Chapter 3
Giana trembled even more, her eyes brimming with tears, but she forced herself not to let them fall.
I straightened up, my voice back to normal, and my smile grew wider.
"Looks like you two are hitting it off. Need me to help you text back?" I said.
That was the final straw.
Giana burst into tears, her body going limp as she slid off her chair and collapsed onto the floor.
She sobbed, apologizing incoherently through her tears.
"Callie, it's my fault. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," she choked out. "Please, turn it off. Please."
Everyone in the office wore a different expression.
Some looked at Giana with contempt, some with pity, but most just watched, detached and uncaring.
Crying had no place here.
I ignored her pleas.
I turned and walked back to my desk.
Right then, my phone rang.
The caller ID was lighting up like crazy on my desk.
It was Matthew.
He must've noticed his WhatsApp got logged out on the computer.
Everyone's eyes shifted from Giana, who was still collapsed on the floor, to my phone, which wouldn't stop ringing.
I picked up my phone.
In front of everyone, I answered the call and put it on speaker.
An urgent, impatient voice rang out from the speaker, filling the office. "Calliope! Did you mess with my computer?
"Why did my WhatsApp get logged out? I was in the middle of talking to a client. Are you trying to drive me crazy?"
Every word was crystal clear.
I glanced at the words scrawled on the wall, [Deal with that old woman,] and then listened to Matthew's entitled tone blasting from the phone.
I smiled.
"Matthew," I said with a calm smile. "Your client is literally in tears, begging me right now. Want to talk to her?"
Matthew, on the other end, had no idea what was going on.
He went quiet for a couple of seconds and then totally lost it.
He snapped, "Calliope, what the hell are you talking about? What client? Turn off the computer, now!"
He was still barking out orders.
He still thought I was the wife who always did whatever he said.
I didn't get angry. I found it laughable.
I brought the phone closer, my voice calm but clear enough for him to hear. "Matthew, your WhatsApp is up on the company projector.
"All seventeen people in our department have read through every message between you and Giana, from three months ago to now.
"Right now, your so-called 'client' is sobbing on the floor.
"Oh, and she wanted me to reply to you for her. Her words were, 'Honey, you're the best.'"
I laid out the truth for him, clear and deliberate.
On the other end, Matthew's breathing grew ragged and uneven.
I could picture his face, first furious, then shocked, and finally panicked.
Dead silence hung in the air for about ten seconds.
Then, his voice dropped, trembling and pleading. "Callie, please, turn off the projector first.
"Let's talk when we get home, okay? Please, do as I say."
He switched from calling me "Calliope" to "Callie."
His tone went from bossy to desperate.
He was freaking out.
He wasn't scared of me. He was scared of losing control of this whole thing.
He was terrified of being humiliated in front of his colleagues, friends, and bosses.
"Go home?" I chuckled softly. "Which home do you mean?
"The one we used to share, or that 'new home' you promised Giana, the one where you planned to throw me out so she could move in?"
Matthew said, "No, that's not what I meant. Please, listen to me. It's all a huge misunderstanding."
His voice went sharp, and he started rambling, making no sense at all.
He yelled, "Calliope, I'm ordering you. Turn it off right now. Are you listening? What good is this going to do you?
"If you blow this up, how are we supposed to show our faces?"
He started yelling again.
That was his go-to move whenever he was out of options.
He tried to hide his guilt behind anger and threats.
Too bad it didn't work on me anymore.
"Our faces?" I echoed.
I glanced at the wall, at the words scrawled there: [She's an old woman.]
I spoke slowly, "My dignity was already thrown to the ground and stomped on when you and she mocked me together.
"Now, I want you to feel what it's like to have your pride crushed in front of everyone."