Chapter 3
Everyone started saying Keith was such a 'thoughtful' boss, giving me a severance package because I was getting older, so I could kick back and enjoy life a bit before having a kid.
"Your mom is your mom. Don't drag mine into this. I don't have some meddling mom who sticks her nose in my business," I shot back.
The gossip radar in the office went off instantly. Everyone was staring at us, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Bella!" Keith's face darkened as he barked, grabbing my arm and trying to shove me toward his office.
No way was I letting him push me around.
"Keith, when you tried to control me by firing me, you should've known there'd be consequences," I said, my voice icy.
Realizing what I was about to do, a look of panic flashed across Keith's face.
He tried to cover my mouth, but he was already too late.
I grinned and raised my voice so the whole office could hear, "That mysterious wife of the boss you've all been gossiping about for eight years? Yeah, that's me.
"Shame I can't invite you all to a wedding party, but you're all welcome to my divorce party."
Everyone stared at each other, floored by the bombshell I'd dropped.
"Bella's the real Mrs. Marcus?" someone blurted out, stunned.
"No way! We're about to go public. If she's the boss's wife, how come she's always hustling, never slacking off?" another person chimed in.
"Exactly! Holly's only been his girlfriend for a few days, and she's already dumping all her work on me," someone else grumbled.
The whole office was buzzing with whispers.
Seeing the tide turn, that suck-up who'd been kissing Holly's ass earlier quickly picked up my phone and handed it to me, trying to butter me up.
Holly shot me a furious glare, completely losing her cool. "Bella, just because you got fired doesn't mean you can spread lies about the boss."
The employees who'd been whispering a moment ago all instinctively nodded along, like they were following the crowd.
"Bella, there's a limit to your lies. If you're the boss's wife, why weren't you at the Marcus family's New Year's Eve dinner?" someone challenged.
I was floored.
While I was busting my ass for the company, skipping New Year's Eve and working three days straight, Keith actually brought Holly home for New Year's Eve.
Just like that, everyone started siding with Holly without even thinking about it.
After all, while I was out of the country busting my ass, everyone had seen with their own eyes how cozy Keith and Holly had gotten.
Plus, with that New Year's Eve dinner as evidence, who would ever believe a real married couple would spend it apart?
Keith was spoiling Holly out in the open. If I were the boss's wife, would he seriously act like this? No way.
Keith was frantically winking at me, mouthing for me to come to his office so he could explain.
But this was about the principle now.
I grabbed my phone and started scrolling through my pics. "Wanna see if I'm making stuff up? Check the marriage certificate."
Before I could even finish, Keith yanked my phone and hauled me straight into his office.
He locked the door behind us, face twisted with rage. "Bella, have you lost your mind? Didn't we agree to keep our marriage under wraps?"
I fired back, "You're out here flaunting your affair for everyone to see. Why bother keeping our marriage a secret anymore?
"Don't worry. Once we're divorced, you're free to hook up with whoever you want. Go wild, I won't give a damn."
All the crap I put up with at his place was considered wiped clean. None of it mattered anymore.
To me, marriage was supposed to be a two-way street. As long as Keith still loved me, I could keep going. But now he was gone and rubbed it in my face with his side chick.
So, what was the point in dragging this out any longer?
"I did all this for us. Why are you freaking out? Can't you just hear me out for once?" Keith said.
His words hit me like a knife, sending a wave of sharp pain straight through my heart.
He had no idea what I'd sacrificed for our hidden marriage these past eight years. He only ever cared about himself.
In his mind, when I came back to find my spot stolen and got fired, I'd be desperate and rush home to him, begging for mercy, playing the helpless wife.
Then he'd start lecturing me about getting pregnant, like it was all part of his grand plan.
He saw himself as the big man, able to support the family. And I'd been a career-driven strong woman for eight years, he figured it was time for me to step back, play the dutiful wife, and raise our kids.
What Keith never expected was that instead of getting a desperate call from me, it was his so-called girlfriend who dialed him up, sobbing and dragging him over.
Before I could even break down and demand an explanation, I went ahead and exposed our secret marriage to everyone, and announced I was divorcing him right then and there.
With things spiraling out of his control, Keith's composure cracked, and he tried to play the emotional card on me.
"When you taste something utterly disgusting, you won’t keep it in your mouth. You'll spit it out right away. Why would you even dwell on how long it's been inside you?" I shot back, full of sarcasm.
My retort made Keith's face flip between pale and red.
"Bella, you never used to be like this. When did you become so unreasonable?" Keith said.
"Unreasonable? You fired me while I was overseas, let your girlfriend strut around in my position, and now you're turning it around and making me the bad guy?" I shot back.