Chapter 20 020
Rhea's POV
I huddled in the bathroom stall, the cold porcelain of the toilet seat pressing against my thighs as I buried my face in my hands.
Sobs tore out of me, leaving my chest tight and burning.
The smell of industrial bleach stung my nose, mixing with the salt of my tears until the air felt as bitter as my thoughts.
Everything was unbearable. The public humiliation at the meeting. Alejandro's words had sliced through me like a rusted blade, leaving me raw and bleeding in front of the entire staff.
His voice played on a loop in my head, a record that wouldn't stop skipping.
How had he switched up so terribly? The man who used to whisper promises against my skin, the one who knew exactly how I liked my coffee and what made me laugh until I couldn't breathe, had morphed into this unfeeling tyrant.
This betrayal was a deep, internal bruise that throbbed with every beat of my heart.
The worst part was that I couldn't escape him. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, Alejandro was my shield, the only thing standing between me and the troubles Owen would unleash if I ran.
Leaving meant debt, unemployment, no protection. Here, at least, I had a roof, food, a fragile kind of safety. Even if it came wrapped in control.
I stared at the floor, genuinely wishing I could just sink into the drain, to be flushed away and forgotten alongside the building's waste, finally drifting into an oblivion where no one could hate and judge me.
The tears came harder then. I bit down on my sleeve to muffle the sound, my shoulders shaking with the effort.
Then, the heavy click of heels echoed on the tile outside. Multiple people. I froze, clamping my hand over my mouth, my breath hitching in ragged, silent gasps.
"Did you see her face in the meeting?" a voice filtered through the stall door, dripping with malice. "Rhea totally checked out. I thought Alvarez was going to take her head off."
A sharp snort followed. "Serves her right. She's such a whore, slithering her way through the bosses just to keep her paycheck. First Harlan, now Alvarez? The girl definitely knows how to play the game."
My heart plummeted. Fresh tears stung my eyes as the words spilled from her lips. They were painting a portrait of a woman I didn't know, a scheming seductress I had never been.
"Harlan?" another voice chimed in, sounding skeptical. "Come on, he adored his wife. He wouldn't have cheated with... that."
"Honey, even a golden retriever is still a dog," the second one countered. "Don't be fooled by the 'kind old man' act. Men will screw anything if the charm is right, and Rhea knows how to turn it on. Plus, Harlan was probably just better at hiding it."
The third laughed—a mean, high-pitched sound that made my skin crawl.
"But Mr. Alvarez? He doesn't seem the type to dip into the office pool. Especially not with someone like Rhea. She's... I don't know, average at best. Certainly not his usual league."
Average. The word twisted the dagger that was already stuck in my chest. It made me question every second of our five years together.
Had I just been a placeholder? A side quest? A thrill while he built a real life with someone else? The memory of his secret family—the phone call to the woman he loved—surfaced, making me feel small and discarded.
"Oh, give me a break," Evelyn countered, her voice thick with envy. "She's beautiful in that sneaky, quiet way. I bet she's using every bit of it to keep them wrapped around her finger. Have you forgotten what she did to her own sister? Practically erased her out of jealousy. She's a monster."
There it was. Owen's poison, still lingering in the air like a foul scent. My innocence was a joke to them; the rumor mill didn't care about the truth, only the blood.
"Evelyn, lower your voice—Mr. Alvarez specifically banned any talk about the scandal."
Evelyn scoffed again, louder this time.
"He won't hear us. Besides, I wonder why he's so defensive of her. Do you think they're already fucking? If they are, then she's a genius. I'd give anything to have Alejandro Alvarez in my bed—or better yet, to be in his. I bet his sheets are washed in gold and smell exactly like him."
She sighed dreamily, the sound of her longing echoing off the bathroom tiles.
"Imagine waking up to that every morning. If being a 'monster' like Rhea is what it takes to get that view, sign me up."
"Girl, you dream too much," one of them cut in, her voice sharp with a reality check. "You actually think Mr. Alvarez would look twice at you?" She let out a mocking scoff.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Evelyn snapped back, the air suddenly thick with friction.
It sounded like they were seconds away from a full-blown catfight before the third girl intervened.
"We'd better go. Lunch is almost over, and you know Alejandro won't hesitate to fire us. Remember what he said in the meeting? He's looking for a reason to clear the house."
Their footsteps faded, and the heavy door swung shut with a final, echoing click.
Alone again, the dam finally broke. I slid down the side of the stall until I hit the floor, knees drawn to my chest, and let the sobs rip free. They were ugly, heaving cries that bounced off the cold tiles.
Why me? Why was I the villain in every version of this story? Beautiful and sexy, they'd said, but they made the words feel like a curse, like I was nothing more than a weapon of manipulation.
Warm tears slipped free, dissolving softly into my blouse. My entire body ached from the emotional storm, a physical exhaustion that made my bones feel brittle.
I wanted to scream back at them, to defend my name, but the world had already held the trial and delivered the verdict.
I stayed there for the rest of the lunch hour, paralyzed by the realization that in this building, I was either a whore or a murderer.
The door creaked open again. Softer footsteps approached. I froze, and wiped my face frantically with my palms, but it was far too late.
Lisa's head poked around the edge of the stall, her eyes widening at the sight of me—red-faced, swollen-eyed, a crumpled mess on the floor.
"Rhea," she breathed, her shock melting instantly into raw compassion.
She didn't hesitate; she dropped to her knees beside me, ignoring the grime of the bathroom floor.
"Oh, honey..."