Chapter 3

3

I called Silas to tell him I was stuck.

He didn't care. He screamed at me over the phone.

He told me I was useless and that I did nothing but spend his money. He said I couldn't even handle a simple task.

He blamed me for wasting his time and said he should have just had Lexi get the files.

I was stupid back then. I didn't realize he was using her name just to hurt me.

I got out of the car and walked the rest of the way in the pouring rain.

By the time I reached his office, I was a mess.

I was covered in mud. My hair was matted, and my clothes were soaked through.

The receptionist didn't even recognize me at first. She was incredibly rude.

Only when I said I was Avery Song did her face change, though her eyes were still full of judgment.

As I walked through the security gates, I heard them whispering.

"Mrs. Salinger looks like a hag. She's nothing compared to Lexi."

"I bet Lexi will be the new Mrs. Salinger by next year."

"Shh, don't let her hear you."

I had heard those rumors a thousand times, but that day, they stung like salt in a wound.

I walked into Silas's office without knocking.

Lexi was sitting in his chair, leaning over his computer.

Silas was bent over her, his hand on the mouse, his chest practically pressed against her back.

They jumped at the sound of the door and looked at me.

Silas's brow furrowed in immediate disgust. "Why do you look like that?"

I looked out the window. "The storm is bad."

"That's no excuse to look like a swamp creature."

For a split second, I thought he was worried about me.

Then he crushed that hope.

"It's embarrassing. You're my wife. Even if you don't care about yourself, think about my image and the company's."

He spoke as if I were a piece of trash he wanted to hide.

Lexi hopped up and went to his private closet. She brought out a fresh towel and handed it to me.

"Oh, Mrs. Salinger, you poor thing. Please dry off. We wouldn't want you catching a cold."

She was so performative, acting like the perfect, caring angel.

Silas wouldn't even look at me. "Fine, just leave the files and go home. Don't loiter around here."

I wanted to scream at him, but I saw the look in Lexi's eyes.

She was waiting for me to start a fight. She wanted to look like the calm, rational one.

I grit my teeth and turned to leave.

But as I took a step, a sharp pain shot through my leg. I pulled up my pant leg and saw the damage.

A jagged branch must have sliced deep into my calf while I was walking.

It was bleeding pretty badly, and the cut was full of grit. It looked nasty.

Silas just glanced at it. "You're a grown woman and you can't even walk without getting hurt? Useless."

Lexi moved to grab a first aid kit, but Silas stopped her.

"Go prep the materials for the meeting. She can handle a scratch herself."

I ignored the pain and took the kit from her.

Silas didn't stay. "Clean yourself up and get out. I have clients coming, and I don't want them seeing you like this."

He walked out without asking if it hurt. He didn't even look back.

"Avery! Why the hell are you at the hospital? Did something happen to Annie?"

Silas's voice snapped me back to the present. I didn't answer him. I just bent down to pick up the papers I had dropped.

He clearly didn't believe me when I said she was dead.

But he also didn't care enough to check. If he had called even one person, he would have known.

Lexi knelt down to help me, her voice dripping with fake concern.

"It's all my fault, Mrs. Salinger. I didn't see you. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

I snatched the papers out of her hand.

Silas caught a glimpse of the header on the medical report. "Moderate depression? Insomnia? Why would you have depression?"

He looked at me like I was playing a prank.