6.
1000 Words
“You set me up.”
Regina’s voice cracked, the disbelief slicing through the air sharper than a blade.
She stood there trembling, her breath uneven, her eyes wide like someone who’d just realized she’d been sleeping beside a monster for years. And maybe she had. The humiliation sat thick in her throat, heavy enough to choke her.
The secretary’s smirk widened, slow and venomous, as if she were savoring Regina’s pain like candy.
“Yes,” the woman whispered. “And you fell right into it. Like always.”
Regina’s stomach knotted so tight she nearly bent over. The realization hit her: everyone...the staff, the interns, the managers...everyone had known about the affair. Knew how long it had been going on. Knew what Regina didn’t.
They had watched her walk around smiling like the perfect wife.
Watched her bring lunch to Bret.
Watched her defend him.
Watched her believe in a marriage that was already decomposing.
She was the only fool in a room full of people who had been laughing behind her back.
Her body went cold.
And as if that humiliation wasn’t enough, Bret’s expression twisted into something ugly...tighter, darker...as he looked at her.
He wasn't even f*****g sorry. He was angry. At her.
Angry that she had dared to disrupt the perfect façade he’d built.
Angry the insurance company might dig into the scandal and someone had finally seen behind his mask.
Bret let out a furious hiss, stepped forward...
...and slapped Regina across the face so hard the world tilted.
Her cheek burned. The taste of copper filled her mouth.
Her head snapped to the side, and the gasps around them blurred into static.
Regina froze.
Her hand rose instantly, instinctively...ready to slap him back...
But Bret caught her wrist in a bruising grip.
“DON’T YOU f*****g DARE!” he roared. “Don’t you dare ruin my clients or my reputation any further!”
Regina stared at him, stunned.
Then… she laughed.
A sharp, broken, hysterical laugh spilled out of her, tears streaking down her cheeks. Bret stepped back, startled. He had expected her to whimper. To cry, roll on the floor and beg.
The Regina he knew...the Regina he controlled...was gone.
And the woman in front of him scared him.
For the first time.
Bret’s eyes narrowed, but behind the anger, there was a flicker of confusion.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
Regina’s laugh died into a single bitter exhale.
She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, staring through him like he was something dead and rotting.
Bret tried to steady his ego. He told himself she couldn’t leave him. She had no money...no power....no family except a dying mother.....her skin was flawed.
Her confidence destroyed.
In his mind, Regina was nothing.
A nobody.
And nobodies don’t walk away.
The secretary, noticing all eyes had drifted away from her perfect little victim performance, scowled and stepped forward dramatically. Night was settling over the campsite, and she wanted attention again...wanted to show Regina that Bret belonged to her now.
The manager clapped his hands, trying to regain control of the chaotic atmosphere.
“Alright, everyone, let’s set up the tents. Clients will return in the morning for round two! Move!”
The staff obeyed.
But every single one of them shot Regina a dirty look.
A look that said you’re the problem.
You ruined our salaries.
You’ll make the clients stop working with us.
And then someone muttered under their breath:
“All because she’s too jealous and insecure.”
Another whispered:
“Pathetic wife. No wonder he cheats.”
The words stabbed her in the chest. She felt them physically.
Regina’s throat tightened. She realized in that moment that no one would stand with her.
Not the even the staffs.
Because in this world?
No one chooses the poor, acne-scarred woman.
No one chooses the wife who looks tired and worn out.
Everyone chooses the shiny secretary with the glossy hair and expensive perfume.
It was like watching her value evaporate in real time.
But the secretary wasn’t done.
She wandered over to a rock pile near a lantern...dramatically placing her hand down on a spot Regina immediately recognized as infested with roaches.
The insects scattered.
The secretary shrieked.
“Ah! Bret! Baby...something bit me!” she cried, clutching her hand. A large swollen bump formed instantly.
She did it on purpose.
Of course she did.
She wanted drama. She wanted Bret to fuss over her. She wanted to show Regina...again...that she could make Bret move with a single breath.
And Bret did.
He rushed to her. “Shit...are you okay? Let me see...oh god that’s swollen...”
“Bret,” she whimpered, leaning on him like she couldn’t stand alone. “Take me to a hospital… please…”
He didn’t even look at Regina as he scooped the secretary into his arms again.
Regina watched, jaw trembling, fists clenching at her sides.
And then the secretary twisted in Bret’s arms just enough to mouth something at Regina...just two whispered words, laced with poison:
“Motel. Tonight.”
Regina’s heart dropped.
She wanted Regina to break.
Bret didn’t care. Neither did he say goodbye.
He carried the secretary toward the cars, and the staff followed with murmurs of concern and sympathy...as if Regina wasn’t even there.
As if she was already dead.
Regina stared after them, her chest twisting violently, her breath shaking.
He’s leaving me. In the woods alone. With strangers....staffs
He left her like she was trash.
Like she was luggage he didn’t need tonight.
Like she didn’t matter.
She swallowed hard, blinking fast to keep the tears from falling. The staff continued setting up tents, ignoring her completely.
One man walked past her and muttered:
“God. She’s pathetic.”
Another woman said:
“If my husband cheated, I’d at least cheat back. Not this f*****g crying nonsense.”
Someone laughed. Regina glared at them, her eyes reddened. She didn’t say a word.
- Writer
