Over lunch, I played the doting wife. I placed food on his plate, asked if work had been stressful lately, whether he was getting enough rest.
Ralph looked genuinely moved. He took my hand and squeezed it, his voice thick with affection. "Nobody understands me like you do, babe. Nobody takes care of me the way you do. Having you makes everything feel okay."
Watching that tender, devoted act of his, my stomach turned.
I pretended something had just come to mind and said lightly, "Oh, by the way, someone mentioned a few nice properties to me recently. Great school districts. Should we go take a look?"
Ralph's chopsticks stopped mid-air. His expression darkened several shades. "Look at properties? What's wrong with the place we have now?"
"Well, if we want kids someday, we might need more space." I looked at him, my tone perfectly innocent, as though I were genuinely planning for our future.
His face changed completely. Even his voice went tight. "Kids aren't urgent. We're still in the startup phase. Money's tight. No point throwing it around."
Ha.
Money's tight?
It wasn't tight when he wired Lisa $50,000 for a down payment on a school-district apartment.
It wasn't tight when he took her to the most expensive steakhouse in the city and blew money like it was nothing.
"You're right. We'll wait, then." I nodded meekly, but behind my eyes, everything had gone cold.
That afternoon, I used the restroom as an excuse to take the long way back past the front desk.
I heard Lisa and a coworker chatting and giggling before I even rounded the corner.
"The doctor said the baby's perfectly healthy. Due date's the end of the year."
"Lisa, you're so lucky! Your boyfriend spoils you rotten, buys you an apartment, even helps you fix up your design entries for the competition!" her coworker gushed.
Lisa's voice was dripping with barely concealed pride and sweetness. "He told me once the baby's born, we're getting married. Then we'll be a real family."
Married?
My footsteps halted. A cold smile curled across my lips.
He hadn't even divorced me yet, and he was already promising someone else a wedding?
Just then, Lisa looked up and locked eyes with me without warning. The color drained from her face like water from a cracked glass.
She shot to her feet, her voice trembling. "Mrs. — Mrs. Dickerson…"
I walked over slowly, a warm, harmless smile on my face. "Lisa, isn't it? Pregnant? Congratulations."