Laura
I turned around, my vision blurry, my legs weak as I stumbled back toward the door. I didn't want him to see the tears threatening to spill from my eyes. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he had broken me.
But then, I suddenly heard a voice from behind. It was the girl, she was the first to notice me standing in the doorway. She pulled her lips away from his with a loud smack, her head whipping around to face me, eyes blazing with anger.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she yelled, her voice sharp and accusatory. "Don't you know how to knock? Where did come out from? Under a rock?" She added sharply while I stood frozen, completely caught off guard. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but my throat felt dry, and no words came out. The reality of the situation hit me like a tidal wave, and all I could think about was how foolish I had been, how utterly blind.
And this disrespect from this stupid girl? I didn't deserve that but there was nothing I could do. I caused it all on myself. Jake has no blame, he did warn me but I never listened.
"I… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, please," I stammered, taking a step back, feeling the heat rush to my face. I didn't even know what I was apologizing for. Was I apologizing for walking in on something I shouldn't have seen, or for believing there could be anything more between Jake and me?
The woman glared at me as if I was the intruder in her world, and I suppose, in a way, I was. She had every right to be angry, but that didn't make it any easier to bear.
"Just get out, and the next time you try such, I will make sure you pay with your job." she snapped, turning her attention back to Jake as if I didn't exist anymore. The fact that he didn't even try to stop or caution her made me feel worse.
I nodded quickly, still too stunned to say anything else, and bolted out of the room. My heart was pounding, my vision blurry with unshed tears. I couldn't go into my office the way I was, Angie would be there and she would ask questions I want ready to answer or do not even have answers for.
The restroom was my best bet but I barely made it there before the dam broke.
I leaned against the sink, gripping the cold porcelain for support as the tears fell. I tried to be quiet, tried to muffle my sobs so no one would hear, but the pain was too much. I had never felt so humiliated, so utterly stupid.
How could I have been so wrong?
All those moments with Jake, all those stolen glances, the tension between us, it had all felt so real. The sweet way he made love to me. I saw his face, he wanted me, he craved me and it didn't stop there. The way he f*cked me was golden. It was bliss. He enjoyed every bit of it but maybe I had imagined it. Maybe I had been nothing more than a distraction for him, a toy to be played with while he had this gorgeous woman in his life all along. And to think I had been trying to avoid him because I was afraid of my own feelings.
Now it was clear. He never cared.
I swiped at my tears, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were red and puffy, my mascara smudged beneath them. I looked like a mess. A broken, stupid mess.
Just then, the door to the restroom creaked open, and I immediately straightened up, trying to compose myself. Two of my colleagues walked in, chatting away, not noticing me as I quickly ducked into one of the stalls. I wasn't ready to face anyone. I couldn't let anyone see me like this.
"Did you hear about Jake and that woman?" one of them asked, her voice dripping with curiosity.
My breath caught in my throat. I pressed my back against the wall of the stall, trying to make myself as small as possible, listening intently.
"Oh yeah," the other woman replied, her tone casual, as if they were discussing the weather. "They've been together for years, haven't they?"
What?
I could feel my pulse quicken as I tried to piece together what they were saying. Years? But… that didn't make any sense. I've never seen the woman around him or here in the office.
"Yeah, apparently they have a daughter together. Can you believe that? He's been keeping them under wraps for so long. I guess he doesn't want it to interfere with his business image," the first woman said with a small laugh.
My stomach dropped. A daughter? Jake had a daughter? How could he have kept something like that hidden?
"I heard they're secretly married," the second woman continued, her voice lowering conspiratorially. "There's been rumors going around for a while, but they've kept it super low-key. No social media posts, no public appearances. It's like he's living a double life."
This was all too much for me, I just couldn't bear it anymore. The blood drained from my face. I felt sick. Like the walls of the stall were closing in on me. My heart was beating so fast I thought it might burst.
The two women continued talking, their voices fading into the background as my thoughts raced. Jake was married? He had a family? And I… I had been stupid enough to think there was something between us. How could I have been so naïve?
The conversation replayed in my head, their words mixing with the images of Jake and that woman, tangled together in his office. It all made sense now. All the pieces I hadn't seen before were falling into place, and with each one, I felt my chest tighten more.
When I was sure they had left the restroom, I stumbled out of the stall, my hands shaking. I needed proof. I needed to know if what they said was true, even though a part of me already believed it. With trembling fingers, I pulled out my phone and quickly typed Jake's name into the search bar.
Nothing came up at first. Jake wasn't one for social media, he always kept a low profile, a private man who didn't like sharing his personal life. That was even part of the rules he gave me when I first started working for him. Under no circumstances was I allowed to put anything about his life or work on any media, and I've adhered strictly to that. Still, I kept scrolling, kept digging until I found something.
A few pictures. Here and there. They were mostly blurry, paparazzi shots taken from a distance. But there she was, the woman I had just seen with him in the office smiling, holding his hand, her arm wrapped around him in ways that looked so intimate. So… familiar.
There was no picture of their girl anywhere, at least, not anywhere I could find. Jake really did hid her identity well or maybe it was just a rumor and he doesn't have a child.
My breath caught in my throat as I scrolled further, finding more pictures. There was one of them at what looked like a private beach, laughing together. Another one showed them at a restaurant, and then another, Oh God, it was a video. A video of him proposing to her.
I pressed play, my heart racing as I watched it unfold. It was simple, elegant. They were on a rooftop, the sun setting behind them as he knelt down on one knee. The woman gasped, tears filling her eyes, and then he slid the ring onto her finger. The crowd around them clapped and cheered, and she threw her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately. The look on his face… it was the same look I'd seen him give me. Except this time, it was real. This time, it wasn't a game.
I felt like I was going to be sick. I couldn't breathe.
I scrolled further, desperate to find more information, more proof, until I came across a headline that made my blood run cold:
"Secret Wedding? Sources Say Billionaire Jake Robbins and Longtime Girlfriend May Be Married in Private Ceremony."
I stared at the words, my heart pounding in my chest.
Secretly married?
It was all there, staring me in the face. The rumors, the pictures, the videos. I had been so blind, so stupid to think that he could ever want me. That I was anything more than a convenient distraction. A toy.
My hands shook as I dropped my phone onto the sink, my reflection staring back at me, pale and broken. I had been used. Duped. And I had fallen for it, just like he wanted…