“I took the day off.”
“You never take days off,” Clara says immediately, suspicion creeping into her voice. “Era… what happened?”
I lean against the kitchen counter and stare at the coffee cup still sitting in my hand. Then I tell her everything. When I finish, the silence on the other end of the line stretches a little too long.
Clara finally exhales. “Wow,” she says.
“Yeah.”
“And Dominic just… played it off like nothing happened?”
“Pretty much.”
Clara scoffs.
“That’s what Dom does,” she says. “He reels you in until you’re comfortable… until you’re caught in the trap.”
My stomach twists.
“And then there’s Sophie,” I add quietly.
Clara doesn’t even hesitate.
“Yep. That’s the one.”
“What?”
“She’s the mistress.”
I let out a short laugh. “You don’t even know her.”
“I don’t have to,” Clara says confidently. “My intuition is rarely wrong.”
“She’s a coworker,” I argue.
Clara makes a noise that sounds suspiciously like please.
“Era.”
“What?”
“I’m just saying.” I shake my head even though she can’t see me.
“She texted him about dinner tonight with the office. ‘Meet you there.’ That’s normal.”
“Mhm.”
“Clara.”
“I’m just saying,” she repeats. “It smells suspicious.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose.
“Okay,” Clara continues, her voice shifting. “I have to ask the elephant in the room.” I already know what she’s going to say. “When are you going to confront him?”
The question sits heavy between us.
“I don’t know yet,” I admit.
