“Oh, wait. That’s not right. You two are above such ‘filthy‘ things, aren’t you? Because this is ‘pure‘ love, right?
“Your parents were elementary school teachers, weren’t they? They sure raised you to be pure! Maybe I should send a plaque to their school to thank them-”
“You bitch!” A sharp scream came through the phone.
“Lily! Don’t you dare!” Aidan roared as he lunged to snatch the phone from me.
I hurled it straight at his face. Blood trickled from his nose in two thin lines.
I let out a cold laugh. “Aiden, don’t even think about running from this. I’ve already compiled every disgusting thing you two have done over the past two years into a PDF and sent it to Mr. Holmes and all your other leaders.
“I did that an hour before you even walked through that door! Now that you’ve finished mourning for the only wife you’ll ever have, maybe it’s time to start worrying about how you’re going to clean up your own mess tomorrow.”
Aiden stood there, utterly stunned. His face paled, ashen like a crumpled piece of paper.
The consequences followed swiftly.
1/2
+25 BONUS
Chapter 9
Aiden’s promotion to vice president was revoked, and his leadership position was stripped away. He was transferred out of the core research team.
Skyla was reassigned to the administrative department at the research institute and permanently cut off from all research projects and career advancements.
Mr. Holmes explained to me that since their relationship never technically crossed any explicit lines and because a PDF wasn’t legally admissible proof, they couldn’t issue a formal public statement.
Instead, they handled it internally with soft disciplinary action.
I understood. He was right. In fact, getting them punished this much was already the best possible outcome.
It wouldn’t have been possible without all those afternoons I spent running across the city, personally delivering pastries to Mr. Holmes‘ mother, Gillian Montgomery–or Mrs. Holmes, as I addressed her.
After everything fell into shambles, Aiden, who always held his head high, was finally forced to bow not just before me but also reality.
When he looked at me, his eyes were filled with disappointment and finality.
It was as if he still couldn’t believe that I, the wife whose world once revolved around him, could be so ruthless.
After all, he technically didn’t do anything. 1
