Chapter 16
Third Person
Feeling as though she had been tarred and feathered, Sadie barreled towards her car with her friend, Agatha, in tow after being ousted from the store like a criminal. Never once had she felt so publicly humiliated, and what was worse, the reason she suffered such abuse was on account of Jeffrey’s wife. But it didn’t stop there; no, to add insult to injury, Leon decided to announce in front of everyone that she had been banned, and for someone of her stature, the term banned was not one she was accustomed to hearing.
“UGH!” Sadie screamed after entering the backseat, closing the door with such force it rocked the entire car. Agatha cautiously slipped in from the other side, at a loss for words and clueless on how to proceed because she was no actual friend of Sadie’s. Agatha wasn’t poor per se, but she wasn’t well off enough to be a trust fund baby and part of the Gentry Club in New York the way Sadie was, and the only reason Agatha associated with her was because of her status and money.
“Who was that woman? You seemed to know her?” Agatha carefully asked while gauging Sadie’s response.
“Someone who is unimportant but thinks she is.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“Care to shut your fucking mouth!?” Sadie snapped. Agatha immediately sat back and kept mum, for she knew better than to stir the pot at a time like this. Sadie rolled her eyes and huffed in annoyance before she instructed her driver to drop off Agatha at her place so she could visit Jeffrey at his office. Normally, Jeffrey would be furious if Sadie appeared unannounced during work hours and had strictly prohibited it because he was terrified of the consequences. They could not afford to be seen by the wrong people, for it would blow the cover on their affair with a whirlwind of hell to pay. It was late in the day, and the offices were mostly empty by the time she arrived, so rather than checking in with the receptionist, Sadie barged straight into Jeffrey’s office, startling him as she did so.
“Sadie, what the hell are you doing here?” he gritted his teeth as he quickly scanned the hallway to ensure no one was there to see their exchange.
“What are you doing?” she asked as she witnessed this abnormal behavior.
“Making sure you weren’t followed and that no one is here. Are you out of your mind, coming here at this hour?” Jeffrey scolded Sadie, who was unable to withstand his harsh reaction. The moment he noticed the tears glistening in Sadie’s eyes, his stern façade dissolved and was replaced with concern as he gently grabbed her shoulders. “Hey, what’s wrong? Why are you so upset?”
“Your wife humiliated me in public!”
“Again? What happened? Where did this occur?”
“At a boutique at the mall. I wanted to buy some rare clothing items that only came in my size. But that stupid ex of mine was there and stole all of my thunder. I was ignored and treated like a commoner, but the worst part of it all? He had me banished from the store right after our divorce!”
“I thought you said that Annika humiliated you. Why are you bringing Leon into this?” Jeffrey asked, needing more context.
“SHE AND THAT STUPID DOCTOR OF MINE WERE HIS SPECIAL GUESTS! HE KICKED ME OUT FOR THEM!” Sadie fumed with anger and embarrassment as she stomped her feet.
“What? How would Annika and Leon even know each other?” Jeffrey’s confusion, coupled with his immense curiosity, grew by the second.
“Remember when I said your wife humiliated me last time?” she began to explain, and Jeffrey nodded in response. “Well, it happened when I went to the doctor for an annual check-up. I know you don’t want me anywhere near Annika right now, but she doesn’t know about me either way. Land and Mall is the best family practice in the city; you even said so yourself. So, I figured I could go there to keep an eye on her while getting medical care.”
“Sadie, that’s so reckless of you. Annika is already suspicious enough as it is!”
“But she doesn’t know me or what I look like! Even if she does suspect you’re having an affair, you said so yourself that she can’t prove it either way. So, why does it matter? And besides, I said I was seeing her friend as my doctor, not her. I’m not that careless.”
“Okay. Fine. What happened that day?”
“Leon was there too, and I just so happened to cross paths with him as he was leaving. I speculated that he was there to follow me, but he told me he was there for a doctor’s appointment. When I accused him of stalking me, that’s when your wife intervened on his behalf, so I’m guessing that’s how they know each other.”
“I see. Well, that makes sense in a way, but didn’t you say that Leon usually has his own private doctor?” he asked, still trying to grasp the situation at hand. Is Annika stepping out on me with Sadie’s ex? Jeffrey thought to himself. He had never considered the possibility of Annika cheating on him, and although he wanted to feign indifference, the sudden thought caused a sharp pang in his heart.
“He does. That’s why running into Leon at Land and Mall didn’t make sense. But seeing as how he seems buddy-buddy with your wife and Dr. Malloy, there might be more to it. Leon is a picky-ass person; he doesn’t associate himself with just anyone. Either he has feelings for your wife, which I wouldn’t even be able to understand, or they’re sleeping together.” Hearing those words come out of Sadie’s mouth made Jeffrey’s heart leap into his throat. I don’t care. I’m going to divorce her anyway, Jeffrey reasoned inwardly. However, the notion of his beloved wife of seven years suddenly being in bed with another was a dagger in his heart and instilled fear within him. Was this retribution for stepping out on Annika? “Jeff!” Sadie shouted, snapping him out of his thoughts.
“Huh? What?”
“Did you not hear a word I just said?!”
“Sorry, no. I got sidetracked while thinking about a case I was reading over earlier. What did you say, baby?”
“I said if they are actually fucking each other, you can use that against her!” Hearing those words again made Jeffrey’s heart clench as though he were suffering from angina pectoris, but he couldn’t deny that Sadie had a valid point.
“You think we can prove that she’s been having an affair?” he asked hesitantly.
“Sure. Your wife may be a doctor but being caught with Leon today wasn’t very smart, and to be honest, everything that happened today felt like some huge setup. Leon has already been labeled a cheater, so maybe we can make your wife out to be his mistress that he cheated on me with. That would only solidify my closed case with him and allow you to divorce Annika while suing her for everything she’s got—the penthouse, the practice, everything you want. Cheating should be something you guys came up with in your prenup, right?”
“We don’t have a prenup.” Sadie looked aghast when she heard his reply because, in her mind, it was inconceivable that Jeffrey and Annika did not have a prenuptial agreement in place.
“But you’re … you’re the D.A., baby. Why wouldn’t you come up with one when you guys got married?”
“Angel, the two of us have been married for over seven years. Been together for well over 11 years. We met in high school and got married at 19, and neither one of us had money at that time, so there was no reason to sign a prenup.”