Our Wicked Lies by Gledé Kabongo (story read aloud TXT) 📗

would dismantle your life starting today if you continued to be a problem. Remember it was me who got you Tillerson Brenner as a client for your agency. Well, I can take it away, just as easily. The first of many dominoes to fall.”

“You wouldn’t,” she challenged.

“You went after my family. I’m about to give you a nasty dose of your own medicine. What did you say to Alicia?” he demanded.

“Nothing.”

“You’re lying again.”

“So, sue me,” she quipped.

“Is this a joke to you?”

“Well, yes. You getting all high and mighty, as if you hold all the cards.”

“Meaning what?” Eliot pushed.

“If our affair is no longer a secret, Alicia will divorce you and take half your money. Your reputation will be tainted, and no one at Tillerson Brenner will respect you. You’ll be damaged goods. You know Arnie takes the firm’s reputation very seriously.”

“I’m not in the least bit concerned.”

“What about your Senate ambition? Can you imagine the scandal? An affair with a married woman, your wife’s best friend no less. You can forget about the female vote for starters.”

He pretended to consider everything she said, but he had already made up his mind. “I’m willing to take the risk. My personal reputation may take a hit, albeit temporarily, but my skills and talent are irrefutable. Law firms all over the country have been after me for years. I’ll simply move to another city. As for Alicia divorcing me, I’ll make sure that never happens.”

Panic replaced her smug attitude. Her eyes went wide. She backed away from him. “You’d throw away the senate run, your life’s dream, just like that?”

“If it came down to a choice between Alicia and becoming a U.S. Senator, that’s easy. Alicia wins.”

He inched closer, standing directly in front of her. “You overplayed your hand. I warned you. I gave you plenty of chances to stop the madness, but you wouldn’t.”

“All of this, why?” she pleaded. “Because you won’t leave your precious Alicia, hmm?”

“Do you want to revisit the pregnancy story, Katalina?”

“Okay. I’m not pregnant. But Alicia believes I am. Well, Faith.” She smiled. It was diabolical and chilling, a predator anticipating the kill.

“Meaning what?”

“Well, your little wifey and I had a tête-à-tête going.” She paced the room. “I sent her a sonogram of our baby, told her you were leaving her, and threw in a couple of creative adjectives in our communication. She did not like ‘ugly cow’. I told her you only took her to Paris because you felt sorry for her.

“And the poor thing, she was so crushed, she came running to her best friend, Kat, broken hearted and pathetic. Admitted she was just a boring housewife, and you probably fell for someone more beautiful and exciting. I pitied her. I only wish I could have confirmed how much more beautiful and exciting your mistress is.” She tossed her hair back, as if she was in a shampoo commercial.

Eliot clenched and unclenched his fists. Blood rushed through his head. Coherent thoughts escaped his mind. He couldn’t lose control of the situation, however. He would not hand over a victory to Katalina. What she did was unusually cruel, a callous disregard for Alicia’s feelings and well-being. How could Katalina hurt her like that?

Hypocrite!

“You’re a miserable wretch, and I wish I had seen it before. Richard wants out of the marriage, and your only child cannot stand the sight of you, so your alternative was to beat up on my wife.”

He picked up a throw pillow off the sofa and jammed his fist into it to calm his fury. “What? You thought I would leave her after Richard dumped you? Was that the plan, why you constantly threatened to tell her about us if I didn’t leave her?”

“You’re no better than me, Eliot,” she said. “You’ve been cheating on her for years. Don’t stand here and pretend to be a Boy Scout. We’re both two terrible human beings who hurt your poor, precious, Alicia.”

“I finally understand why you despise her so much.” Eliot guffawed. “You’re jealous. That’s it. You want to be like her. You want to be the kind of mother she is. The kind of wife she is. You wish you had her heart—kind, generous, caring. You couldn’t pull that off even if you had a personality transplant!”

“Pfft. Please, Eliot. If I woke up one day and I was whiny, insecure, desperate-for-approval Alicia, I would kill myself.”

“Shut your filthy mouth! You don’t get to say her name anymore.”

“Because she’s so perfect, right? Well, let me tell you about your perfect little angel, Alicia.”

“I’m not interested in anything you have to say. We’re done!” Eliot turned toward the door and began to storm out.

“Oh, Eliot. You’ll want to hear this. Trust me,” Kat cooed from behind.

Eliot performed a three-sixty on his heels and marched up to her again, his height towering over her slight figure.

“I don’t think so. You should have listened to me. But listen to me now. I’m not leaving Alicia. Richard will end up dumping you. A man can only take so much. Maxim has all but written you off. Sounds to me like you’ll end up alone.” He practically spat the last words. “Exactly what you deserve.”

He hovered above her for a moment longer and took a deep inhale before marching toward the door.

“I could have given you the son you always wanted, Eliot, since Alicia didn’t want to,” she called out to his retreating form.

He turned around, his expression sour. “It’s over, Katalina. Please, if you have one shred of dignity left, just stop. Stop with the drama and the lies.” He turned the doorknob.

She shouted, “The miscarriage Alicia had three years ago wasn’t a miscarriage. It was an abortion.”

CHAPTER 33

Eliot had no idea how he made it home without a major accident. As he sat in the driveway, his head on the steering wheel, his entire body trembled—aftershocks from the earthquake that had rocked him to the core.

At first, he’d thought it was just