Chapter 4
1121words
I wanted Adrian to notice my absence first, before I dropped the hammer on him.
But reality has a sick sense of humor.
Days ticked by.
He hadn't even noticed I was gone.
He just kept sending the same text every evening like clockwork.
[Business dinner tonight. Don't wait up.]
But the truth?
I watched him and Sophia pawing at each other in the office nearly every day.
Blunt Olivia, since calling Sophia a "homewrecker," had become the director's favorite punching bag.
Seeing her drowning in assignments, I stepped in and shouldered half her workload.
We'd often work late, the last souls on the entire floor.
And always, from the CEO's office, came those unmistakable sounds—moans and whispers that left nothing to imagination.
Olivia's lips tightened as she dropped her voice to a whisper.
"Mitchell's such a cheapskate. Can't even spring for a hotel room? What's a decent suite cost—a drop in his ocean?"
I forced a smile, ignoring the acid burning in my chest.
"Maybe… the office thing… adds to the thrill."
During several late nights, passing that half-closed door, I found myself recording their encounters on my phone.
Something told me these recordings would prove useful someday.
Finally, Olivia and I wrapped up our brutal project, and bonus evaluation time arrived.
Olivia was a nervous wreck, constantly muttering calculations under her breath.
"God, I'm flat broke. Mitchell disgusts me, but I need that bonus check like oxygen."
I smiled. "Don't we all need the money?"
She asked if I was gunning for a promotion.
I shook my head. All I wanted was my well-earned bonus before escaping this toxic hellhole.
But I never saw it coming.
At the eleventh hour.
Betrayal would come from the one colleague I actually trusted.
When the bonus list came out, only one name was missing—mine. "Insufficient contribution" was the official reason.
I stormed into the director's office demanding answers.
The director mumbled something about "Ms. Blackwood's assessment."
I assumed Sophia had discovered my identity and was exacting revenge.
Then Olivia appeared at my desk, eyes red and swollen, with a confession.
"When I called Blackwood a homewrecker, someone ratted me out. All that grunt work we've been drowning in? That was her punishment."
"She wanted me gone, but you kept bailing me out, taking on my assignments, and I…"
Olivia's words dissolved into ugly sobs.
"I need this money. Mom's medical bills—I can't… So I told Blackwood you were the one who called her a homewrecker first. That I was just repeating your words."
"I thought she'd just dock your bonus a bit. Never thought she'd cut you off completely… God, I'm so sorry…"
I laughed.
A hollow, frigid sound.
Furious at Olivia's betrayal.
But loathing Sophia Blackwood's petty tyranny even more.
And Adrian Mitchell's enabling of it all.
"It's fine. I forgive you."
"From now on, you're on your own."
I grabbed the folder I'd prepared from my desk and turned to leave.
Olivia clutched my arm, eyes desperate.
"But what about Blackwood? What will you—"
My voice was ice.
"Don't worry. I'll handle this myself."
I took a deep breath, turned to face the open office, and announced loudly:
"Sophia Blackwood is nothing but a homewrecker playing the victim!"
Instantly.
All typing stopped.
Every eye in the place locked onto me, jaws dropping.
Clutching my "insufficient contribution" evaluation, I marched straight to the conference room and shoved the door open.
Inside sat every power player in the company, mid-meeting.
My entrance was like a grenade tossed into still water.
The executives glared at me with undisguised contempt—just some clueless girl disrupting their important business.
How fucking ironic.
In my year with Adrian Mitchell.
Not one person in his company knew the real identity of "Mrs. Mitchell."
Including the great Sophia Blackwood herself.
In that entire room, only Adrian's pupils contracted in shock when he saw me.
But he said nothing.
Sophia Blackwood, running the meeting, was first to attack.
Her perfectly made-up face twisted with disdain.
"Who the hell are you? Can't you see we're in the middle of something important?"
I met her gaze head-on.
"Ms. Blackwood, did you deny me my earned bonus because I called you what you are—Mitchell's side piece?"
Several executives exchanged glances, eyes darting between Sophia and Adrian.
Sophia's mask slipped—clearly not expecting such a frontal assault.
She struggled to regain composure.
"If you already know the answer, why bother coming here?"
Office gossip was rampant.
She needed to make an example of someone.
I was her chosen sacrifice.
I stared her down, my voice ringing clear.
"I'm so sorry, Ms. Blackwood! My mistake was telling the truth about your affair with Mitchell! Calling you his mistress when everyone knows it!"
Sophia's face flushed crimson as she fought for control.
"This changes nothing. Get out!"
I shifted my gaze to Adrian Mitchell.
His face had gone ashen, lips pressed into a bloodless line.
What right did he have to be angry?
Wasn't this mess entirely his creation?
I sneered.
"Useless? Let me clear things up for everyone right now!"
I yanked the door wide open, projecting my voice to reach every corner.
"What kind of mistress are you anyway, Sophia? A real mistress might eventually become legitimate. But you?"
"You're just his dirty little secret, hidden in the shadows!"
"You don't even deserve to breathe the same air as me!"
Sophia actually staggered backward, the color draining from her face.
Realization dawned across every face in the room.
Eyes ping-ponged between Adrian, Sophia, and me.
Sophia finally connected the dots.
Adrian Mitchell finally exploded.
In our entire year together, I'd never seen him lose control like this:
"ENOUGH! GET OUT!"
Enough?
As if it could ever be enough.
I'd have preferred a dignified exit, but they'd pushed me to this precipice.
"My demand is simple—pay me the bonus I earned!"
Adrian's chest heaved as he fought for control, still protecting his precious Sophia.
"Bonuses follow company protocol. It's not one person's decision. This scene you're creating is inappropriate."
Sophia seized this lifeline, nodding vigorously.
"Exactly. I'm simply following procedure."
What absolute bullshit.
The company was Mitchell's family empire. One word from him could override any "procedure."
His choice in this moment revealed everything—
He chose Sophia and his reputation over me and our marriage.
Fine.
My heart crumbled to ash as I met his shifty gaze. I raised the folder in my hand, all sentiment gone.
"What if I trade this for my bonus?"
I slammed divorce papers onto the conference table.
Each word deliberate, I said:
"I'll walk away with nothing. In exchange for the bonus I earned."
"For all of you—pure profit, zero loss!"
