Rocco’s face tightened, his jaw clenched, ready to respond. But just as he opened his mouth, his phone buzzed with two new messages. Without a second thought, he unlocked it and glanced at the screen. From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the message content.
The screen displayed a photo of Avery, clad in lingerie, holding a positive pregnancy test, with a message beneath it. [If you don’t come see me, I’ll get rid of it.]
In the past, whenever Rocco’s family had tormented me, he’d been the first to stand up for me, fiercely protecting me from their cruelty. But now, as his mother and sister spent the last ten minutes belittling me, Rocco didn’t utter a single word. He simply sat there, silent.
Shielding the phone from my view, Rocco stared at the message for what felt like an eternity. When he finally looked at me, his eyes were filled with apology.
“Valerie, my boss just called. He needs me to present a report at the office.”
He had no idea that I was his boss, and he hadn’t submitted a report to me in ages.
“Go ahead,” I replied, my voice calm and steady. “Work is important.”
He stood up without a word, taking the handbag with him as he left.
The moment Rocco left, his mother and sister grew even bolder, their mocking laughter filling the room.
“See? Because you can’t have children, Rocco doesn’t even care about you anymore.”
“Do us all a favor and leave. If you can’t give him what he wants, don’t waste his time. There are plenty of women now, eager to have his children now that he’s caught the eye of a big boss.”
I didn’t respond to their taunts. Instead, I emptied my glass of wine in one long sip, stood up, and offered them a faint smile.
“Don’t worry. You’ll get exactly what you want.”
They wouldn’t have to wait long; someone had already stepped into the role.
I turned and left, retreating to my home to organize the years of data I had gathered, preparing to transfer it to the organization’s database. Only four days remained.
Meanwhile, Rocco’s mother and sister, mistaking his silence for indifference, believed he was tired of me. They wasted no time in calling him, pushing for a divorce, suggesting that my lack of resistance meant I, too, wanted to end the marriage.
But Rocco’s response was nothing like they expected. His fury erupted. He pushed Avery off his lap, hastily dressed, and stormed out in a blind rage.