"Emily," Simon said, his voice flat, completely devoid of warmth. He didn't stop walking; he just altered his path to bypass her.
"Don't be like that, Si," she sighed, stepping out into the hallway to block his path. The smirk deepened as her eyesdragged slowly up and down his suit. "You've been playing the exiled, tragic husband for months now. You have to be exhausted. Don't you miss the thrill?"
She took a step closer, lowering her voice to that familiar, intimate register that used to feed his ego. "We always did have fun when the pressure was on."
Simon stared at her, profound disgust rolling through his chest. "Get out of my way."
Emily’s smirk faltered slightly at the genuine venom in his tone. "Oh, come on. You can't tell me you're actually going to spend the rest of your life groveling to a woman who clearly doesn't appreciate you. You deserve better than that."
"Do not ever speak about my wife again," Simon ordered, his voice dropping to a lethal, quiet growl. "You were a mistake, Emily. The worst, most pathetic mistake of my entire life. I am selling my shares, and I will never step foot in this building again. Move."
He didn't wait for her to step aside. He pushed past her shoulder, leaving her standing stunned in the hallway, and walked straight out to the elevators.
By the time he reached the parking garage, his hands were shaking with residual anger. He climbed into his car and immediately dialed his lawyer’s number, leaving a terse voicemail instructing him to draft the severance and buyout papers immediately. He was done.
He tossed his phone onto the passenger seat and started the engine. Just as he was pulling out of the garage, the screen lit up with a text message.
Audrey: Are you done with work? Can you come over to the house?
Simon stared at the message, the heavy, lingering disgust from the office instantly evaporating. A wide, genuine smilebroke across his face. She was inviting him over on a Friday evening. No therapy, no Lily drop-off. Just an invitation.
I'm on my way, he typed back quickly.
The drive to the suburbs felt incredibly light. He practically jogged up the front walkway of the house, his heart hammering with a warm, desperate hope. He reached the door and rang the bell, running a hand through his hair to smooth it down.
The lock clicked, and the heavy oak door swung open.
Simon’s smile vanished instantly.
Audrey stood in the doorway, her arms wrapped tightly around her own waist. Her face was ashen, her lips trembling, and her dark eyes were bloodshot and swollen from crying. The fragile peace they had spent weeks building was entirely gone.
"Rey?" Simon choked out, his heart dropping into his stomach. Panic seized his throat. "What is it? What happened? Is Lily okay?"
"Lily is fine," Audrey whispered, her voice a hollow, shattered rasp. She stepped back, letting the door swing open wider.
"Then what's wrong?" Simon begged, stepping into the foyer, desperate to reach out and pull her into his arms, but the sheer devastation radiating from her kept him frozen in place.
Audrey looked up at him, a fresh tear spilling over her lashes.
"I received a new email, Simon."
Chapter 35
Audrey
The afternoon had started so quietly. Lily was sitting at the kitchen island, happily eating sliced apples and watching a cartoon on her tablet, while Audrey stood at the counter, sorting through her inbox on her phone.
Most of it was standard work correspondence, but then her thumb hovered over an email from an unknown address. There was no subject line. Just a single audio file attached.
Frowning, Audrey tapped the file. She lifted the phone to her ear.
For a few seconds, there was only the muffled sound of fabric rustling, followed by the heavy, undeniable friction of skin meeting skin. Then came a low, breathless moan. And then another.
Audrey’s breath hitched. She recognized that second sound instantly. It was the rough, deep groan Simon made when he was completely losing control. Her blood ran entirely cold, freezing the air in her lungs.
“Is this what you need, Si?” a woman's voice whispered through the speaker, low and victorious. “Do you like it like this?”
A ragged, urgent exhale from Simon. “Yes.”
