"I’m not mad about that, David." She suddenly replied. Calm. Too calm.
"You’ve always been a philanthropist, helping the strays," she said, her voice cutting through him like a chilled blade wrapped in silk.
David blinked. "Nita—"
She tilted her head just slightly, that eerie composure never wavering. "That’s what everyone loves most about you, you know? That heart of yours. Always big enough for the world."
He frowned, unsure if that was a complint or an accusation.
"But then I realized," she continued smoothly, "sotis you help out of guilt. Not love. Not duty. Just...guilt. Guilt for leaving them behind. Guilt for rising too fast. Guilt for choosing a woman like when others assud you’d end up with soone from your world."
David’s jaw clenched. "That’s not true, Nita."
"Is it not?" she asked quietly. "Then, tell what it is. Tell what makes Linda different from every other stray you shared touching stories with? Surely, hers is not any more touching than your college friend who forfeited a scholarship program just for you to have it."
"That—"
She raised a hand again, silencing him with nothing but a gesture.
"You knew what it would look like if I found out about your infidelity." She paused, taking a step closer. "Tell , David. Would you have told about her... if she’d not caused a scene at the restaurant?" she scoffed. "She acted like she knew too well. Like she belonged in my world. She forgot or ignored the fact that I’m her boss’ wife."
She paused. "She called , Aunty. Says it’s what you called older people in the hoods. Guess she feels I’m too old for you. Maybe she’s right. Maybe you deserve a young, freshly-out-of-college girl like her."
David’s heart slamd against his ribs. "No – Nita, don’t do that," he said quickly, holding her hands tightly. Too tightly. "Don’t twist this into sothing it’s not."
She tilted her head again, her lips curving, not in amusent, but in bitter resignation. "Isn’t that what it is, David? You hid the truth. Let that girl into my ho in the guise of your worker who had sothing for you..." she paused. "I was stupid enough to believe that lie because I trusted you, not knowing she was your childhood lover, David. You brought her into my house and she stared at like a boyfriend snatcher."
"That’s not—"
"You weren’t there, David. You didn’t see the way she spoke to at the restaurant. She hinted I was too old for you. She invaded my space like she was ready for a war with ." She continued, calmly as she’d always been.
"Do you know what it felt like," she said softly, "to sit at a table and watch another woman talk down to , while my own mother-in-law –who knew her identity, brought her to the restaurant, adored her– sat frozen on another table? Do you know what it felt like to be treated like a joke by soone you employed, David?
"She’s just a little older than Charlotte, your sister, a child I practically raised. I felt insulted, David. It felt like Charlotte had walked into the room, dressed in a stranger’s perfu, and challenged for my husband."
David’s hands loosened their grip without him realizing. His breath caught. He had too many things to say. He wanted to pacify her, but she wasn’t giving him any chance to speak.
"She made feel like I was... second place," she said, eyes locked on his. "Like I was a has-been. Like I was lucky to still have you." She gave a humorless smile. "Lucky. As if I didn’t pour every breath, every year, every damn thing I had into building this life with you."
"Nita—"
She stepped back, slipping her hands out of his. "When she looked at , she didn’t see your wife. She saw your obstacle, her rival. And the part that haunts the most is... she didn’t get that confidence from nowhere."
David’s throat tightened. He looked away.
But she wasn’t done.
"She didn’t call ’Aunty’ to respect , David. She called that to humiliate . To remind that she’s younger, prettier, and more in sync with your world. And you let it happen. You indulged her, kept her too close, and made her believe you shared the sa thoughts."
He finally t her gaze, panic crawling up his spine. "It wasn’t like that. I didn’t an for her to treat you that way. I didn’t expect it. I would never—"
"That’s the problem, David," she said, quiet but sharp as a blade. "You didn’t expect it, because you never thought I’d catch on."
Silence stretched.
David ran a hand over his face, trying to calm the pounding in his chest. "Nita... I made a mistake."
"No," she said, voice barely above a whisper. "You made choices. And now, I have to decide if I want to live with a man who hands my dignity over to a girl from his past and then calls it a mistake."
She turned, just as she took a step, about to walk away, he quickly reached out, wrapping his fingers around her wrist and pulling her back into his embrace. "Nita, please. I made a mistake. Letting her close to and treating her like a sister was wrong of . I only realize my mistake now. I’m very sorry, Nita. I promise to make things right. I promise to give you back your honor."
"How will you do that?"
"I— I’ll fire her and let her go." Nita was more important. He had to sever ties with Linda as soon as possible.
He warned Linda to stay put. But since she brought this upon them, he had to sacrifice her. She had to go if it ant winning back Anita’s trust.
"I admit she was my childhood friend—or rather, I saw her as a sister. But that’s all it ever was, Nita. Please, believe ."
He gently turned her to face him.
"You know ," he said softly.
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