Chapter 88 Chapter 88: Fractured Trust

Chapter 88 Chapter 88: Fractured Trust

GARRISON’S POV

The final meeting dragged on far longer than I expected. Sunlight slanted across the polished conference table while executives debated clauses and timelines. I nodded at the right moments and scribbled notes, but my mind kept drifting back to Martha. Her laugh from breakfast still echoed in my ears.

I glanced at my phone more than once and nearly stepped out to call her. She had assured me she could handle the office alone. I did not want her to think I doubted her or hovered like some worried husband. So I stayed in my seat and let the discussions roll on.

We finally wrapped up well past the time I had planned. I had intended to swing by the building, pick her up during her lunch window, and give her a short day at home with me. Now the afternoon had slipped away. I grabbed my jacket and headed for the parking lot, eager to make it right.

Just then my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was Violet calling me again. She had called last night, even after I told her that I wasn’t interested in speaking to her. She had called me twice this morning at 7 A.M and at 9 A.M. I had ignored all attempts. This time the vibration would not stop. I answered as I reached my car.

“What do you want, Violet?”

“I need to see you right now. It is urgent. Please.”

“I am not interested. Stop calling me. Our marriage ended a long time ago. Do not reach out again.” I ended the call and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. Frustration burned in my chest as I started the engine.

I pulled into traffic and pointed the car toward the office. Another text alert sounded. Unknown number. I waited until the next red light to check it. The message stopped my breath.

“Martha is not the woman you think she is. She has been seeing someone else behind your back. Check the pictures.”

I opened the attachments with shaking fingers. The first photo showed Martha outside a café, smiling up at a man I did not recognize. They stood close, too close. The second captured them in a quieter spot, heads bent together as if sharing secrets. My stomach dropped. Heat rushed to my face. I tried calling her immediately. The phone rang endlessly before clicking to voicemail. I tried again. Same result. A third attempt went straight to voicemail.

Rage and confusion twisted inside me. I slammed my hand against the steering wheel. Another message arrived.

“If you want to see the truth for yourself, go home now. She is there with him right this moment.”

I did not hesitate. I spun the car around at the next turn and sped toward our house. Doubts flooded my thoughts. Martha and I had shared so much. The way she looked at me that morning, the way she kissed me goodbye. Had it all been a lie? The photos replayed in my head as streetlights blurred past. I pushed the accelerator harder, my heart hammering against my ribs.

I skidded into the driveway and slammed the door shut behind me. The house sat eerily quiet. “Martha?” My voice echoed off the walls. No answer. I took the stairs two at a time, muscles tense. “Martha, are you here?”

Silence answered. I stepped into our bedroom and a sharp crack exploded at the back of my skull. Pain blinded me. The floor rushed up. I tried to grab the doorframe but my fingers slipped. Darkness crashed over me like a wave.

I woke to the sound of screaming. My head throbbed with vicious intensity. Nausea rolled through me. I forced my eyes open and realized I lay sprawled across our bed, completely naked. A warm body pressed against my side. I turned my head slowly.

Martha stood frozen in the doorway. Tears poured down her face. Her mouth opened in a raw, broken scream that tore straight through me. “Garrison! How could you?”

I pushed myself up. Violet lay beside me, naked, her arm still draped casually across the sheets. She stirred and opened her eyes. A smug little smile played on her lips as she took in the scene.

“What the hell is this?” I scrambled off the bed, clutching my pounding head. “Martha, listen to me. This is not what it looks like. I swear on everything.”

Martha backed away, her voice cracking with pain and fury. “Not what it looks like? I came home to find you naked in our bed with her. The same woman who attacked me today in front of the entire office. She called me a whore and a homewrecker while everyone watched. And now this?”

I yanked my pants from the floor and pulled them on, swaying from the dizziness. “She attacked you? I never knew. I got messages saying you were cheating on me. Photos. I tried calling you but you never picked up. I came home to confront it and someone hit me from behind. I do not remember anything after that.”

Violet stretched lazily on the bed, that satisfied expression never fading. She watched us like she had front-row seats to her favorite show.

Martha shook her head, fresh tears spilling. “I cannot keep doing this. The lies, the drama, the constant threats. I lost a baby because of stress before. I will not lose this one the same way. I am leaving.”

She turned and bolted down the stairs. I stumbled after her, still shirtless and barefoot. “Martha, stop! We can sort this out. Someone set us up. Do not walk away like this.”

I caught her arm in the living room. She spun around and slapped me hard across the face. The sting sharpened everything. My cheek burned, but the real pain sat deeper in my chest.

“Do not touch me,” she spat. “Do not follow me. I am done.”

She snatched only her phone from the side table and stormed out the front door. Her car roared to life seconds later. I stood in the open doorway and watched her taillights fade into the night. She would head to Rachel’s. I knew that much. But I could not bring myself to chase her. Not when my own world had just collapsed.

I closed the door and leaned against it, breathing hard. The house felt foreign now, poisoned. I forced myself back up the stairs on unsteady legs. Violet sat upright in bed, the sheet barely covering her. She regarded me with cool, triumphant eyes.

I stopped a few feet away and stared her down. “What the fuck happened? Why the hell are you here? How did you get inside my house? How did I end up naked in bed with you? Explain yourself right now, Violet.”

She tilted her head slightly. A slow, knowing smile spread across her face, but she said nothing. The silence hung heavy between us, mocking every question I threw at her.

“Well,” she began. “We had fun. I came to see you and you immediately kissed me like I was your woman. Can you believe that?”