"Hand it to the girl behind you," Sophia said, glancing at the paper and pen in my hand. She crossed her arms and didn't even look at Emily.
"Sure thing." I passed the paper and pen to Emily. "Here you go."
"Thanks," Emily replied.
Sophia's voice cut through the air again, "As per our agreement, you need to write a thousand-word pledge, promising not to seduce my husband anymore or be with him. If you don't, I'll sue you and get you fired from the company. Don't try anything funny; I have shares in the company and the power to fire you."
"I understand, I'll start writing now." Emily grabbed the pen, her hand shaking as she began to write. Her voice trembled, showing just how nervous she was.
Suddenly, I felt like the bad guy.
Emily just wanted to end things with Robert. She came to me for help, and I went and told Sophia.
If I wasn't so scared of the power dynamics at work, Emily wouldn't be in this mess, not even looking at me.
I couldn't tell if she was mad at me or just embarrassed that Sophia, the wife, caught her.
If only I were stronger, this wouldn't be happening.
I felt a wave of guilt wash over me.
Sophia and I sat in the car for over ten minutes, and Emily was still writing. Bored, I pulled out my phone and started playing a game.
Just as I finished the first level, Emily handed over the pledge.
"Mrs. Williams, I'm done. Here you go." Emily offered the pledge to Sophia with both hands.
Sophia took it, skimmed through it, and seemed satisfied. She reached into her purse and pulled out a lipstick.
She placed the pledge on the armrest, opened the lipstick, and twisted it out. "Stick out your thumb."
"Okay." Emily did as she was told, sticking out her right thumb.
Sophia grabbed her hand and applied the lipstick to Emily's thumb, covering it in red.
"Press your thumb onto your name, leave a fingerprint so you can't deny it later."
"Okay." Emily pressed her thumb onto her name, leaving a clear red print.
"Now, the proof of you flirting with my husband is in the photo album on my phone. If you're smart, you know what to do, right?"
"I do. I'll avoid Mr. Williams from now on!"
Sophia looked Emily over, sensing her sincerity, and decided not to push further. "Alright, you can get out now."
"Thank you, thank you for your kindness." Emily quickly opened the car door and ran into the house, shutting the door behind her.
"Can we go back now?" I asked, still confused.
"Yes." Sophia nodded, started the car, and we were soon back on the road.
Sophia drove fast, not even glancing at me.
I sat in the passenger seat and texted Emily.
[Sorry, Emily. I was on my way to find you but ran into Sophia. She knew I was coming to see you and insisted on giving me a ride. I couldn't refuse.]
I texted her, but she didn't reply.
Feeling anxious, I kept texting her, even threatening to call the police if she didn't respond, saying I'd have them check on her.
Emily finally replied: [I'm fine, just took a shower and saw my phone now.]
[Really?] I asked, still worried.
Emily: [No worries, but thanks a lot. Because you're neighbors with Mrs. Williams, she let me off the hook thinking I'm your girlfriend.. Even though we're just pretending, I appreciate it. I'll bring you breakfast tomorrow to say thanks.]
I sighed in relief, realizing Sophia had mentioned me but hadn't ratted me out.
[Thanks, as long as you're okay. But it's late now, I won't bother you anymore. Good night.]
Emily: [Good night.]
I put my phone away, focused on the road ahead, and soon we arrived at Sophia's place.
Out of habit, I glanced at Scarlett's bedroom window and saw the lights were off, which eased my mind.
"It's late, my husband isn't home. Why don't you come to my place?" Sophia asked.
I knew she was inviting me for more than just a chat. But the image of Emily being caught in the car writing that pledge was still fresh in my mind. While Robert might not do what Sophia did, I couldn't guarantee he wouldn't do something worse.
"Never mind, I'm afraid your husband might come back suddenly like last night. I'll just go back to my own place. As for intimacy, let's plan it for another time."
With that, I opened the car door, got out, and headed towards Ryan's house. As I reached the door, I saw the living room light turn on.
I suddenly felt guilty. Who could be in the living room?
Ryan or Scarlett?
If it was Scarlett, how would I explain coming home so late? And what was I doing before helping Sophia catch her cheating husband?
Feeling nervous, I swallowed hard, then carefully opened the door and quietly slipped inside, hoping to avoid whoever was in the mansion.
But as soon as I closed the door, there was Scarlett, standing there with a stick, her eyes icy cold, making me shiver.
"Scarlett, it's late. Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"You know it's late too? What were you doing for so long?"
"I didn't go anywhere, just went to help Sophia catch a cheater."
"Don't lie to me. Sophia was only out for an hour and a half, but you didn't come back all night. Tell me the truth, where did you go?"
"I really didn't go anywhere. I finished work and went to dinner with colleagues from the department. Then one of them got drunk, so we all helped him get home. Later, we ran into Sophia, and she was worried her husband siding with his mistress, so she dragged me along as backup."
"Is that really all?"
"Of course! Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, go ask Sophia."