Chapter 46 #46
Chapter 46
~Shailyn~
The weekend passed in a blur of normalcy that felt anything but normal. Tyler came home from the hospital. The doctor had cleared him with strict instructions to rest and take his medications.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Tyler kept insisting
"Father, you fell from your wheelchair," Dante said firmly. "You're going to let people take care of you whether you like it or not."
"Listen to your son," Cynthia added, hovering nearby. "You need to rest."
I helped where I could, bringing Tyler his medications, making sure he was comfortable. But all weekend, that mysterious phone call kept replaying in my mind.
I'd tried to push it away, tried to focus on the present, on the nursery, on Dante's obvious excitement about the baby.
By Monday morning, I was almost relieved to have an excuse to leave the manor and go to work. At least at the office, I could focus on code and projects instead of my spiraling thoughts.
I was getting ready when I noticed my phone screen light up with notifications. It has been like this for a while. I sighed
Hannah: Shailyn, I'm begging you. Don't shut me out.
I deleted the messages without responding and blocked her number.
"Ready to go?" Dante appeared in the doorway, looking handsome in his suit.
"Ready," I said, forcing a smile.
The drive to SentientIQ was quiet. Dante kept glancing over at me like he wanted to say something but couldn't quite find the words.
"You okay?" he finally asked as we pulled into the parking garage.
"Yeah," I said. "Just nervous about being back at work. It's been a weird few weeks."
"You'll be fine," he assured me, reaching over to squeeze my hand. "And if you need anything, anything at all, I'm just a few floors away."
"I know. Thank you."
We walked into the building together, and I immediately felt the weight of everyone's stares. The scandal photos might have been scrubbed from most of the internet, but clearly people here still remembered.
Dante kissed my cheek before heading to the executive floor. "See you at lunch?"
"Sure," I said.
I made my way to my desk, trying to ignore the whispers that followed me. I'd just settled into my chair and opened my laptop when I sensed someone approaching.
I looked up to find Hannah standing there, her eyes red-rimmed like she'd been crying.
"Shailyn," she said softly. "Please, can we talk?"
"I don't think that's a good idea," I said, keeping my voice neutral.
"Just five minutes. That's all I'm asking."
"Hannah, I blocked your number for a reason."
"I know, but…"
"I don't want to hear it," I interrupted.
“Shailyn, if you would just listen…"
"I'm done listening," I said firmly. "Please leave me alone."
"You deserve better than him," Hannah said, her voice cracking. "The man you think he is? That's not who he really is. He's dangerous, Shailyn. He's manipulative and cruel and,"
"Stop," I said, standing up now. "Just stop. I don't know why you hate Dante so much, but I'm not going to stand here and listen to you trash my husband."
"Because someone needs to tell you the truth!" Hannah's voice rose
"I don't care what you think I told you," I said coldly. "You're clearly delusional. Now please, leave me alone before I call security."
Hannah's face crumpled. "Fine," she whispered. "But when you remember, when you finally see him for what he really is, don't say I didn't warn you."
She turned and walked away, her shoulders shaking.
I sat back down, my hands trembling slightly. Why wouldn't she just leave me alone?
I tried to focus on work,
About an hour later, I decided I needed coffee. I grabbed my mug and headed toward the break room, grateful for the excuse to stretch my legs and clear my head.
I was at the coffee machine, watching the dark liquid pour into my cup, when I heard voices behind me.
"I heard she's back at work already."
"Yeah, I saw her this morning. Still playing the victim, I bet."
I turned slowly to find two women standing near the water cooler. One of them was Bianca from reception, tall, blonde, with sharp features and cold blue eyes. The other was someone I didn't recognize.
They hadn't noticed me yet.
"I don't know why she even bothers coming back," Bianca continued, her voice dripping with disdain. "Everyone knows what happened. Everyone saw those photos of Mr. Belmar with other women."
"She probably thinks she can save the marriage," the other woman said with a laugh. "How pathetic."
"Right?" Bianca rolled her eyes. "If my husband was caught cheating that publicly, I'd have some self-respect and leave. But not Shailyn. She just keeps coming back like a kicked puppy."
My hands clenched around my coffee mug.
"Maybe she likes the money too much," the other woman suggested. "Being married to a Belmar has its perks."
"Oh, definitely," Bianca agreed. "I mean, what else does she have going for her? She's not particularly pretty, not particularly charming. She's just... there. Taking up space."
"And now she's back at work, taking up our oxygen," the other woman added. "Honestly, I don't know how Mr. Belmar puts up with her. If I were him, I'd have upgraded a long time ago."
That was it. I couldn't take it anymore.
I turned fully to face them, and both women's eyes widened when they realized I was standing right there.
"Oh," Bianca said, her face flushing slightly. "Shailyn. We didn't see you there."
"Clearly," I said, my voice cold. "Is there something you'd like to say to my face, Bianca? Or do you prefer talking behind people's backs?"
"I... we were just..." Bianca stammered.
"Just what?" I took a step closer. "Just spreading gossip? Just being cruel for entertainment?"
"We were having a private conversation," Bianca said, recovering some of her bravado. "Not our fault you were eavesdropping."
"A private conversation? In the company break room?" I laughed bitterly. "You wanted me to hear it. You wanted to hurt me."
"Maybe if you had any self-respect, you'd be hurt," Bianca shot back, her eyes flashing. "But you don't, do you? You just keep coming back to a man who clearly doesn't want you. That's on you, sweetie."
The other woman looked uncomfortable now, edging toward the door. "Bianca, maybe we should…"
"No, I want to hear this," Bianca continued, stepping closer to me. "Tell me, Shailyn, what's it like being married to a man who everyone knows is sleeping around? What's it like knowing you're not enough? What's it like being so desperate that you'd rather humiliate yourself than be alone?"
"That's enough."
The voice came from the doorway, cold and authoritative.
Dwayne.
All three of us turned to find him standing there, his expression thunderous. His eyes were locked on Bianca with an intensity that made her take a step back.
"Mr. Belmar," Bianca said, her voice suddenly much smaller. "I was just…"
"Just what?" Dwayne walked into the break room, his presence seeming to fill the entire space. "Just verbally assaulting a colleague? Just creating a hostile work environment? Just proving what an unprofessional, petty excuse for an employee you are?"
"I... I didn't mean..." Bianca's face had gone pale.
"You didn't mean to get caught," Dwayne corrected. "That's different from not meaning it." He turned to the other woman. "You. Get out. Now."
The woman practically ran from the room.
Dwayne turned back to Bianca, and the look on his face made me want to back away. "Let me be very clear with you, Bianca. What you just did? That's grounds for immediate termination."
"But.. "
"I'm not finished," Dwayne said, his voice dropping to something even more dangerous. "You want to gossip about people's personal lives? You want to make cruel jokes about someone's marriage? Do it on your own time. Not in this company. Not on my watch."
"You can't fire me!" Bianca's voice rose, panicked now. "I'll sue! This is wrongful termination!"
"Feel free to try," Dwayne said calmly. "We have security footage of this break room. Audio included. I'm sure HR would love to review evidence of you creating a hostile work environment. Now get out before I have you physically removed."
Silence fell.
"Thank you," I said quietly. "You didn't have to do that."
"Yes, I did," Dwayne said, turning to face me fully. His expression softened slightly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I lied. "I've dealt with worse."
"That doesn't make it right," he said. He took a step closer, and I could see something in his eyes, concern, yes, but also something else. Something deeper.
Then I heard it.
Footsteps, deliberate footsteps approaching down the hallway.
Just then, footsteps got closer, and then they appeared in the doorway.