Chapter 4
The room went dead silent. You could've heard a pin drop.
Everyone stared at us with awkward, nervous faces; nobody even dared to breathe.
Just then, Betsy spoke up.
"Oh, come on, Mr. Willard, don't be upset," she said.
She stood up, holding a glass of wine, and walked over to me.
"Sherry, like it or not, you're drinking this tonight. I'm genuinely trying to apologize here. Don't make it awkward for me, alright?"
I looked up at her with a mocking smirk, not really smiling at all.
"I'm on antibiotics. Are you deaf or just pretending not to understand?" I said.
With that, I just raised my hand and knocked the glass right out of her hand.
Wine splashed all over her.
Ryan totally lost his cool.
"Are you out of your mind?!" he shouted.
Ryan stormed over.
"So you closed one deal and now you think you're untouchable?" he snapped.
Untouchable?
I shook her head, letting out a faint, mocking laugh.
"Think whatever you want," I said.
My attitude just made him even angrier. He grabbed a bottle from the table, poured a huge glass of wine, and held it out to me.
"You wouldn't drink Betsy's glass, but you wouldn't dare refuse mine, would you?" he said.
His eyes were sharp as knives, his tone full of menace.
"If you don't drink, pack your things and get lost! Don't bother showing up at the office tomorrow!"
Everyone gasped in shock.
Everyone knew the company owed its survival to me.
Too bad Ryan never gave me credit for that.
With Ryan breathing down my neck, I just flashed a cool smile and, in full view of everyone, pulled out the resignation letter I'd had ready for this moment.
"I'm not drinking. This is my resignation," I said.
"As of tomorrow, I'm done working with all of you."
Ryan froze, his eyes wide with disbelief.
He probably thought I'd just give in like I always did.
He thought I'd back down.
Too bad for him...
"Make sure you sign it, or it'll get ugly," I said.
I spoke in a raspy voice as I stood up, ready to leave.
Betsy suddenly grabbed my arm, holding me back.
"Sherry, is this really necessary? Mr. Willard was just messing around. Why take it so seriously?" Betsy said.
"Back off!" I snapped.
I jerked my arm away from Betsy.
Everyone rushed over to try and calm things down.
"Sherry, it's supposed to be a happy day. Why let things get so messy?" one of them said.
"Yeah, you're a couple after all. Can't you just talk it out?" another chimed in.
Before I could say a word, Ryan cut in, his face icy.
"Don't stop her! Let her go!
"You think I'm afraid of your threats?"
Betsy put on her nice-girl act again, came over and grabbed my arm.
"Sherry, don't be like this..." she said.
She leaned in close, her voice suddenly dropping with a sarcastic edge.
"Your husband's got some serious skills in bed!"
Furious, I jerked my arm away from Betsy, and I caught a smug glint in her eyes.
"Ah!"
Betsy cried out and tumbled to the floor.
Ryan was shaking with rage. He stormed over and pushed me away.
"Do you have a death wish today?" he shouted.
"Everyone, get out!" he barked.
At his command, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out.
Even Betsy, who was trying to stick around, got kicked out.
Once the room was just the two of us, Ryan's face was dark and brooding.
"What are you trying to pull? Are you really out to make me lose all face in front of everyone?" he snapped.
I couldn't help but let out a mocking laugh.
"Oh, so now you care about your precious pride? Funny, you never gave a damn about mine when you were busy humiliating me," I shot back.
Ryan's brows furrowed, as if something just dawned on him, and he sounded annoyed.
"Is this about Betsy again? Haven't I told you already? There's nothing between us. Why do you always have to be so jealous?" he snapped.
In that moment, something inside me just snapped.
All the emotions I'd been bottling up finally burst out.
"Yeah, I'm petty! Jealous, whatever!" I yelled at him.
I shouted right at him.
"I can't stand my husband always acting shady with another woman.
"I can't stand Betsy wearing my pajamas in my own home, flirting with my husband right in front of me!
"I can't stand having a homewrecker constantly provoking me every single day."
Everything I'd been bottling up just exploded out of me, and I couldn't hold back anymore.
But instead of feeling any relief, my heart just felt even heavier, the pain inside me only getting worse.
Sure enough, when you tore open a wound that never healed, all you got was more blood.
Ryan froze, totally taken aback.
He didn't see my outburst coming at all.
After a long, heavy silence, he finally broke it.
"I always thought you didn't care," he muttered.