I clenched my jaw, my fingers trembling as I read her texts. I did have a cleaning service, but that was just a cover. No one knew that I was their strategist. She sent photos next—a messy room littered with contraceptive wrappers, torn lingerie scattered across the floor.
The sight made my stomach churn. Pain stabbed at my heart, but I forced myself to stay calm. I couldn’t let her provoke me. With shaking hands, I exported the surveillance footage. My nails dug into my palms as I gripped the USB drive, trying to ground myself.
Just then, Gale called me. His deep, honeyed voice resonated in my ears, soft and familiar.
“Baby, I’m on my way home. Be there in a minute.”
His words would’ve once melted me, but now they brought only nausea. My mind replayed his voice calling Flossie vile, degrading names while telling her to get down on him.
The memory made me gag and I couldn’t hold it back. I barely made it to the sink before retching, my body trembling uncontrollably.
I heard Gale calling me. He sounded worried and said he’d speed up his drive. True to his word, he arrived within minutes, just after I’d removed the USB from my computer.