For His Assistant, He Left With Nothing Chapter 1

It was a completely ordinary day. After we’d both washed up, my husband, Isla, suddenly asked me a question.

“Beth, why don’t you try growing your hair out?”

“It’s always short. To be honest, I’m getting a little tired of it.”

My hand, holding the hairdryer, paused mid-air. In that single instant, I understood everything.

He had a point of comparison out there.

Someone new, someone with long hair, someone who made him feel a spark of novelty.

* * *

I didn't have any proof. And I was pregnant.

So I didn’t say anything. After a brief pause, I just went back to drying my hair.

Isla, lying on the bed, wouldn't let it go.

“I’m serious. You have a round face, and you’ve put on some weight. The short hair just doesn’t look good on you.”

“I’ll go with you to the salon to get extensions. We can get some of those trendy waves put in. It would look amazing.”

He was smiling, completely oblivious to how each word he spoke made my face grow colder.

We’d been together since we were eighteen. I knew him too well.

He couldn't tell the difference between face shapes, let alone one type of curl from another.

The only possible explanation was that someone else out there knew the difference. And she had taught him.

I stayed silent for a moment, my left hand resting on my now-showing belly. I reminded him, “Isla, I’m pregnant. I can’t get my hair permed.”

Just last week, he had been with me at my check-up. The doctor had specifically told him to make sure I avoided any harsh chemicals. Especially salons. He was told to keep me away from them.

But Isla had forgotten.

Worse, after I reminded him, his brow furrowed in annoyance.

“You’re such a buzzkill. No wonder they say women turn into shrews when they get pregnant.”

“I’m a man. How am I supposed to know little details like pregnant women can’t get their hair done? You always have to make a big deal out of nothing.”

I unplugged the hairdryer, pulled back the covers, and got into bed.

Isla was right. I did love to make a big deal out of nothing.

For example, when we first got married, he’d said one little thing about wanting to “give me a better life,” and I had pestered my father until he invested the time and money to establish Apex Innovations, the tech company where Isla was now CEO.

And tonight, because of a few little words like “long hair” and “tired of it,” I decided that after my check-up tomorrow, I would make some time to visit the office.

I wanted to see for myself what this person who had sparked Isla’s “novelty” looked like.