Chapter 6

CHAPTER6

Well, what do you know? After a month and some days of running around behind everyone’s back fucking like bunnies, the line turned blue. Did I forget to mention that at about the same time, I was forgetting to take my pills, which I had no need for after the divorce anyway, I was going hard on the folic acid?

I didn’t say anything, of course, because it was early days yet and I wanted two things before I breathed a word. A doctor’s confirmation and to be further along. The way the crazy runs in my life, I don’t want any unforeseen accidents.

I’ll have to check my playbook to brush up on this part of the game. There was a lot to navigate going forward, so I had to prepare. The first thing I did was cut Justin off cold turkey. He was fit to be tied and was having a conniption over my imaginary boyfriend.

I, of course, let him tire himself out because the more time he spent riding my ass, the less time he had for the nut who had taken to running her mouth off on social media and making an ass of herself.

As suspected, she saw my Sunday family dinner post and lost her damn mind. She went ahead and made her own post about old washed-up bitches trying to steal her man. I shared that shit for a good laugh because why the hell not. I’d already got what I wanted, so there wasn’t a damn thing either she or he could do.

I bet it burned her ass the way I shared it because even her friends were throwing shade at her because of the reminder that she was, in fact, the one who had cheated with my husband and was now on social media, crying about me trying to take him back. Now, remember, I said I’m messy. With my new pregnancy under my belt, I decided to stir the pot just a little bit.

I still have friends at Justin’s place of business, people who were in and out of my house for BBQs and cocktail parties over the years, so I took to showing up there unannounced just to say hello like I did in the old days.

Of course, I just had to see him in his office to discuss things about the kids. He was so thirsty since I cut him off that he didn’t seem to notice the embers that were starting to blaze right beneath his nose. Either that, or he didn’t care.

Daisy Dukes was like to swallow her whole damn esophagus every time she saw me enter the building, but she knew better than to follow me into his office, though I became aware the second time I went there that she liked to listen in at closed doors.

Justin never mentioned the problems I was sure they were having to me and he seemed more and more annoyed whenever he wasn’t with me and the kids. He was up to making any excuse in the book to find his ass in my house.

I went back to our strict custody guidelines, barely acknowledging him these last few weeks when he came for pickup, but today, I had something else up my sleeve when I went to his office carrying a suitcase with the clothes he’d left at my place. “What’s all this? Are we going on a trip?” His eyes lit up like he actually thought that was a possibility.

“These are the clothes and things you’ve been leaving at my house. I don’t think you should just drop by anymore and I wasn’t sure if there was anything in here that you needed.” You know, kind of like what you did when you upended my life without any kind of warning. Just packed my life, the life we’d shared for ten years, into a neat little pile of trash so you could move on to the next thing.

“I don’t understand, what happened? Why did you switch off just like that?” You divorced me, you ass. Did I get to have a say in that? I don’t recall asking you shit about why you were cheating on me. Did you give me a chance to fight for us? No, you did not. Stew in your own juices, you wretch. My inner bitch was roaring, but I had to put her on pause because the game was only just beginning. It was nowhere near time to show my hand. My ass, yes, but not my hand.

“I know you’re mad at me, but there is a reason for my actions. I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want to be accused of causing problems.” I bit my lip the way I know he remembers me doing whenever I was unsettled about something.

“What’re you talking about? What problems?”

I pretended to think it over as if the words weren’t dying to roll off my tongue. “The day before I called things to a halt, I ran into your girlfriend in town.”

“She did something to you? Wait, I don’t have a girlfriend.” Oh, this is glorious.

He came from around his desk, face full of concern. Don’t you see that bitch still breathing? What could she have possibly done to me that I’d let her live? Or walk again? Hasn’t she done enough? Keep your shit together, Callie.

It took some doing, but I kept my face neutral, but it was hard. Thoughts of filleting that bitch always give me a girl boner. It’s one of the simple things in life that I find joy in. That and imagining her as roadkill after I ran her over with my truck, which I had yet to buy.

“Well, she kind of threatened me, said she knew I was using the kids to get you back, got all in my face. I don’t want to cause any problems. As a woman, I know how it feels to be in that position.” And I’m going to drown the bitch in the same misery.

I could feel her outside the door, dying to come in and defend herself. Too bad for her HR was just looking for any excuse to get rid of her. There’s no policy on the books that forbids them from dating or even cheating, but like I said, I have friends here.

“So, you see, I didn’t want to make waves. That’s why I think we need to stop. You loved her enough to destroy our family, so I think whatever issues you two are having can be worked out.”

“What are you talking about? I thought the two of us were working on getting back together?” Did you hear that bitch? I’m sure from the gasp I heard, she did. He was oblivious.

“That’s too messy, Justin. We got divorced, remember? And you’re the one who wanted it because you found something else.”

“I never asked for a divorce; you’re the one who wanted it. The one who never gave us a chance or me one to make things better.”

That woman is going to have a heart attack from all these new revelations. You see, for the longest time, she thought that he was the one who had left me. That’s why she’d made such a stink about me and my kids getting the house in the split.

She thought he’d blindsided me after getting all his shit together to take me to the cleaners. I know this because of things she’d said in the past, but I had held my tongue because I like to serve my revenge on permafrost.

She had it all planned out, just like every other two-headed snake like her. She was going to live in my house, sleep in my bed, and probably drive my car as well. If that bitch could live in my skin, she would’ve.

“Look, I just came by to drop these things off. You can pick the kids up from your mom’s this weekend. I think we should not see each other for a while.”

“Like hell. The agreement is that I pick them up from the house, and that’s what I’m going to do, and your ass better be there.”

Did I mention that I studied ancient philosophies just for kicks in college? The one thing I learned from Sun Tzu is to know my enemy. I know that the more I run, the more he’d chase.

In short, I’m going to make him do all the things I thought of doing when my marriage was falling apart. All the things I didn’t do because I had too much pride and also because I’d had enough time to prepare for the loss before serving him the divorce papers.

He was also oblivious to the smirk I gave her upon leaving or the way I played up to his coworkers, who were only too happy to show their dislike of her by fawning over me. I showed pictures of the kids on the way out, which, of course, included the infamous Sunday dinner pic.

Everyone knew she was listening and went out of their way to show their support. That’s right, this part of my plan involves her losing her job either by lashing out when I get to be too much and getting fired or by being made so uncomfortable by the others around here that she had no choice but to leave.

Since I’ve been making these trips on my lunch break and he was no longer leaving his desk every day at lunchtime to disappear, I was hoping she would put two and two together if she had enough brain cells and figure out where he’d been going.

I’m surprised she hadn’t followed him at least once when we were hooking up, but then again, I didn’t know he was cheating on me in the beginning, either. That snake oil salesman thing.

I made sure to turn and give her one last smile before leaving that day, knowing she had a belly full of questions about all that she’d eavesdropped on. If she could read me, she would’ve seen what I was thinking, which was, that’s right bitch, it’s your turn.