Chapter 2 No.2

Dessie was one of the foremost software architects the company employed. Before her transfer to this small branch for Craig's sake, she had been a figure of considerable note at the city office.

Her work was not merely competent; it was groundbreaking. She had, by her own efforts, designed the core architecture for two of the company's most profitable software suites.

Craig's promotion had been built upon the scaffolding of her most recent project. He had managed the team, to be sure, but she had been the architect-in-chief, the mind that resolved the impossible equations and labored through the silent hours of the night. He had claimed the credit, and she had been content to allow it. His success was their success. Or so she had believed.

She had declined the lead on Project Chimera, a government contract of critical importance, three times. Each time, Elek Preston had made a personal appeal to persuade her. Each time, she had refused. She wished to focus on supporting Craig and preparing for their move back to the city.

Now, that loyalty felt like a fool's errand. The project was no longer an opportunity sacrificed; it was a spar of driftwood to which she now clung with all her might.

"Are you certain of this, Dessie?" Elek Preston's voice was grave over the telephone. "This is a high-security project. It requires a minimum one-year commitment, on-site, in a remote location."

"I am certain," Dessie said.

"I am glad to hear it," Elek said, his tone warming. "Frankly, you are the only person I trust to see this through."

"Thank you, Elek."

"Should I inform Craig? As your current manager, he will need to sign off on the transfer."

A cold, hard resolve settled in her bones. "No. Do not tell him anything. This is a direct transfer from you. I want it kept in the strictest confidence until I am gone."

There was a brief silence. Elek was a sharp man; he would know something was amiss. "Understood. The transport will collect you tomorrow morning. Be ready."

"I will be."

She hung up and walked out of Craig's empty office. The decision felt like the first clean breath she had taken in a day that had threatened to suffocate her.

She returned to her own workspace to gather a few personal items. As she rounded the corner, she saw a small crowd gathered near Craig's department.

In the center of it stood Chanel Murphy. She was holding a box of personal effects, a bright, saccharine smile fixed upon her face as Craig introduced her to the team.

"Everyone, this is my wonderful wife, Chanel. She'll be joining us as my new administrative assistant."

Colleagues clapped and offered their congratulations. The air grew thick with their fawning praise.

Dessie froze. She remembered all the occasions Craig had insisted they keep their own marriage a secret.

"It is better for our careers, Dessie," he had said. "We do not want anyone thinking I am showing you favoritism. Let our work speak for itself."

She had agreed. She had believed it a matter of professional integrity. She had thought their love was a private, precious thing that did not require public validation.

Now, seeing him parade Chanel about like a prize trophy, she understood the genuine reason. He was not protecting her career. He was keeping his options open.

The pain was a bitter acid churning in her stomach. All those quiet anniversaries, the holidays spent with just the two of them because he did not wish to "complicate things with the office." It was all a lie.

Chanel's eyes met hers across the room. A slow, triumphant smile spread across her perfectly painted face. It was a look of pure, undisguised conquest.

Something inside Dessie fractured. The humiliation, the injustice of it all, boiled over. She walked straight toward them.

The chattering died down as she approached.

"Craig," Dessie said, her voice dangerously quiet.

He turned, his smile faltering when he saw her expression. "Dessie. What is it?"

She ignored him and looked directly at Chanel. "Who are you?"

The colleagues exchanged confused glances. Chanel's sweet facade tightened. She clutched Craig's arm.

"I... I am Chanel," she stammered, her eyes wide with feigned innocence. "Craig's wife."

"That's funny," Dessie said, her voice rising. "Because I am Craig's wife."

A collective gasp went through the office. People stared, their eyes darting between the two women as if at a tennis match.

Chanel's eyes filled with tears. She buried her face in Craig's shoulder. "Craig, what is she talking about? She is frightening me."

"Dessie, stop it," Craig hissed, his face a mask of fury. "You are making a scene."

"She is a liar!" Dessie's voice shook with rage. "We are married! You two are the adulterers!"

"That is a serious accusation, Dessie," one of the senior managers said, stepping forward. "Do you have any proof?"

Proof. The word hung in the air. The useless certificate in her lockbox. The official records that now showed Chanel as his legal wife. She had nothing.

"He tricked me!" she cried, desperation creeping into her voice. "He made me sign divorce papers!"

The crowd looked at her with pity and suspicion. She sounded unhinged. A woman scorned.

Chanel sobbed harder. "I do not understand. Craig, why is she saying these horrible things?"

Chanel saw her moment and her performance intensified. She took a step toward Dessie, her hand outstretched as if in a gesture of peace.

"Please, just calm down," Chanel whispered.

Then, she suddenly grabbed Dessie's hand, her grip surprisingly strong. Dessie instinctively tried to pull away.

"Let go of me!"

Chanel's voice, now a thread of sound meant only for Dessie's ear, was laced with a venomous sweetness. "You are going to regret this."

With a theatrical cry, Chanel staggered back a single step, a gesture of such exaggerated pantomime that it belonged upon a stage. Then, as if her knees were hinged for precisely this purpose, she collapsed to the floor.

"Chanel!" Craig yelled.

He rushed past Dessie, not even looking at her, and knelt beside his new wife. He cradled her in his arms, looking up at Dessie with a look of such pure, cold hatred that it seemed to draw all the air from her lungs.

To every eye in that room, it was clear. Dessie Hunt was the intruder, an unseemly disruption to the office's placid machinery. Their gazes, a mixture of curiosity, censure, and a faint, cruel satisfaction, pricked her skin like a thousand needle-points.