“He’ll forgive all your weirdness the minute he realizes you pulled off a miracle and threw the best damn surprise party for the most impossible man.”
I chuckled at that. “I’m glad everyone understands how hard this has been. I don’t think I would have made it to the end without all the encouragement you guys kept giving me. I think Ridge started to get upset with me recently.”
I tugged at the strap of my blue dress. It was an almost exact replica of the one I’d worn when he approached me at the bar that first day we met. The only difference was that I changed the color scheme. Instead of a cream dress with a blue shrug, I switched it up and went with a blue dress. The cream sweater was on the bench over by where the cake sat under the shade of the trees.
I’d managed to get this section of Clear Lake Park closed off for a “special private event” to commemorate the first time Ridge and I met. A decade together, his 35th birthday, and our 9th wedding anniversary seemed like the perfect time to incorporate our special place into a party idea. I glanced down at my phone and finally sent the text to his assistant, Fiona, that would bring my man to his surprise party.
Violet: It’s time. Garrett said that Ridge was in the studio all morning mixing sounds. Can you go grab him and bring him to Clear Lake Park now? We’re back by the gazebo on the north side.
Fifteen minutes later, my mom shuffled over to me and leaned in with her hand up to hide her mouth from the guests as she whispered in my ear. “You might want to call that Fiona woman or Ridge, for that matter. Your guests are starting to get a little restless.”
“He’s only a little late, Mom.” I glanced down at my phone and noted that the text I’d sent to Fiona had been delivered but not read yet. “Shit. I don’t think she got the text.” I dialed the office number for her desk, and she picked up immediately.
“Thank you for calling Westover Music and Entertainment. Fiona Iverson speaking, how may I direct your call.”
“Fiona, it’s Violet. I sent you a text to bring Ridge here.” I huffed as she failed to respond. “Did you forget what time you were supposed to show up? The text was just a reminder, really.”
“Yes, I know the timetable,” she answered in a snide tone.
“Okay, are you on your way then?” I asked as my stomach twisted on itself.
“You need to go take a Xanax or something, your anxiety is about to stress me out.”
“Are you serious right now? This is Ridge’s surprise party that I’ve worked tirelessly on for months. Everyone is here and the two of you are late. I need you to get him here now.”
“Yes, he will be there on time,” she answered back lazily, as if she hadn’t even heard me say that they were already late to Ridge’s own party.
“Fiona, you’re already late!” I huffed into the phone before I realized there was nothing but silence on the other end. I glanced down to see that she had hung up on me and that anxious, dreadful bubble in my stomach grew larger.
Nearly an hour had passed since Fiona hung up on me. I stood there and glanced around at all the decorations again while I steadfastly avoided everyone’s eyes. My husband had not shown up to his surprise party. It made me rethink the plan to have his assistant, the same one my husband’s best friend expressed concerns over, to get him here. I should have listened. I dialed her number and once again didn’t get an answer back. When voicemail kicked in, I quickly stated, “We are all worried that you have been in an accident. It’s well past when you were supposed to have him here. Please, call me back and let me know what’s going on.”
I dialed Ridge after that. His phone stopped ringing and went straight to voicemail that time. Did he turn his phone off or was it not charged? There was no way it wasn’t charged. Ridge had clients who sometimes had round-the-clock emergencies.
“Honey, I’m going to run by the office and see if he’s there. Maybe he fell asleep or something?” Ridge’s father said just as my phone rang.
“Oh, thank God. It’s Fiona!” I called out. Everyone gathered around to hear what she had to say, so I put my finger up to my face to quiet them. It wasn’t until after I accepted that I realized it wasn’t a normal call. It was a video call.
“What in the hell?” Ridge’s father asked. The camera was either out of focus, or it was dark wherever they were.
We all listened as we heard a groan and then, “Fuck my wife!” The rest of what he said was slurred nearly beyond recognition, but it sounded like, “Best pussy.” Not only was my husband drunk somewhere instead of here at his surprise party, but what he said made all the blood drain from my body in an instant. No. That couldn’t have been Ridge. My mother-in-law gasped so loudly I was shocked that the two people on the other end of the video call hadn’t heard her.
The camera suddenly came into focus as the lights in the background were turned on or up or something. We all listened to a woman moan in obvious delight as the picture cleared with the added light. Ridge was on the couch in his office and a blonde-haired woman – who I knew to be Fiona - was on top of him with her naked tits in his face.
“Should have fucked last year,” he mumbled, “when you offered first time…” His sluggish voice trailed off again, but then the bitch spoke.
“It was your birthday then, too.” Fiona reminded him with a giggle right before she moaned again and threw her head back. It was clear who he was fucking then, and that they were fucking, even if my brain had refused to put two-and-two together before then.
“You son of a bitch! I will feed you your own cheating cock for doing this to my daughter! You’re fucking your assistant who your father and I warned you about while your wife is here at your fucking surprise party, worried that you’re dead in a ditch somewhere!”
“You bastard!” My mom added.
Ridge glanced to the side where the phone was perched somewhere. We could all see his glassy-eyed appearance clearly. The bourbon bottle that was tipped over on the coffee table in front of them was a dead giveaway as to how he got that way. I noted the birthday cake on the table as well and wanted to throw up. She had gotten him a coconut cake and liquor. I wasn’t sure what else she did to make my husband cheat, but the shock on his face was clear. It was so clear that I could almost see the moment he sobered enough from the shock of my father’s words to see that we were all gathered around my phone. He could probably see the party decorations in the background, too.
“What the fuck?” Ridge asked as the tears began to pour down my face. He leaned forward to grab the phone, but in doing so, we all got to see the moment his dick – without protection on it – slipped free of Fiona’s pussy.
“Your assistant was tasked with getting you to your surprise party,” I managed to choke out. “I see the two of you had other plans today.”
I didn’t wait for my husband to say another word. I hung up and threw my phone toward the lake. Unfortunately for me, it didn’t take the plunge into the water that I hoped. Instead, I witnessed one of the blue, mylar heart balloons deflate after my phone punched a hole in it. Well, that was apropos since my phone had just been the catalyst for breaking my heart, too.
