The conference room was packed when I arrived at the office that afternoon.
Jade spotted me and tapped on the table.
“Elise. Where were you this morning? Why didn’t you let me know in advance?”
I set down my bag.
“Dylan approved my time off.”
“After all, the boss’s new wife needed to move in. Wouldn’t want his ex getting in the way.”
Her smile faded.
“My marriage to Dylan is a private matter. You don’t need to drag your feelings into the workplace.”
Everyone turned to look at me.
There wasn’t a person in that company who didn’t know Dylan and I had been together for seven years.
When we first started dating, he’d walked into the office holding my hand and introduced me to everyone as his girlfriend.
Then Jade joined the company.
Every outfit he bought me, he insisted she try on first.
My coworkers had laughed about it for years.
“Did Mr. Sterling have Jade try that one on first, too?”
Now that Jade was legally Mrs. Sterling, the jokes turned uglier.
“Jade used to have a boyfriend, so he couldn’t have the woman he really wanted. Guess he settled for a lookalike.”
“Now that the real deal’s available, the substitute has to step aside.”
Jade didn’t stop them. She just watched me.
“Elise, I know you’re upset, but I’m the team lead now. I’d appreciate a little respect.”
Dylan, seated at the head of the table, finally scowled.
“Enough.”
The room fell silent.
“I made the decision to put Jade in charge. If you’ve got a problem, take it up with me.”
He looked at me.
“What you said was out of line. Apologize to Jade.”
She’d been promoted using my proposal.
And now I was supposed to apologize to her.
I unclipped my employee badge and set it on the table.
“I’m not apologizing. I quit.”
I grabbed my bag and headed for the door.
Jade hurried after me and grabbed the strap of my bag.
“We’re not finished talking. Where do you think you’re going?”
I told her to let go. She yanked harder instead.
I stumbled. Dylan instinctively reached out to steady me.
My bag slammed to the floor.
My document folder slid out near his shoes, a corner of my newly issued marriage certificate peeking from inside.
He started to bend down, but Jade snatched up a velvet box that had rolled the other way.
“Wait. Isn’t this the brooch you keep locked in your safe?”
Dylan froze.
When he looked back at me, his expression had changed.
“Elise. You stole from me?”
In seven years, he’d never looked at me that way.
My throat tightened.
“I opened the safe, yes. But I only took my passport.”
“The brooch isn’t yours. Alex gave it to me.”
Dylan let out a humorless laugh.
“The Sterling family has two heirloom brooches, one kept by each side of the family. They’re only given to the women we marry.”
“Why would Alexander give you one?”
“Alex and I are already—”
“Enough.”
He cut me off.
“Give it back and apologize to Jade. Do that, and I’ll pretend today never happened.”
Jade clutched the brooch and approached me.
“Ellie, Dylan and I are already married. Why do you keep trying to take everything from me?”
She reached for my arm.
I pulled my hand back. She suddenly clutched her lower stomach and sank to the floor.
“Dylan… I know she hates me, but I’m carrying our baby…”
My ears rang. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
“A baby? It’s yours?”
He was silent for several seconds.
“The night the new house was ready, she said she wanted to test what it was like to stay there for you.”
“We’d both been drinking, and…”
Something inside my chest seemed to tear open.
So she’d even test-driven my wedding night.
I stared at him for several seconds, then slapped him hard across the face.
His head snapped to one side. For a long moment, he didn’t move.
Jade shrank behind him, both hands protectively over her stomach.
“Dylan, I don’t want to take this any further. Just keep her away from me. I’m worried about the baby.”
Dylan stared at me, his grip tightening around his phone.
Then he made the call to the police right in front of me.
When the officers arrived, they led me toward the elevators as the entire office floor watched.
Just as the elevator doors were about to close, a shrill voice rang out.
“Where’s Elise Bennett?”
“Trying to steal my son-in-law wasn’t enough? Now she’s attacking my pregnant daughter?”