Page 60 of Falling for the Wife

Blair’s passively blank expression worried me. Something was boiling underneath the composed exterior. Could it be family problems? To this day, she hadn’t opened up about that newly discovered teenager her father apparently had spawned from one of his past secretaries.

We all had different crosses to bear. Though she had her family intact, problems riddled them constantly. Rich or poor, life’s intricate problems affected each one of us differently. As time went on, we learned to pick ourselves up and get out of bed instead of hitting the snooze button. Smile through the troubles and pray we’d overcome this hardship in one piece.

Reaching out across the matte coffee table, I lightly gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. “I’m here, too. We’re here for you. Whatever it is, we’ll get through it.”

Blair smiled, although her eyes implied another emotion. “You’ve been through a great deal yourself. You’re spent, and I appreciate you more for offering a shoulder to cry on when you’re not feeling the greatest.”

“That’s what we do. The three of us stick together. Come what may, remember?”

“Come what may,” she quietly responded, thankful for the reminder.

“Sticking to our old adage, on that very same note…” Vivienne sassily murmured as she rummaged through her leather tote and pulled out her cellphone.

Unlocking her device, she then handed it to me. “I have something for you.”

Baffled, I took hold of the phone before cautiously peeking at her. “Is this one of those funny memes you found on Instagram again?”

Her lightly glossed lips pressed together, pale blue eyes saddened, shaking her head. “No, sweetkins. More like motivation…or an encouraging reality check of some type.”

My palms perspired as I dauntingly glanced down at the screen. It was a video with Jared’s face as its thumbnail. After tapping on the phone’s fiberglass protector, Jared St. James came to life before my eyes.

It was set in a restaurant. Vivienne sat ten tables away, but she zoomed in on him, anyway. Casually dressed in a light blue dress shirt, he was beaming at the woman before him. With her back facing Vivienne’s sneaky camera, I couldn’t catch a glimpse of her features. He was laughing at something, his eyes dancing, right hand extending to take hold of hers. He then brought it to his lips, kissing it before he brought it back down, resting their hands on the table, entwined.

Then it ended. As did my mood.

I stared at the screen while emotions ran riot within me.

He’s happy, I starkly noted throughout the video.

“What did you do this time, you idiot!” Blair scowled at Vivienne.

Mechanically, I carefully placed the phone down on the coffee table. My hearing dulled. My vision was perfect, and yet, I saw nothing but blackness.

“Don’t be rude!” she snapped back, indignant. “I’m doing her a favor! How can you stand another day of seeing her like everything that’s going on is an out of body experience? She’s like a fucking zombie. She doesn’t go out. Okay, yeah, sure, she works out, but that’s just an excuse so she goes home dead tired. She’s pushed Wyatt out and even us, too. It’s unhealthy. She’s been in denial for so long she doesn’t know anything better. It’s time she lets go. Jared’s in love with that woman. You should’ve seen the way they were with each other. It’s disgusting, and to think my beautiful, loyal best friend’s heartbroken, silently wallowing in her pain. It angers me so much. If it weren’t for my date holding me down last night, I’d have poured my champagne all over that piece of shit.”

“Fuck, Viv, you have the worst timing in the world. She has a linear algebra test in an hour. It’s not okay. Look at her, for fuck’s sake. She’s barely hanging in there. Jesus, choose your moment to shatter her world next time.”

Mustering courage, I timidly stared at my worried friends. “I’m fine—I mean, I’ll be fine. I’ll ace that test; you both know it.” Directing my eyes towards Vivienne, I granted her a grateful look. “Don’t feel bad. I know you did this for me, and I can only love you more for it. I guess this is the confirmation I needed really…He’s happy. I won’t begrudge anyone their happiness. We all deserve to experience it one way or the other. So, don’t worry about me. I’ve lost my parents. Losing Jared’s not at all surprising. I’m used to it.”

My loved ones always left me, so it was best I got used to being alone. This ordeal had taught me to never depend on a man to complete me because I’d be met with disappointment.

I would get over him someday, and when that day finally happened, I wouldn’t ever look back.

CHAPTER22

Jared

TWO WEEKS LATER

“Areyou sure you don’t want me with you?” Rose pressed her pliant body against my back, arms circling my hips as she trailed her lips across my shoulder blades.

It was four in the morning, and the limo would be arriving any moment now. And I’d barely gotten out of the shower to change.

“I’ll be back before you know it, Rose.”

“I don’t feel comfortable that she’s going to be there. What if she seduces you. Will you be able to resist her?”

“She won’t. She and I are done. I’ve already stressed this before.”