Wife's Bitter Revenge Against Neglectful CEO Husband-Chapter 80: Working It Out

I lined up with the other students at The Red Dragon. Angie put us through our paces as we practiced the form. This one was different from the one from last time. My three-foot companions seemed familiar with it while I struggled.

I didn’t care. Angie let me stay. That was all that mattered.

I focused on keeping tension in my strikes and blocks as I followed through with each step. Again and again, I went through the steps long after my playmates moved on to cooling off before their parents picked them up.

The next class was even younger than the last one. They focused more on stretches and burning off energy. Angie let me stay in the back and practice my form in front of the mirror. Again and again, I pushed my body to cooperate as I forced my mind into numbness.

It worked for short bursts, but King’s betrayal always came back, threatening to choke me in regret. I shouldn’t have pushed, not while King was in that condition. I hoped he was alright. Not enough to turn my phone back on a check-in. That would be asking for overload.

So, I punched at the air. I turned on my heels. I blocked imaginary punches. I attempted kicks with a body too stiff to follow through. In short, I looked like a frog attempting to play a swan.

I turned away from the mirror. When I turned back, Jake was at my side, working through the same form. It was easier with someone to mimic and correct my mistakes on the spot.

Twice more, we repeated the process. At the end, Jake handed me a towel.

"When was the last time you took a break?"

"When I walked in the door."

I started up again.

"Angie said you need a break. You worked through her lunch. You worked through three classes. That’s too much."

I didn’t answer him.

"Why are you punishing yourself?" Jake asked.

It wasn’t punishment. Punishment was doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome.

"He’ll always be like this, won’t he?"

"Teela, you can’t change people unless they want to change."

"What if I’m the one who should change?"

Jake stopped me. He wrapped his body around mine and forced my arms into a resting position by my sides. "Don’t change, Teela. You’re a good person. You have a good heart, an amazing mind, and a sexy body."

He dropped a kiss on the side of my neck.

"If King doesn’t appreciate what he has, I will if you’ll have me."

"You have a wife and kids."

"My wife is one step above a vegetable. She won’t recover. I would have divorced her the second I found out what she did to the boys, but that would have severed my parental rights. I can’t do that.

"As for the boys, single parents manage to date and fall in love all the time."

"I can’t."

I wasn’t sure exactly what I meant I couldn’t do. Well, I knew adultery was out, but it felt like there was more to it. Like I wasn’t sure I could date or love even if we were both free.

Jake must have sensed it, too. "You can. Maybe not today, but when you’re ready.

"In the meantime, let me be here for you. Stop abusing your body. Go shower and change. I’ll take you out for food and drink. Then I’ll take you somewhere safe to sleep."

"What if I can’t sleep?"

"You’ll sleep. I promise."

Jake led me to the ladies’ locker room and gently pushed me inside. It was empty. I managed to undress and enter the shower. It was only then that I realized my muscles were knotted from tension and overuse.

I closed my eyes and let the shower spray do its job. The white noise soothed me, but not enough to stop my mind from replaying the morning like a song on repeat.

I had no business sharing the truth about the Heavenly brothers with the public. That was definitely a breach of trust, and no, it didn’t make it okay because King broke trust first. I may have harmed the cases against Daniel and Lettie by sharing too many details, so there were the legal authorities who may be against me, too. I’d turned off the phone and failed to keep in touch with my important people.

And, like it or not, my behavior probably did lead to Lettie’s collapse. I was taught to value life, not to take on the persona of a viper and lash out at the weak.

I sank down to rest on my haunches. I let the tears mix with the shower water as I counted off my sins. Maybe King had good reason to distrust me. For that matter, my whole identity as one of the top hackers of my generation gave rise to doubts about my honesty and trustworthiness.

I’m not sure how long I beat myself up when Jake came into the shower. He shut off the water and helped me to my feet.

"I knew I’d find you like this," Jake said. "You’re too hard on yourself. Did you even have a childhood?"

"Until I was twelve, then Mom was diagnosed with cancer. I had to grow up fast."

"That’s not long enough. Tomorrow, I’ll take you and Davon roller skating."

"Roller skating?"

"Yeah, it is a good way to burn off some of that toxic energy you are carrying."

I nodded as Jake used my towel to dry me off. He helped me dress, and I let him. I wasn’t even embarrassed. This was Jake. There was no reason to be embarrassed. Whatever existed between us absolved me.

Yeah, I loved this man, too. But once again, not like that. Not like I wanted to push the boundaries.

He walked me out of the locker room and around the dojo practice mat. At the door, we met a tall man with a ponytail and tattoos that peeked out of the top of his T-shirt. I saw vines and what looked like burning heart flowers. The colors were beautiful against his tan skin. I wondered what the full tattoo looked like.

"Hello," the stranger said.

"Hi."

The stranger smiled with his eyes. "Do you come here often?"

"It’s my second visit."

"Well, come again. I’m here practically every day at this time."

"Good to know."

Why couldn’t I take my eyes off him? Why couldn’t I walk away?

It wasn’t that he was good-looking—he was—but I was surrounded by beautiful men most days. Stiff was hands down the most classically attractive. I was surprised he wasn’t called on a daily basis to pose for fashion magazines.

No, it wasn’t just aesthetics. It was about that easy smile and the way his eyes lit up when he spoke, as if he was really seeing me and wanted to know more. It was the corny, trite pick-up line and the way he carried himself as if he was capable of great power but preferred not to use it.

Jake touched my arm and broke me out of my trance. I nodded goodbye at the stranger and continued through the door. I was stepping off the sidewalk onto the parking lot pavement when the stranger poked his head out the door.

"Hey, my name is Alec. I was serious. I’d like to see you again. Please, come by. Maybe leave your boyfriend at home next time." He gave me a dazzling smile and disappeared inside.

"Did that just happen?"

Jake said, "Yeah. I think I’m supposed to be offended."

"Probably."

"But I’m not."

"Yeah, me either." I managed my first smile perhaps in days.

It felt good to have a stranger find me attractive even when I knew I didn’t look or feel my best. And not only attractive but attractive enough to try to pick me up in front of the guy he assumed was my boyfriend.

It was unorthodox and presumptuous, but I didn’t sense any arrogance in Alec’s suggestion. I sensed I could go inside and clarify I was not interested, and he would respect my decision.

But I was interested.

"Teela, we can’t leave until you get in the car."

Only then did I realize I was standing next to the car with my hand on the door handle, but I wasn’t making any attempt to open the door.

I’d said I needed to date if I wanted to find out what I wanted in a man and a relationship. Maybe this was the precursor to that. Maybe actually making contact with at least one person who wasn’t tied up in this Heavenly fiasco would help me break away.

"One second, I’ll be right back."

I darted back inside. Alec was on the floor stretching.

"I’m Teela. I’ll try to be here. Tomorrow, I mean."

That smile. If he could smile like that for me once a day for the rest of my life, I’d be happy.

"I’ll see you tomorrow then."

I gave him an awkward wave and took off while my own smile played on my lips.