Much like my phone.
Camila heads out, leaving me behind. I don’t know much about her, but unlike me, she has a life outside of this house. I envy her that more than I envy her incredible beauty. I miss being able to leave the house on my own. I miss driving. I miss going to work every day. And I’m beginning to be scared I will never experience any of these things ever again.
Graham has disappeared into his office and the door is closed. I plop down on the sofa, trying to figure out what to do next. Before I can figure it out, I get this strange sensation in my head. A fuzzy sensation, almost like I’m drifting off to sleep. The entire room melts away to white. And when I blink again, I’m outside the door to a room, my hand hovering over the doorknob.
My hand drops onto the doorknob and I twist the knob. The room is an office at My Home Spa, with large windows in the back, a mahogany desk, and a leather chair. Sitting in the leather chair is my husband Graham. And sitting on Graham is his secretary. At the sound of the door being yanked open, she scrambles off his lap. But it’s too late.
“Tess,” Graham gasps, as he attempts to wipe Taylor’s lipstick off his mouth. If she’s going to be making out with my husband, she should wear lipstick that doesn’t rub off on him so easily. “Christ, Tess, I didn’t realize you were—”
I arch an eyebrow at him. “You didn’t realize I work here? At my own company?”
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Thurman.” Taylor anxiously tugs at the hem of her skirt, which has ridden way up during whatever it was she was doing with Graham. “I… I didn’t mean to…”
“Don’t worry about it.” I wave a hand at her. “Also, you’re fired, Taylor. Clean out your desk right now.”
Immediately, Graham’s twenty-two-year-old secretary’s eyes fill with tears. “But, Mrs. Thurman—”
“Get out now.” I give her a look that is not to be argued with. “You’ve got twenty minutes and then I call security.”
I hear the words come out of my mouth, but it’s like I’m not in control of them. It’s like this scene playing out before me has already happened, and I’m simply reliving it. Which makes me impressed by how badass I am.
Taylor hurries out of the office, tears streaming down her cheeks. Once she’s gone, I set my gaze back on Graham, who looks distinctly pale. He is redoing the top button on his shirt and straightening out his tie. It occurs to me that if I had to come to this office just a few minutes later, I could have ended up getting quite the show.
“It isn’t how it looked, Tess,” he says. “I swear to you.”
A jab of pain hits me in the right temple. “You mean you making out with your secretary in your office?”
“Um…”
“Don’t worry, Graham. I don’t care about that.”
His brow crinkles. “You…”
I shrug. “We haven’t had sex in six months. It’s not like it’s a huge shock that you’re messing around behind my back.”
Now he looks perplexed. And for a moment, I enjoy it. I enjoy the split second of anticipation before I drop the bomb on him. He thought he could pull one over on me. Does he think I’m stupid?
“I found the bank account,” I tell him. “The Caribbean one. I found out what you’ve been up to, Graham. You piece of shit.”
His mouth falls open. “Tess…”
“I want you out of here.” I put my hands on my hips. “I want you to pack up your desk and get out of my company.”
“Come on, Tess.” He holds his hands out to me. “You don’t want to do that. I’ve been with this company for over six years. You’re never going to find a better accountant than me.”