Chapter 2: The black escalade

The arrival of a black escalade in his front yard drew Drew's attention to the window. He was currently on the phone speaking to someone but had to end the call. He watched from the window as his wife came out from the house wearing the same dress she had on the day he brought her into his home.

When they met, his wife had nothing. They met inside a convenience store. The owner accused her of trying to steal from him because the young woman had been unable to pay for the goods she purchased. It turned out that her wallet had been stolen, but the owner didn't believe her.

After watching the whole thing from the background and seeing how pitiful the brunette was, he decided to intervene. He paid for her stuff and his, which started their relationship.

They went out for coffee a few times before he formally asked her to be his girlfriend. The blonde had told him she was an orphan with no family, which made him pity her even more and want to take care of her.

A few months into their relationship, he proposed to her when he was locked out of his dream job. He believed the brunette was his lucky charm, so he got the job. Before he met her, he had been rejected repeatedly, and then, out of the blue, he landed an advertising job.

Over the years, he has risen in rank and is now the creative director. Though his career advanced, his marriage, on the other hand, went in the opposite direction. He can't pinpoint the exact time when things changed, but suddenly, he started to taste the sight of his wife. He felt inside him that she wasn't up to the standard of the woman a guy of his status should have as a wife.

Slowly, he stopped taking her to work functions, and then it was going out to dinners. He started to stay out late, and then the affair started. He had not meant to cheat, but his secretary was hotter and classier than his wife. He felt proud having a gorgeous young woman like her in his arms, and then he felt like having his wife on his wife. And that is not to say that his wife wasn't beautiful. She was, but her looks were more reserved than his secretary's flashy, classy appearance.

He had been cautious with things his wife never knew about. Now, he finally summoned the courage to end things. Funny enough, now that it looks like things will end, he is beginning to have doubts.

His attention returned to the window, and his fist tightened around his phone when he saw his wife run into the arms of another man.

Kathleen had called her personal assistant and best friend, Joe, to come and pick her up. She had grown up with Joe. Her father had brought him home to keep her company and also serve as her body guard. They had formed an unbreakable bond that transversed that of employer and employee. Joe was family and one of the most important people in her life.

They haven't seen each other for years now because she had asked him to stay away to maintain her charade here. Now that it is over, she can't wait to return to who she used to be.

Her eyes misted as she hugged her assistant. His masculine scent made her feel like she was home.

Joe was only too happy to hold the blonde in his arms. She hadn't gone into details about what transpired between her and her husband; she had only said to come and pick her up. For years, he had waited to receive this call, and as the years flew by, he had thought the call would never come.

He held her until she was ready to be released and then laid her by the waist to the car. He opened the car and helped her in and then moved to the driver's side and joined her.

"Where to, princess?" It was his pet name for her. He started calling her that when they were young, but then he only called her that because the blonde acted like a spoilt rich brat, which she was. Now, it is an affectionate name for a woman who is so dear to him.

Kathleen was glad Joe wasn't pushing her to find out what was wrong. Her dark friend knew her too well and knew that she wasn't ready to talk yet. "Take me to your house," she said.

His chocolate brown eyes looked at her in shock. "My house? Are you sure?" Joe had thought the heiress would want to go back to her father's mansion. She hasn't been there in years, and even though the old man doesn't say it, he must have missed his daughter so much.

Kathleen nodded. "I am not yet ready to face Daddy," she muttered. Then she drew her body down on the seat and relaxed, with her arms across her chest and her head resting on the chair. She was not looking forward to her father telling her, "I told you so."

The sadness in her voice struck a chord in Joe's heart, and he wondered again what had happened. He had believed his blonde friend was happy in her marriage—at least that was how she sounded every time they spoke.

"Okay," he accepted and then drove off.

Drew continued to watch from the window until the taillights disappeared.

Who is he? He asked himself as he walked away from the window. Since he married his wife, she never introduced him to anyone, not even friends.

His phone started ringing. He looked down at the screen and then pressed the end button. He was not in the mood to speak to anyone at the moment. His mind was still stuck on the man who had driven away with his wife.

The dark-skinned man was gorgeous. He had the facial features of a model and a trim, muscular build that looked so good in the formal suit he was wearing.

Once he entered his bed room, he noticed something. Everything he bought Kathleen was still where it used to be. He frowned, wondering why she hadn't taken it. He went to the closet they shared and found the same thing. It was as if his wife hadn't left.

He wasn't sure what Kathleen was playing at, but he was too tired to figure anything out. Tomorrow, when she comes to the office to sign the divorce papers, he will ask her to go and remove her things.

Joe, for the first time, welcomed the blonde into his home. He had a penthouse he was renting. Working for Baldwin's was rewarding. He gets paid well.

"Welcome to my humble abode, my lady," Joe bowed from his waist, causing Kathleen to laugh. "Humble my foot," Kathleen rolled her eyes as she walked into the lavish penthouse. Her friend's impeccable taste was displayed everywhere around the house.

It was a beautiful and neat home.

"That is better," Joe mumbled to himself, enjoying hearing the blonde's musical laughter once again.