bChapter /bb10 /b

Of all the people who might have done this, Reba could think of only one person with both the means and the motive–Jeffrey

without thinking twice, she grabbed her phone and dialed his number, her anger toward him boiling over.

“Who may bI /bbsay /bis calling?” a secretary’s professional voice answered.

Reba stared at the phone in confusion, verifying she bhad /bindeed dialed Jeffrey’s bprivate /bnumber, it made no sense that his secretary would be answering his personal line.

“This is Reba,” she said, pushing her confusion aside. “I need to speak, with Jeffrey

The secretary bnced /bat Jeffrey, who sat watching from his leather chair. Taking his subtle cue, she replied smoothly, “Mr. Hanson is in a meeting for the next two hours. Can I take a message?”

“He’s right there with byou/b,” Reba bsaid/b, bher /bvoice firm. She bknew /bhe never let anyone else handle his personal phone, bnot /beven his secretary.

The secretary instinctively looked to Jeffrey for instruction

Jeffrey took the phone from her and gestured for her to leave before speaking. “When my secretary said I was unavable, thought that would be enough to make you understand I’m not taking your calls.”

“If you hadn’t deliberately sabotaged my job prospects, I wouldn’t be bcalling/b, Reba stated bluntly. “Why did you tell them to reject me!”

Jeffrey feigned ignorance. “What job?””

Reba shot back, “Don’t y dumb with me.”

“If you got rejected, maybe you should look at your own qualifications instead of ming me,b” /bJeffrey said coldly. “After five years out of the workforce, what did you expect?”

Reba wasn’t buying it. “You’re seriously going to pretend you didn’t have bsomeone /bblock my hiring?”

“I didn’t,” Jeffrey answered quickly, “I just made it clear they bshouldn’t /blower their standards for you because of me. You’re not my wife anymore, and you don’t get special treatment.”

He never bactually /bsaid it, but the message came through loud and clear. Everyone bin /bbtheir /bcircle knew how to read between the lines.

“What’s the point of this?” Reba couldn’t figure out why he bwas /bso set on making her life miserable. ‘He’s agreed to the bdivorce/b, and he’s the one who cheated, so why is he stilling after me?” she thought to hersell.

“Say that again?” Jeffrey hadn’t quite caught what she bsaid/b.

Reba hung up, knowing there was no point in arguing further. She realized finding a decent job would be nearly impossible now.

Just then, her phone buzzed with an iing text.

It was from Jeffrey. If you’re really looking for work, I could make an exception for old times sake. bThere’s /bba /bposition for you at the Hanson Group]

Reba didn’t reply. She knew his job offer was just another way to mess

with her.

With her job prospects looking dim, she had bto /bstart herpany search from scratch

She cklisted everypany connected to Jeffrey–former partners, business associates, beven /bpetitors–until only small and mid–sized firms remained..

After sending out another round of resumes, she turned to apartment hunting

One afternoon, as she returned from apartment viewings, she found Andrea waiting by her doorstep.

Andres stepped forward to block her path. “We need to btalk/b,” she said.

don’t bspeak /bwith homewreckers,” Reba retorted, pushing past her toward the door,

“I know Jeffrey left you penniless after the divorce,” Andrea said, closing the distance in her designer heels. “And I know you’re desperate for money right now.” She stood confidently in head–to–toe limited edition fashion.

“Take your child and leave Jsburg, and this card with 300 thousand dors is yours,” she added, extending the card toward Reba.

Reba’s eyes turned cold as she nced bat /bthe cardb. /b

“Beyond bthat/bb, /bI’ll make sure Jeffrey covers your mother’s medical treatments,” Andrea continued. “If you bhave /bother conditions, we

we can negotiate.”

Reba didn’t understand her motives. “Why are you doing this?”

“What bdo /byou mean, why?” Andrea replied, distracted by her own thoughts.

“Jeffrey loves byou /bpletely,” Reba bsaid/b, looking directly into her eyes with the familiarity of their past friendship. “Why would you still want me to

leaveb?/b”

*No woman bwants /bto share the man she loves,” Andrea said, pulling bback /bbthe /bbcard /bwhile steadying her emotions. “I can see he still has feelings for you. If you stay, he’ll never be able to move on.”

Reba did not believe a single word she was hearing.

If that’s truly the only reason, she could have easily framed me and destroyed my reputation just like she did back in our college daysb, /bbrather /bthan simply trying to make me leave town, she mused.

“if the money’s not enough, just tell me how much byou /bwant,” Andrea said, growing buneasy /bbunder /bher stare. “I’ll make it happen.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Reba said firmly. She had deep roots in this bcity /band saw no reason to be driven from her home when the faulty entirely

elsewhere.

“My child attends school here, and I need to bstay /bto care for my mother,” she added.

Andrea’sposure snapped. “Rebal”

Reba stays, Jeffrey will eventually find out everything. What if one day he just cracks and tells her the real reason he’s with me? Then I’m finished, she thought to herself, her anxiety growing.

She’d never allow such a thing to happen under any circumstances.

“Andrea, what are you so afraid bof/b? bReba /bwatched Her closely. “You look exactly like you did after framing me, when you were terrified your secrets would be exposed.

bAndrea’s /bheart tightened.

“You’re keeping something from me,” Reba sald, sooing right through her. “bOr /bbwas /bit Jeffrey you lied to?”

“bYou’re /bimagining things, Andrea bsaid/b, trying to keep her voice even, “I just don’t want you in Jsburg, As long as you’re here, Jeffrey will never be fully

mine.”

“I’m sure he’d told you about me when you started seeing him, Reba said, pointing out the obvious w in Andrea’s words.

Jeffrey was not a man who operated with secrets, so Reba was sure he had told Andrea he was married.

The difference was, she had refused his proposal to share him with another woman, while Andrea had epted it.

“He did mention you,” Andrea admitted without any shame. “But people are selfish. I don’t want to share him. I wanted him for myself.”

Reba pulled out her phone and started tapping the screen.

-Andrea made a quick grab for it. “What are you doing?”

“I’ll make sure Jeffrey hears exactly what you bsaid/b,” Reba replied. She pulled up the security feed, clipped their conversation, and bsent /bbit /bto Jeffrey. “You don’t want him to read into this, and I definitely don’t want him toe after me.”

Reba knew she had to control the narrative. Being upfront with Jeffrey bwas /bway better than letting Andrea twist thingster behind her back. She really wasn’t up for any drama right now.

“Don’t you dare!” Andrea made a frantic grab for the phone.

Jeffrey had repeatedly told her to bring any y concerns directly to him and not to try any underhanded tactics. She knew he would be furious if he discovered she had btried /bto pay Reba to leave town.

“Already sent,” Reba said, tucking her phone away as she headed inside.

Andrea stared after her, fists clenched at her sides. This was supposed to be between the two of them, band /bshe was furious that Reba had to involve Jeffrey.

Wh