I Married the Man Above My Ex

ChapterTwo

Nearly an hour later, Kathy parked outside her apartment building. She sat inside the car for another minute. She didn't want to go upstairs.

The apartment was filled with pieces of Lucian. Books he'd forgotten. A coffee mug he'd claimed as his. A hoodie he'd insisted on leaving because—

"It already smells like you anyway." She laughed bitterly.

Funny. She wondered if it smelled like Easton too.

Kathy grabbed her handbag and forced herself out of the car. She unlocked the apartment door. The lights were on. Her best friend, Olive, was in. She had a spare key.

"Kat?" Olive's voice drifted from the kitchen. "I'm starving, so I started eating the snacks you bought for lover boy. I hope that's okay because—"

She walked into the living room. Stopped. Her expression changed instantly when she saw how depressing Kathy looked.

"...Kat?"

Olive hurried toward her. "What happened?"

Kathy tried to answer. Nothing came out. Olive looked at her makeup, ruined and smudged by tears and her own face hardened.

Olive folded her arms. "Who made you cry?”

Kathy lowered her head. The silence answered before she did.

Olive's expression changed. "...Lucian?"

Kathy nodded once. Olive blinked in surprise. Then blinked again. "No." She shook her head. "No." "Don't tell me."

Kathy's lips trembled. "He..."

She couldn't finish. Olive stared at her. Then her eyes widened. "Oh, don't tell me that i***t cheated."

Kathy closed her eyes. Olive inhaled sharply. "He cheated?"

A tear rolled down Kathy's cheek. Olive threw both hands into the air. "I knew it!"

Kathy looked up in surprise. "You... knew?"

"I didn't know, know." Olive began pacing the living room. "I just never trusted a man who moisturized his beard more than his girlfriend."

Olive walked over and cupped Kathy's face.

"He..." Kathy whispered. "He wasn't with another woman."

Olive frowned. "What do you mean?"

Kathy swallowed. "He was with Easton."

For a full three seconds, Olive simply stared. “His best friend, Easton?"

Kathy nodded. Olive's jaw slowly dropped. Her eyes grew as wide as saucers.

"I..." She looked around the room as though expecting hidden cameras. "I need a chair." She sat down heavily. "No."

She looked at Kathy again. "No."

"They're together."

Olive covered her mouth. "You're joking."

"I wish I was. They've been together..." Kathy's voice cracked. "...for three years."

Olive's eyes widened. "What?"

"He told me."

"Three years?"

Kathy nodded. "We've been together for four."

Silence settled over the apartment. Olive slowly leaned back. "Wow." Another pause. Then—

"Wow." She suddenly stood. "No."

She grabbed her handbag from the couch. Kathy frowned. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going."

"Where?"

"To prison."

"What?"

"I'm about to commit a crime." She marched toward the door. "I'm going to find Lucian."

"Olive..."

"No, hear me out." She held up a finger. "One punch. That's all. One solid punch. You'll have to bail me out, but it'll be worth it."

Despite everything, Kathy laughed. A real laugh this time. It was tiny and broken, but real.

Olive spun around dramatically. "See?"

"What?"

"He's not taking your laugh too."

The smile disappeared from Kathy's face almost as quickly as it had come. "It hurts."

"I know."

"I don't understand. I gave him everything.”

Olive walked back and sat beside her. “I know. I never liked the way he made you shrink yourself."

Kathy looked up.

"But this..." Olive shook her head. "I never imagined he was capable of something this cruel.”

Kathy stared blankly at the floor. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to do now."

Olive looked around the apartment. Her eyes landed on Kathy's desk. Two monitors. A mechanical keyboard. Programming books stacked neatly beside a laptop. Sticky notes covered one wall. Algorithms. Ideas.

Olive stood. Without saying a word, she walked over to the desk. She picked up a framed certificate. "Remember this?"

Kathy looked up. It was from a national software competition. First Place. She had won it in her final year at university.

"You mentor junior programmers online under some ridiculously nerdy username."

Kathy almost smiled. "It wasn't ridiculous."

"'CodeQueen_01?'"

"It was just available."

Olive laughed. "My point is..." She crouched in front of Kathy. "Who are you?"

Kathy frowned. "What?"

"Who are you?"

"I..."

"No," Olive shook her head. "Don't tell me you're Lucian's ex. Don't tell me you're Margaret's almost daughter-in-law." She tapped Kathy lightly on the chest. "Who are you?"

Kathy looked away. "I don't know anymore."

Olive smiled sadly. "I do."

She reached across the desk and opened Kathy's laptop. The screen lit up. Almost immediately, a bookmarked webpage appeared.

ECHELON TECHNOLOGIES Graduate & Experienced Talent Recruitment. For years, Echelon Technologies had been the company every tech engineer wanted on their résumé.

Olive looked back at Kathy. "You've always admired this company.”

"It doesn't matter."

"Why not?"

“They'll never make me another offer. I have already turned them down three times."

Kathy had admired Echelon for years. She followed its CEO, Andre Reid, on every platform, rarely missing a keynote or product launch. She often left thoughtful comments beneath his engineering posts—not because she expected him to notice, but because she genuinely admired the work.

Olive stared at her as if she'd just spoken another language. "I'm sorry..." She leaned closer. "Did you hit your head on the way here?"

Kathy frowned. "What?"

"You think the woman who practically carried Hayes Tech on her back isn't good enough for Echelon?”

Kathy looked away. "I turned them down three times, Olive. Why would they come back for a fourth?"

Olive snorted. "Because companies like Echelon don't chase mediocre engineers three times, Kat.”

Kathy shrugged weakly. "Lucian said staying with Hayes was the smarter choice."

Olive rolled her eyes so dramatically Kathy thought they might disappear.

"And the i***t also thought cheating on you with his best friend after everything you've done for him was a smart choice."

"Fair."

She pushed the laptop toward Kathy. "Apply. This is how you start getting your life back."

Kathy hesitated. "My portfolio isn't updated."

"So update it."

"My résumé..." Kathy protested again.

"So update it." Olive answered.

"My GitHub..."

"So update it, Kathy."

Kathy looked at the screen for a long moment. Then… For the first time since walking into Lucian's apartment...

She straightened her shoulders. She opened her résumé. Deleted Hayes Tech's outdated description.

Added projects she had quietly built over the years. Updated her portfolio.

Linked her latest repositories. Nearly forty minutes passed. Finally...

Her fingers hovered over the blue button: Submit Application. Kathy took one slow breath. Then she clicked. For a heartbeat… Nothing happened. Then the screen refreshed and displayed: Application received.

Thank you for applying to Echelon Technologies. Your application has been successfully submitted.

Olive leaned over to read the screen. Kathy shook her head, smiling faintly. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Oh, you'd survive."

Olive stood and stretched. "You'd just be significantly less entertaining."

Kathy rolled her eyes. "You think you're hilarious."

"I know I am."

Olive looked down. Kathy's engagement ring was still on her finger. Olive slid the ring from Kathy's finger. She opened a drawer, dropped it inside, and shut it firmly.

"If you ever want to pawn it, sell it, or mail it back to him, you can." She met Kathy's eyes. "But you're not wearing it for another minute.”

They shared a brief laugh.

Olive looked around the apartment. “We're leaving.”

"What?" Kathy asked. "I just got home."

"And you've cried enough for one day."

"I'm really not in the mood."

"Exactly. You're not spending another second mourning that i***t. You're coming with me.

"Olive..."

"One drink."

"I'm tired."

"One drink."

"I look awful."

Olive looked her up and down. "You do."

Kathy glared at her. "But that's what concealer was invented for."

"You are unbelievable."

Olive pointed toward the hallway. "Go wash your face."

"I don't—"

"Kat."

There was a firmness in Olive's voice that left little room for argument. "You've spent the entire day letting people make choices for you."

Kathy looked at her for a long moment.

Then, without another word, she walked toward her bedroom.

Twenty minutes later, Kathy and Olive stepped out of the apartment building. The cool night air brushed against Kathy's skin.

"Where are we going?"

"The Grand Meridian."

Kathy raised an eyebrow. "The hotel?"

"They have the best lounge in the city."

"And ridiculously overpriced drinks."

"So?"

"So we're ordering the cheapest thing on the menu."

Olive laughed. "We are absolutely not."

Just as they approached the hotel, Olive's phone rang through the car speakers. She frowned at the screen. It was her boyfriend. "Daniel?"

She answered. "Hey, babe."

A pause. "What do you mean you locked yourself out?" Another pause. "The presentation is on your laptop?"

She sighed. "No, don't panic. I'll come."

She ended the call and rested her forehead briefly against the steering wheel. “Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

Kathy smiled. "What happened?"

"He left his apartment keys inside. And he has a presentation tomorrow morning.” She groaned dramatically. "I swear that man would lose his own head if it wasn't attached."

"You should go."

Olive immediately shook her head. "I'm not leaving you."

"I'll be okay."

"You've said that before."

"I'm serious."

Olive searched her face. "You promise?"

"I promise."

"You won't drunk—text Lucian?"

"I'd rather text a mosquito."

Olive laughed. "Good answer."

She reached across the console and squeezed Kathy's hand. "If anything feels wrong..."

"I'll call."

"If you need me..."

"I'll call."

Olive smiled before pulling the car to a stop outside the hotel. "I'll be back in an hour."

"You don't have to rush."

"I know."

She leaned over and hugged Kathy tightly. "I'm proud of you."

Kathy blinked. "For what?"

"For choosing yourself."

The words stayed with Kathy long after Olive drove away. She stood outside the hotel for several moments.

She slipped onto an empty stool at the bar. The bartender approached with a polite smile. "What can I get you?"

Kathy stared at the shelves behind him. "Whiskey."

"Single?"

She thought about Lucian. About Margaret. About four years that suddenly felt wasted. "Double."

The amber liquid burned all the way down. She welcomed it. A second glass followed. Then a third. The ache inside her chest remained stubbornly intact.

She pushed the empty glass toward the bartender. "Another," she demanded.

The bartender reached for the whiskey bottle.

"Don't."

The voice was calm. Deep. It sounded like someone used to being obeyed.

The bartender's hand stopped immediately. Kathy frowned and slowly turned toward where the voice came from.