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Chapter 0009
Chapter 0009
Wait, what did she say? “He…what? He was cheating on me with her?”
Mom and dad exchanged wide-eyed glances. “I’ve already said too much,” she said, then stood and went into the kitchen, pretending to search for something. I followed her.
“How long did you know about this?” I asked. No answer. I turned back to dad. “Dad? How long?”
Dad let out a sigh and finally set the paper on the table. “No sense hiding it now I suppose. It’s been going on for about a year now. We caught them outside together late one night and they confessed everything.”
A year?? How was I so blind to this for a whole year? “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Oh stop, it was for your own good,” mom slammed a cabinet shut. “You’re welcome for that, by the way.”
“Oh yes, I’m sorry. Thank you. You’ll be receiving your mother of the year award in the mail any day now,” I angrily snapped.
“That mouth of yours does not help you in the relationship department either,” she said.
I stormed back into the living room to grab the purse I had dropped. The happy couple was still cuddling on the couch.
“Hey Nat, mom told me you were upset that I hadn’t congratulated you or anything on your engagement. Well here, I got you something to make up for it.”
They perked up and looked at me, confused. I stuck my hand in my purse and pulled it out, with just my middle finger sticking up.
“Cute Hazel,” Natalie rolled her eyes. “Real mature.”
I turned on my heels and bounded up the stairs to my bedroom, slamming the door shut behind me. A gift for my parents, I knew how much they hated that.
Now that no one could see me, I let the tears that I had been holding back fall down my face. I laid face down on my bed and buried my face into my pillow, crying as hard and quietly as I could. I knew I wasn’t my parents’ favorite child, but how could they let Natalie do that to me? How could they let Chance? If they had even a shred of empathy among them they kept it well hidden from me. Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
As soon as I was all out of tears I sat up and dug my phone out of my purse. I opened my text message thread that I had with Maria.
“I have got to get out of this house,” I text her.
A moment later she responded: “Uh oh…what happened now?”
“I don’t want to get into it, I just…I need this executive assistant job, I need that money so I can afford my own place,” I sent back.
“Oh, you know what? I just heard about this new apartment complex where single people can apply for a discounted rate. They’re not the best apartments, but you’ll at least have your own place,” she wrote.
“OH MY GOD. Send me the link immediately,” I wrote as fast as I could and pushed send.
She laugh reacted and sent me a link. I clicked on it and navigated to the “How to Apply” page.
“Maria you son of a bitch,” I said to myself, smiling. “You are a lifesaver.”
The following morning I walked into work and immediately felt something was off. Normally there was a buzz of small talk and people hustling here and there. Today was eerily still and quiet. People mostly stood in place, whispering to each other. I set my stuff on my desk and looked over at Maria across the room.
“What’s going on?” I mouthed to her.
She frantically waved me over to her. I sped walked to her.
“Word around the water cooler is someone messed up big time,” she whispered. “They’re talking about firing someone over it.”
“Oh wow. Who?”
Maria gulped. “You.”