Chapter 2

Sure enough, over the next month, I found Doleen involved in every part of my life.

During the day, when Kyle was out, she kept her distance from me.

But the moment Kyle was home, she'd strut around in skimpy outfits, making sure he noticed her.

Even early in the morning, when Kyle and I were making out in bed, she'd come into the room under the excuse of tidying up and just stand there.

When she nursed her baby, she'd do it right in front of us, without even trying to be discreet.

I was seriously getting jealous, and even tried dropping some subtle hints, but she just played dumb like she had no clue.

Sometimes, she'd stand off to the side with teary eyes, acting all hurt, like I was the villain.

I was so done with it that I even complained to Kyle, but he just brushed it off, saying I was overthinking things.

One night, with Kyle out of the house, I got up for a drink of water and heard Doleen in her room pleasuring herself, moaning Kyle's name.

I was thunderstruck and sick to my stomach.

Once I figured out her dirty secret, I started making a scene about moving out.

But Kyle just thought I was overreacting. "Everything's fine here. Why are you making such a big deal out of nothing?"

I had no proof, and I couldn't just accuse Doleen out of the blue with nothing to back me up, so I had to suck it up. But Doleen's antics kept getting crazier.

She had my period down to a science, knowing exactly when it was that time of the month for me.

Every night except for those few days, she'd always find some excuse to get Kyle to come over.

Excuses like "the bathroom pipe burst", "the water heater's acting up", and "I'm not feeling well" were used.

Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore and called Doleen out.

"Doleen, Kyle is my husband, not your plumber or your doctor. If you're not feeling well or need something fixed, hire a professional," I snapped.

Doleen bit her lip, acting all hurt like she was the victim.

Kyle laid into me, his tone harsh. "What's your problem? How many times do I have to tell you? Doleen just lost Jason. I'm just trying to help her out.

"Even if you're jealous, don't you think you're going a little overboard?"

"Fine, I won't be jealous anymore. You two can be together from now on," I retorted.

Pissed, I packed up and went back to my folks' place.

That was the second time we'd given each other the silent treatment since we got married.

The next day, Kyle came to my parents' house with a bunch of roses, apologized before my parents, and swore he'd be more careful around Doleen from now on.

But I still wasn't ready to forgive him.

He kept coming over every day, trying to win me back and buttering up my parents. Wendy said she'd move in with Doleen at the villa, so Kyle and I could finally have our own place.

I looked at the man I'd loved for seven years, and the sincerity in his eyes made my heart soften.

Even though Doleen was totally out of line, I couldn't throw him away because of her.

After all, we'd been through university together. He'd once stepped in to protect me from a drunk jerk, and he'd carried me to the hospital in a downpour when I was burning up with a fever from an allergic reaction.

"This is your last shot." I took the roses, but warned, "One more screw-up, and we're done for good."

Even though I agreed to move back in, I still had lingering doubts in my heart, so I kept my guard up and stayed emotionally distant from Kyle.

For a while, things finally settled down.

Doleen seemed to keep her act together, never crossing any lines and keeping her distance at family gatherings.

After nearly two months of giving each other the cold shoulder, Kyle and my lives finally got back on track.

But Doleen started acting up again.

The Stiles family was rich as hell. They had maids and drivers for anything one could think of.

So why did Kyle have to come running every single time something trivial happened?

I'd put up with Doleen's crap nineteen times before, but this time, I couldn't take it anymore.

"Kyle!" I called out, my voice echoing down the empty hallway.

He jerked his head up, clearly startled, instinctively putting some space between himself and Doleen.

A hint of sadness crossed Doleen's face.

"Alvera, what brings you here?" Kyle asked, his voice a little shaky.

"Just here to watch and learn," I replied, my words laced with sarcasm.

I wasn't about to sugarcoat anything. I was afraid they wouldn't understand, so I sneered, "After all, my husband seems to have a real knack for looking after other people's wives."

Doleen's face went ghostly pale, her fingers twisting the edge of the hospital bed sheets so hard her knuckles turned white.

"Alvera, don't get the wrong idea, I was just—" Doleen said, her voice shaky.

"Just what? Just so happened to take a tumble down the stairs at 1 AM, huh?" I cut her off, mockery heavy in my voice.

I walked right up to the hospital bed, staring her down.

"Funny how you always manage to have an 'accident' right when Kyle and I were about to get intimate," I said.