Her Anniversary Gift
"Happy Anniversary, Marcus. I brought you a gift, but it seems you’re already busy unwrapping Cynthia." As she stood in the doorway. She had an expensive gift box in her hand. Inside the box was a pair of custom-made cufflinks she had designed for him.
Marcus was busy. He was on the leather sofa with Cynthia Moore, his marketing consultant. They were in a bad position.
Vivienne's husband of three years Marcus Reed froze when he saw her. He was half undressed. His hands were tangled in Cynthia's hair.
Cynthia did not look ashamed all. She sat back. Fixed her silk blouse with a smirk. "Vivienne you are early " she said.
Marcus jumped up. He was trying to fix his belt. "Vivienne, it is not what it looks like " he said. "We were just talking about work."
Vivienne's voice was calm. "I did not know work required you to put your face in her neck, Marcus " she said. She walked into the room. Her heels clicked on the marble floor.
Marcus got angry. "You are being dramatic, " he said. "You are always busy with your tech startup. You are never home. A man has needs, Vivienne."
Vivienne did not cry. She felt a feeling inside her. She looked at Marcus. Saw that he was not the man she thought he was.
"You are right " Vivienne said. She put the gift box on his desk. "I have been busy. I noticed something with our bank account this morning."
Marcus looked scared. "What are you talking about?" he asked.
Vivienne took out her phone. She started typing on it. "I tracked the address. It seems someone has been taking money from our account. It is going to an account in Cynthia's name."
Cynthia stood up. Her face was pale. "You are a person, Vivienne, " she said. "You spied on us."
Vivienne looked at her. "I am the Tech Director of a startup. I do not spy. I just see everything " she said.
Vivienne looked at Marcus. "I just froze those accounts. No one can get the money without me."
Marcus tried to grab her.. Vivienne stepped back. "The codes are my anniversary gift to you Marcus. I will also send you divorce papers tomorrow."
She turned around and walked out. Marcus was shouting behind her.
Two hours later Vivienne was at a bar. It was a bar where rich people go to enjoy themselves.
She did not want to go. Home was a place now. It reminded her of Marcus and his lies.
She ordered a drink. It burned her throat... It did not touch the pain in her chest.
She thought about the three years she spent with Marcus. She gave him her life, her mind and her heart.. He traded it all for a marketing consultant.
A man sat beside her. He had a voice. "You look like you are planning something, " he said.
Vivienne did not look at him. She stared at her drink. "It is a lot of work for a Tuesday, " she said.
The man moved closer. Vivienne felt his power. He had authority.
"Bad night?" he asked.
"Bad life," she corrected, finally turning her head.
"Then change it," the stranger said. "A woman with your eyes shouldn't be sad. She should be burning it down."
Vivienne felt a spark. "What if I already started?" she said.
The man leaned in. "Then you need a drink.. Maybe a distraction."
Vivienne did not know his name.. She did not care. She wanted to forget Marcus.
"I do not want to talk, " she said.
The man touched her lip. It was like a spark. "Then do not talk. Just follow me " he said.
Vivienne took his hand. They left the bar. Got into a car.
Inside the car they did not talk. They just looked at each other.
When they got to a hotel the man pulled her into his arms.
His kiss was strong. Vivienne felt alive. She was not Vivienne the wife or Vivienne the Tech Director. She was a woman.
In the hotel room they lost themselves in each other.
Hours later Vivienne woke up. The man was asleep beside her.
She got dressed and left. She did not look back.
She took off her wedding ring. Left it on the nightstand.
It was a sign that she was finally free.
****
A minute later the man woke up. He reached out to the space beside him.
Dante Sterling sat up. He was surprised. Women usually stayed with him.. This woman was different.
He saw the wedding ring on the nightstand. He picked it up. Turned it over in his hand.
He did not care about the ring. He cared about the woman who had looked at him like he was her hope.
He called a number. "Find out who that woman is " he said.
He looked at the room. He could still smell her perfume.
"Cancel my meetings, " he said. "Today is going to be interesting."
Dante Sterling did not know her name. He had not even seen her face clearly in the dark... Dante Sterling always got what he wanted... Right now Dante Sterling wanted to know why a woman would leave a diamond ring behind like it was nothing.
Across the city Vivienne was already getting into a taxi, she kept her laptop open on her lap. She was deleting the things that reminded her of Marcus Reed from her personal server.
The divorce was the start. She was Vivienne Cross. She was about to show the world and her ex-husband Marcus Reed exactly what Vivienne Cross was capable of as a computer programmer.
As, for the man she met at the bar he was a stranger.. Strangers could not hurt her.
So Vivienne thought.
