Abigail
The dull hum of the fluorescent lights in my cell was the only companion I had as restless thoughts invaded my mind. I lay on the hard cot, staring at the cobwebbed ceiling as my uncertain thoughts clawed at me like invisible hands. Was this going to work? Or had I overplayed my hand this time, by refusing Alexander’s offer of bail and willingly confining myself to this grim little box?
The rational part of me understood why Alexander doubted me when I had asked him to get someone to follow Susanna. If our roles were reversed, I wasn’t sure I would have put faith in him either. Staying in this cell, betting on the fragile thread of my intuition, seemed foolish at best and reckless at worst. But that gut feeling wouldn’t relent, a voice deep inside whispering that this façade of helplessness would pay off and that the trap laid for me would eventually snap back on its creators.
I smiled wryly to myself. If I was wrong, I’d h
AbigailI swallowed hard, keeping my expression as neutral as I could. The faint outline beneath his shirt suggested he was wired too. My pulse beat faster as I realized what this meant; Alexander had kept his word.My heart gave an unexpected jolt, fluttering in a way that I wasn’t prepared for. Despite his doubts, despite the obvious reservations he’d voiced about my plan, Alexander had followed through. He’d sent someone in, someone who was not only watching but recording everything.But that joy was quickly tempered by a more practical thought; If he hadn’t done this much for me, what was the point of partnering with him at all? I didn’t need to take it personally - he would have done the same for anyone else. Still, the risk he’d taken wasn’t lost on me. This was a gamb
AbigailSusanna’s smirk grew sharper as she placed her phone back into her bag, her eyes gleaming with a malicious satisfaction. I could feel my pulse in my ears, the heat rising up my neck and threatening to betray my composure. But I wouldn’t let her see it. I knew she would feed on any weakness she saw in me now. So, I straightened my back and forced a shrug, summoning a false sense of calm I didn’t feel.“Whatever you think you’ve accomplished by showing me that pathetic video, it doesn’t change a damn thing,” I said, my voice laced with venom. “At the end of the day, I’m the one Conrad married. I’m the one who stood at the altar with him. You’re just a dirty little affair he has to keep hidden.”For a split second, her face twisted, her smug mask cracking. I knew I’d hit a nerve, and the satisfaction was almost enough to dull the anger starting to rage inside me.Then, quic
AbigailThe door creaked open again, and my head snapped up, anger flaring to life as I fully expected Susanna’s smug face to reappear, ready to deliver another blow. My breath hitched, and my nails bit into my palms as I subconsciously prepared myself, but it wasn’t her.It was Alexander—or rather, “Daniel,” and he was fully in the disguise he’d adopted for this charade. The sight of him momentarily jolted me, but it was the look in his eyes that froze me in place. Rage. A deep, simmering rage that mirrored the storm in my own chest, though he hid it beneath a mask of calm far better than I could.Our eyes locked, and in that moment, there was an unspoken understanding, a recognition of shared fury and betrayal. He shut the door behind him with deliberate care and took a step closer, his voice low and steady.“I should never have doubted your instincts,” he said, his words measured but laced with an edge th
AbigailI took a deep breath, the anger burning in my chest barely subdued. It was an effort to pull myself together, to shove all the hurt and humiliation into a corner of my mind where it couldn’t suffocate me. Looking at Alexander, I forced my voice to be calm, even if my hands still trembled slightly.“You can leave now,” I said, meeting his gaze with what I hoped looked like strong will. “You have everything you need from here. You better not fail me.”For a moment, he didn’t move. His eyes searched mine, as if looking for something I wasn’t ready to show him. Concern flickered across his face, a hesitation that surprised me. “Are you okay, truly?” he asked softly.I nodded, willing the shake in my hands to still
ConradI leaned back in my chair, the edges of the document I’d been attempting to read crumpled slightly in my hands. The words blurred together, refusing to make sense no matter how many times I went over them. Sighing heavily, I tossed the report onto the table and reached for the coffee cup sitting near the edge of my desk. The mug was cold, the remnants of the beverage bitter as I downed the last sip. The screen of my phone lit up as I glanced at it absentmindedly, checking the date. It had been over two days now. Two days since Abigail had been taken into custody. I set the mug down with a soft clink, my lips curling into a small, satisfied smile as I leaned back in my chair. “Wonder if she’s learned her lesson yet,” I muttered, the words hanging in the empty office. I hadn’t wanted to go this far—honestly, I hadn’t. But Abigail had been asking for it, pushing and pushing until there was no other way to make her understand. She needed to remember her place, needed to stop this
ConradAs I leaned back in my chair, I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped my lips. Abigail. Sweet, perfect Abigail—at least, that was what I used to think. Now, the mere thought of her name filled me with a mix of irritation and disbelief. The gall of that woman. Not only had she dared to challenge me, but she had also crossed the one line I never thought she’d even approach. She had cheated. Abigail, my wife, had been unfaithful.I shook my head, still unable to comprehend the full depth of her audacity. When Susanna first brought up the possibility, I hadn’t believed her. Of course, I hadn’t. Abigail? Cheating? It was absurd. Abigail didn’t have the right to even look at another man, let alone entertain the thought of being with him. Who was she without me, anyway? What status, what value, did she have on her own?With or without her, I was still Conrad Remington, a man born into a legacy of power and prestige. My
ConradMy office door burst open with a sharp bang, and I felt my jaw clench at the sheer audacity of whoever dared to interrupt me. My head snapped up from the report I’d barely been pretending to read, and I was already halfway through barking out my reprimand when I saw her.Margot, my usually composed secretary, stood gripping the door handle so tightly her knuckles were white. Her eyes were wide and panicked, darting around the room like a trapped animal. She looked nothing like the calm, collected woman who had been with me through countless crises. The sight of her in such a state froze the words on my tongue.“What in the hell is this about, Margot?” I snapped, my voice sharp despite the unease settling in my gut. “You don’t barge into my office like this.”She didn’t flinch, didn’t apologize. Instead, she took a shaky step forward, her voice trembling as she blurted, “Mr. Remington, you need to turn on the television. Right now.”Her words hit me like ice water down my spine.
I wanted to punch something—anything. My jaw clenched so hard it felt like my teeth might crack. The reporters continued to drone on in the background.Nancy Gilbert leaned in, her smile sharp and unforgiving. “It seems Conrad Remington wasn’t just running a multi million-dollar company; he was running a double life. And poorly, I might add.”My anxiety coiled tighter, wrapping around me like a suffocating vice.Sean sighed, his expression a mixture of disdain and pity. “You have to feel for Abigail Remington in all this. She’s so rarely seen as it is. I can’t imagine the added burden of this humiliation.”Nancy nodded. “Have any of our reporters been able to get a word from her, Sean?”“I’m afraid not Nancy. And I can’t blame her for disappearing – finding out about your husband’s affair and his love child through the media must be a different sort of sting.”Nancy’s eyes glittered with a cruel kind of satisfaction. “Oh, I’m sure she’ll resurface soon enough, Sean. After all, this has
AbigailInternally, I whooped and punched the air in victory. But outwardly, I gave Mr. Hayes a serene, practiced smile, the kind that said I'm glad to be here, not desperate to be here. “Thank you again,” I said politely, then stepped out of his office before my excitement bubbled too far to contain.Ten o’clock was only forty minutes away. Not enough time to start anything new, but just enough to make myself useful. I returned to my office, where Elle was already tidying up the documents on my desk.“Anything urgent?” I asked as I approached.She handed me a printed memo and gave me a quick update on a postponed meeting. “Only thing worth noting is
AbigailThe smell of the food filled the entire room, and something about the presence of Alexander beside me dulled the tightness I’d been carrying all day. The tension behind my eyes had started to fade as I picked at the grilled fish, letting the flavors roll across my tongue, my limbs slowly unknotting with every bite.“I’ve been getting calls from Liam,” I said, my voice tired but audible. I didn’t know why I chose now to bring it up; maybe because I finally felt safe enough to say it out loud.Alexander’s hand stilled mid-motion, his chopsticks hovering above the container of scallops. “Liam?” His eyes flicked to mine, sharp. “How long?”I nodded and swallowed. “It’s been a few times now. He says he’s changed and keeps asking to see me.”His brows drew together, and I could see him piecing something together. “He’s been coming to me too and asking to see you.” He paused. “He’s not been released from Ridgewell officially, but this is part of the treatment program; they release so
Abigail I didn’t know where I was going, I just kept driving. One street turned into another and headlights flashed past me in a blur. The city was quietly winding down while something restless stirred in my chest. My fingers were clenched so tight around the steering wheel, they ached. I told myself I would find a hotel. Or maybe I would go to Roxy’s, even though it was too late and she’d worry. But the truth was, I wasn’t thinking clearly at all. I wasn’t thinking at all.I just didn’t want to go home.And somehow, without meaning to, I ended up here. The car rolled to a slow stop in front of the tall, glittering building before I fully realized where I was. I blinked up at it, dazed and slightly breathless, my stomach twisting into an uncomfortable knot. I knew this place; it was the high rise I had met Alexander before we went to Ridgewell to see Liam. The lights shimmered against the glass like stars in a city that forgot what the real ones looked like. But I wasn’t looking at
AbigailAfter work, I found myself walking to the park instead of driving straight home.I told Roxy I’d leave early today, mostly because she looked ready to duct-tape me to my chair if I didn’t. But now that I had, I didn’t know what to do with myself. My body wasn’t worn down enough, and that small sliver of energy still lingering in me made me restless. If I’d had my way, I would’ve stayed in the office till one a.m., working until even my thoughts couldn’t keep up with me anymore. But Roxy had been especially worried lately. So, I’d smiled, packed up, and walked out like someone who had a life waiting for her outside those walls.I didn’t.So, here I was, wandering through the park with my coat still buttoned, my shoes making soft sounds against the path. The air was crisp but not cold, and the faint scent of blooming grass and wet earth filled my lungs. It was peaceful, in a way that made the ache in my chest feel sharper.To my left, I noticed a picnic spread out on a checkered
RoxyAnd yet he always asked as if he had nothing to do with it. As if it wasn’t his driver who opened the door for me, or his expense account that covered the seafood platter I’d been daydreaming about since 3 p.m.I settled in, crossing one leg over the other. What I couldn’t quite wrap my head around what I never could was how a man like Alexander could share even a single drop of blood with someone like Conrad.Conrad Remington, the walking ego. The emotional toddler. Every time I thought about him, it made me want to demand a DNA test on Alexander’s behalf. Maybe they swapped cribs at the hospital. Maybe one of them was adopted. Maybe God just wanted to play a particularly cruel practical joke.Still, why was I thinking about Conrad with what was in front of me?Sitting beside Alexander was one of the most delicious motivations I’d ever had for showing up anywhere on time; Daniel Woods, his secretary. The tall drink of sin I’d been lowkey thirsting over since the first moment I l
RoxyI yawned so hard I swore my jaw cracked. My screen dimmed in front of me, signaling the finality of another day. With a satisfying click, I shut down my computer and sat back in my chair, allowing myself a tiny internal cheer.Done. All of it. Not only had I cleared every task on my to-do list—emails, reports, that ridiculous revision James from Marketing demanded this morning—I had also accomplished the almost-impossible: I’d managed to convince Abigail to leave on time. No 11 p.m. grind, no haunting the office like a lonely ghost with the cleaning crew. She actually packed up and went home like a normal person. That was a victory in itself.I stretched my arms above my head and yawned again, this one longer. All I wanted now was to kick off my heels, boil water for some scandalously sodium rich ramen, and fall asleep in the middle of an episode of Love & Lies: Southside Edition. It was my guilty pleasure, that trashy little reality series with way too many slow motion breakups
AbigailI told myself not to let that reflection haunt me. It was just a slip. I had slept poorly last night and barely remembered to eat breakfast this morning. I was tired, yes. A little thinner? maybe. But I wasn’t broken. I wouldn’t let my own reflection, however unfamiliar it seemed, get to me.By the time I returned to the office, the feelings of listlessness still clung to me like damp clothes, but I pushed through. I had too much to do to afford even a second of moping. The artificial white lights overhead buzzed softly as I walked through the open-plan floor, sandwich bag in hand, ignoring the curious glance Elle shot me from her desk.She didn’t say anything. But the slight furrow in her brow and the tight purse of her lips told me exactly what she was thinking.She didn’t like that the small bag in my hand was far too small for the elaborate meal she had wanted me to return with. I sat down without acknowledging her and unwrapped the sandwich like it was the key to world pe
“You don’t have to stress yourself over me,” I said quietly, watching Elle storm around like a small, angry thundercloud. She spun around sharply, her eyes flashing. Before she could say anything, Roxy stepped forward. Without a word, she pulled her credit card from her pocket and thrust it toward me. “Go get lunch,” she said, her voice firm. “Anything you want. Expensive, greasy, complicated, I don’t care. But when you get back, I better see a substantial charge on that card, or I swear I’ll put you on forced vacation.” I opened my mouth to protest, but Roxy narrowed her eyes at me like a predator eyeing its prey. And Elle looked like she’d physically drag me to the nearest restaurant and force feed me if I dared say no. So I just nodded, accepting the card with quiet obedience, even though I felt like a child being scolded by two very determined mothers. I grabbed my bag and left the office, their combined gazes hot on my back, daring me to come back empty-stomached. As I stepp
AbigailI stared at the list for a few moments longer, letting my thoughts drift. Allan would be the last one I would target for a while. Things were heating up too fast. Conrad was furious with how successful I was; Elle often gossiped about how her old coworkers were walking on eggshells around him, flinching at his temper and avoiding his gaze. And he’d threatened me two more times since that embarrassing outburst in the hallway, his words carrying warning. Ha, all bark, no bite.He didn’t scare me. What did I have to lose? There was a meeting coming up in a few days and something about the way the internal memo had been worded told me there was going to be a vote. I wasn’t totally off guard, I had heard things from the talk making its way around the company. It had to be about that risky new project Conrad proposed a while back. On paper, it looked promising and bold. But the risk was astronomical, and I knew most of the board members were hesitant to sign off on it.This was my