- 8.
After that, Jake became busy. Even without a
job, he was out from morning till night. I didn’t
know what he was doing. I assumed he was still
shaken by the incident with Ashton. Even
though we’d moved closer to my school, he insisted on picking me up every day. “Stay with the other teachers at school. Don’t wander off, okay?” I chuckled. “I’m not a kindergartener. I can take care of myself.” He grinned. “You are a kindergartener.”
Lately, Jake had more evening engagements. Sometimes, if he couldn’t make it, he’d send his friend from the hospital. I felt bad, telling the guy, “It’s just a short walk. I can go myself. Don’t bother.” “No can do,” he’d grin. “Jake’s orders are absolute. Besides, a pretty lady like you needs looking after.”
Since I couldn’t dissuade him, I turned to Jake. “If you keep this up, people will call you
whipped.” He just rolled his eyes. “I like spoiling my wife. What’s it to them?” I couldn’t help but
laugh.
<
One day at work, Sarah pulled me aside, a
secretive look on her face. She showed me her
phone. “Is this your husband?” It was a picture
of Jake drinking with a glamorous woman.
Several other men surrounded her. The room
was dimly lit, and I couldn’t see Jake’s
expression. But it was definitely him. “My friend
took this at a bar. I thought he looked familiar.”
Sarah looked at me. “I heard he got fired. He’s
practically a bum now. Look at him, resorting to
selling himself to some woman. This is your
‘true love‘? Be careful, you might catch
something.”
“Enough.” My face hardened. “Sarah, you keep
badmouthing my husband, stalking him, taking
pictures, trying to break us up. I know what
you’re doing. I know what Ashton’s promised
you. Just because I don’t say anything doesn’t
mean I’m stupid. From now on, unless it’s
work–related, don’t talk to me.”
I walked back into the office. Sarah followed a
11:55
40
few minutes later, her eyes red–rimmed. I overheard some colleagues comforting her, saying I was ungrateful.
That night, Jake came home late. “Just getting back?” “Yeah.” I sniffed the air. “How much did you drink?” He nuzzled my face. “Don’t like the smell, huh?” I laughed and dodged him. He pulled me into a hug, sighing. “Thanks for putting up with me these past few weeks.” I hugged him back, shaking my head.
The next morning, I smelled perfume on his shirt. There was a faint lipstick stain on his cuff. I remembered the picture Sarah had shown me. A pang of jealousy shot through me. If I could, I’d rather have him back as a simple mechanic.
Days turned into weeks. Then I saw him. I was out shopping with some colleagues when we passed a fancy restaurant. One of them tugged at my bag. “Chloe, doesn’t that guy look like your husband?” I looked over. A man sat by the
<
window, across from a stylishly dressed woman.
My heart sank. It wasn’t just a resemblance. It
was him. My face must have betrayed my
feelings. My colleague chuckled nervously.
“Must be business. They look like they’re having
a normal conversation.” I mumbled an
agreement, not wanting to look any longer.
“Let’s go.”
Just as I turned, my colleague gasped. “Chloe, your… your husband…” My stomach lurched. “He just… punched that woman!” I whirled
around. Jake had kicked over the table. He
stood over the pale–faced woman, a sneer on
his lips.
I rushed over, just in time to hear him say, “You
think you’re good enough for me? You’re
nothing.” He turned to leave, swaggering, and
his eyes met mine. The bravado vanished.
“Babe?” He frowned, trying to explain. “I don’t
hit women. It was an accident. My leg’s long, I
tripped, knocked the table over.” I burst out
laughing. “I’m not mad.” He visibly relaxed,
taking my hand. “Let’s go home then?”
Back home, I learned that Jake had been
spending his time with Ashton’s older sister,
Jessica. “The sales job was a cover, I needed to
get close to her.” He sneered, “Jessica’s a wild
one. Has a thing for younger guys. Been up to
some shady stuff. I got close to her, tapped into
her network, got some dirt on her. Sold it to
their rival company. Should be in the news
tomorrow. Nothing major, but enough to cause
some chaos for the Ashton family. They’ll be
too busy with damage control to bother you.”
“You did all this… just to keep Ashton away
from me?” “I’m going to Shenzhen in a few
days. I won’t be at ease until I take care of
Ashton myself.”
Shenzhen? I felt a pang of sadness. “Why? How
long will you be gone?” “A week or so. If this
goes well, I might be traveling a lot.” So, that
was what he’d been busy with. The trucking
<
company. “I made some connections while
working at the garage. Leased a few trucks,
started running some routes. It’s early stages,
still figuring things out, need to be hands–on.”
He ruffled my hair. “I’ll be back.”
The day Jake left, I slipped my debit card into his pocket. It held all my savings – seventy thousand dollars. My entire life savings. I left a note: “You’ll need money on the road. The PIN is our birthday. Come back safe.”
