Chapter 13
858 Words
The client thanked him, shook his hand, and left once they were done with their session.
Meanwhile, Lucas sat in the quiet of his office for a long time after that. There was a strange feeling in his chest, one he didn’t want to acknowledge, especially after he met with that particular client.
After a while, he picked up his phone and called Katherine again.
It rang four times before going back to voicemail.
“What is going on?” He whispered, ruffling his hair as he set the phone back down.
He had been having the feeling that things weren’t okay between him and Katherine and each day, that feeling grew.
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as various thoughts filled his mind.
***
She still wasn’t at home when he got back that evening
Instead, he met the housekeeper…again. She stood at the kitchen door with the same expression she had when he left the house earlier.
“She has a lot of explaining to do.” He murmured as he climbed the stairs, already loosening his tie.
Behind him, a small smile formed on the housekeeper, Jacintha’s face.
For years she had watched him treat Katherine like an afterthought. Leaving the house whenever he wanted, staying out late, traveling more than necessary, and returning whenever he wanted to get still treated like a king.
It pleased her to see that Katherine had finally woken up after all these years and was finally giving him a taste of his own medicine.
“I prayed for times like this.” She chuckled as she returned to the kitchen to prepare Katherine’s dinner.
Julian changed out of his work clothes, went to the mini bar and grabbed a drink before returning to the living room. He checked his phone to see if she had sent a text or called.
There was nothing.
Sighing, he switched on the TV, barely watching the soccer match that was on the screen.
At half past seven, he heard her car enter the driveway and he reduced the TV volume. The door clicked and she stepped in.
She was fully dressed, like she had been somewhere important.
Her hair was still neat, her clothes put together, the particular look of a person whose day had gone well.
She set her bag down and glanced over him. “Hey,” she said simply, moving toward the kitchen.
Lucas’s nose flared. He couldn’t believe that was all she could say to him after not picking up his calls the whole day and practically neglecting her wifely duties.
“I’ve been calling you.” He said calmly.
"I know. I saw." She opened the fridge and looked inside. "I was busy. I must have left my phone on silent."
"All day?"
"Lucas." She closed the fridge and turned around. "I said I was busy."
He looked at her. "Where were you?"
"With my coach," she said, opening a cabinet.
He waited for more explanation. When it didn’t come he said, “What do you mean, your coach? What do you need a coach for?”
Katherine turned around and leaned against the counter, looking at him with a completely relaxed expression.
"I'm going back to my father's company," she said, her eyes fixed on him. "I've already agreed with him. I start properly next week."
Lucas stared at her, his eyebrows furrowed and his head tilted as confusion filled him. "Your father's company," he repeated.
"Yes."
"Since when?"
"Since I decided to," she said simply. "I went to see my parents and we talked about it. They are happy about it. I'm happy about it." She tilted her head slightly. "I’m sure you are too, right?”
Lucas opened his mouth and closed it again.
There were about fifteen things he wanted to say and not one of them was something he could actually say out loud.
He never wanted her to work. He still felt that way.
She already came from a wealthy family and a lot of people looked down on him because of it, calling him names like a ‘freeloader.’ He had managed to stop her from working, promising to work hard enough for the both of them but his main reason had been to make people stop talking.
Her going back to her father’s company would put her back in the spotlight and he would once again become irrelevant.
"I just didn't know," he said finally. "You didn't mention it."
"I'm mentioning it now," she replied.
Then, she picked up her bag from where she had set it down and headed toward the bedroom, completely unbothered, leaving him standing in the living room with his drink in his hand and the television on behind him.
He stayed there for a long time after she left.
He was starting to get the feeling that he had missed something. That while he had been busy convincing himself everything was fine with his marriage and Katherine was still head over heels for him, she was making decisions…decisions that didn’t include him.
He exhaled and followed her.
The conversation wasn’t over.
- Writer
