Mocked My s*x‑Addiction Recovery Therapist Job? I Divorced, He Can’t Reach Me

Chapter 2

My face burned as I struggled to find an answer. Then Mike's worried voice came through again. "Bella, are you all right? Do you need me to do anything? I can call the police or emergency services."

I blinked and finally noticed that my phone's camera had somehow flipped.

His screen was completely black. He couldn't see anything on my end.

I breathed a silent sigh of relief, switched the camera off, and cleared my throat, pretending nothing had happened. "No, I'm fine. I accidentally dropped my phone on the floor. What did you need, Mike?"

Mike relaxed. "There's an anniversary gala tonight. I'd like you to attend as my date. I'm worried I may have an episode, and if you're there, you'll be able to deal with it immediately. In return, I'll triple this month's treatment fee and pay you another 15,000 dollars for working tonight."

This kind of extra care fell outside the scope of my job, and I was free to refuse. But Mike's offer was simply too generous.

Triple my regular fee, plus 15,000 dollars in overtime, meant I would take home 60,000 dollars this month.

My daughter could finally attend the international summer camp she had always wanted to join but that we had never been able to afford.

"All right."

I accepted. Mike and I agreed to meet that afternoon at an upscale mall downtown.

Since he was the one asking for my help, he insisted on paying for the gown.

I arrived at the mall at 1 p.m.

To avoid wasting Mike's time, I went into a formal wear boutique to look for something suitable. I never expected to see Robert there.

I froze, thinking I must have been mistaken.

Before noon, I had called to ask if he wanted to come home for lunch. He had cut me off impatiently, saying he was busy and ordering me not to disturb him unless it was important.

As his wife, I understood the exhaustion and irritability that came with a heavy workload. Naturally, I hadn't blamed him for what he said.

I was about to go over and tell him I would be attending the gala with Mike when Robert, who had been standing outside a fitting room, suddenly moved.

As I wondered what he was doing, a sweet, coquettish voice came from inside. "Honey, I can't get the zipper up in back. Come in and help me."

Honey?

Was she talking to Robert?

But I was Robert's wife.

Just as I began to think I had misunderstood, Robert answered and entered the fitting room. "Coming, sweetheart."

His back was to me, so I couldn't see his expression. But his voice was relaxed and happy, and that endearment was dripping with affection.

The shock hit me like a bucket of ice water. My ears rang, and I didn't even notice Mike approach from behind. With heavy steps, I walked toward the fitting room, determined to ask Robert what was going on.

A woman's breathy moan drifted through the door. "Mmm! Honey, have you really decided to take me to the gala tonight instead of that wife you keep at home? What if she finds out and makes a scene?"

So there was no misunderstanding.

Robert really was cheating on me, and the woman knew perfectly well that he was married.

Robert's low, sensual voice answered, "Why would I take her? So she can embarrass me?"

After sleeping beside him for 16 years, I immediately recognized the raw desire in his voice.

His words came out slightly muffled because his face was buried against the woman's breasts.

"My general manager said the mysterious founder of the Axis Group will appear tonight. If I make a good impression on him, I might get promoted.

"Bringing Bella would make me look bad and ruin my prospects. You're young, gorgeous, and have a great body. She's 35. She's getting older, her figure is going downhill, and her job is nothing to brag about."

Resentment thickened his voice. "Calling her a celebrity recovery specialist makes her sound respectable. In reality, she's just a high-priced w***e who helps people satisfy their physical needs."

My entire body locked up. Never in my life had I imagined hearing my husband call me a high-priced w***e.

Admittedly, 's*x addiction recovery specialist' could sound questionable and make people think of p*********y. But physical desire was part of human nature. It shouldn't be avoided, nor should it be stigmatized. It needed responsible guidance.

In my 13 years in the profession, I had helped thousands of patients recover—teenagers as well as middle-aged men and women.

Most importantly, I had never once crossed a professional line. Not once.

Robert had known what I did before we ever got together.

Back then, he had told me, "It's sacred work. You guide people who have lost their way back onto the right path. You're doing something wonderful."

Now that sacred work had become the work of a high-priced w***e.

It was an unforgivable insult.

And he was wrong about my figure. It hadn't gone downhill at all.

As a responsible, accomplished recovery specialist, I exercised every day and kept my body healthy and strong. I projected confidence, professionalism, and integrity.

The woman seemed pleased by Robert's slander. She let out a coy little hum and asked, "So when are you going to divorce her? I can wait, but the baby's already 8 months along. If we wait much longer, he'll be born out of wedlock..."

An explosion went off in my head, and my vision darkened.

A baby...

Robert hadn't merely betrayed our love. He had betrayed our family and fathered a child with another woman.

Rage stripped away my reason. I moved to wrench open the fitting-room door and expose the filthy affair then and there, but someone caught my wrist and pulled me behind a nearby wall.

"Don't do anything rash." A calm, gentle voice sounded above me, accompanied by Mike's crisp, clean scent. His black velvet suit made him look even taller and more striking.

He met my gaze, his expression solemn. "I can help you."

My chest heaved with anger. "How?"

This was a marriage.

I couldn't and wouldn't retaliate against a cheating husband by cheating myself.

That wouldn't be revenge. It would be degrading myself.

Mike seemed to read my thoughts and sighed. "I mean I'll help him understand that there is nothing shameful about you or your work. The problem is his prejudice. Besides, I'm the founder of the Axis Group, the man he's so desperate to impress."