Vows Faded, Memories Tarnished Chapter 2

Linda’s face flushed a deep, mottled red. “Mrs. Lewis, what are you saying? Look at my age! You can’t be jealous of me!”

Zachary’s brow furrowed. “Honey, isn’t your pregnancy making you a little paranoid? Me and Linda? How is that even possible…”

The onlookers sized Linda up and couldn't help but snicker.

“Is this woman insane? She’s jealous of a grandma?”

“That lady has to be in her fifties, maybe sixties. Her husband is young, handsome, and rich. If he wanted to cheat, he’d have women throwing themselves at him. Why would he pick someone old enough to be his mother?”

“Exactly! How desperate would he have to be to go for her?”

The laughter grew, and Zachary’s expression filled with exasperation.

He gripped my hand tightly, his voice a low, pleading whisper. “I hired an older secretary specifically so you wouldn’t get jealous. How can you still think the worst of me?”

“We have so much history, Jane. Please, don’t do this. We can’t get a divorce.”

I stared at him and let out a cold laugh. “Fine. Then fire her.”

Zachary froze, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.

“Mrs. Lewis!” Linda suddenly dropped to her knees in front of everyone, tears streaming down her face. “My son has a terminal illness, and my husband is dead,” she sobbed. “Mr. Lewis only gave me this job out of pity. You can’t make him fire me!”

“My life doesn’t matter, but my son is in the ICU, waiting for money to save his life! I really, really need this job.”

Linda’s wails were heartbreakingly convincing.

The crowd murmured in sympathy, turning on me.

“She’s in such a horrible situation. How can you take away her livelihood just because of your own insecurities?”

“Yeah, this is all in your head. The poor woman is desperate. Give her a break!”

“You’re eight months pregnant. Don’t you have any compassion?”

Seeing the tide turn in her favor, Linda clutched at the hem of my gown. “Mrs. Lewis, I promise I’ll stay far away from Mr. Lewis. I’ll only do my work… Please, just let me keep my job…”

When I remained unmoved, Zachary’s patience finally snapped. “Jane, this has gone too far. Linda is just a pitiful woman.”

“I’ve gone too far?” I scoffed, my eyes locking with his. “Zachary, the disgusting things you’ve done are far worse than anything I could imagine. Don’t force me to say them all out loud.”

A flash of panic crossed Zachary’s face before he blustered, his voice rising. “What have I done? Everything I do is to make you happy, to give you and our child a better life!”

Linda wiped her tears and stood up, pointing a trembling finger at me.

“How can you say that about him, Mrs. Lewis?”

“While you’ve been here, resting and being cared for, Mr. Lewis has been working himself to the bone, skipping meals and staying up all night. What could he possibly have done? He’s a fool for loving a woman like you!”

I let out another cold laugh, my gaze shifting between the two of them.

“Working late into the night? Are you sure it was work, or something else filthy? The two of you know better than anyone.”

With that, I threw the divorce papers at his chest and turned to leave.

Just then, my mother-in-law burst into the room, breathless. “Jane, what’s going on? I heard you want a divorce. What happened?”

She grabbed my arm, her face etched with concern. “Did that bastard Zachary do something to hurt you? You tell me, and I’ll handle him!”