Devotion Page 16

  "I'll be there in ten," I say, fighting off the scream dying to escape my lips.

  "Thank you, Annette. You're amazing. I don't know what I'd do without you."

  If only she knew the truth.

  52

  Katherine

  Putting Ava to bed was a challenge. She could see that something was wrong no matter how hard I tried to hide it. My daughter has this impeccable ability to penetrate any lies I feed her when I'm nervous.

  I pace up and down the short length of the living room as I wait for Annette to come over and save me. It's pathetic that I'm about to unleash all of my crap upon her, but I can't help it. I need to get out my frustrations and fears into the world even if she's only listening to me blab away. Everything that has happened is drilling a hole through my brain. So much so, I swear it will kill me.

  Annette's car pulls up. I know the sound of her engine from all the times she's driven me places. I rush to the front door and open it before she knocks. My arms fly out wide, ready for her to console me and hear the hell I'm about to spring upon her. We hug for a moment.

  "Thank you so much for coming. I don't even know where to begin," I say, tears welling in my eyes.

  "It's okay. Start at the beginning, I guess. What's happened?"

  I practically pull Annette inside to the sofa and sit down beside her. "It's about last night. Apparently, I went back to the bar after you brought me home."

  "What? Really?"

  "Yes. I took an Uber there, got drunk, and ordered another ride home a few hours later. I have to ask you, what was I like when you dropped me off here? Did I seem out of it to you?"

  "No, not at all. You'd had two glasses of red. That's it. You wanted to call it a night and get to bed."

  I feel my eyes turn away as my face tightens up. "Then why did I go back to the bar?" I whisper, unsure if I'm asking Annette or just wishing there was an explanation.

  "Maybe I was boring company."

  "No, you could never bore me. I'm the dull one who can't handle a few drinks."

  "Whatever happened, it's over now."

  I give Annette a shaky sigh. "It's not over. Corey hates me."

  "Hates you? Why? Because of what you did in the faculty lounge?"

  "No. It's far worse than that." I unlock my cell and bring up the photos from the bar. I slowly hold my phone up to Annette and watch her jaw drop as she sees the shots of me and the unknown sleaze hitting it off.

  "These are from last night?"

  "Yeah. You can see the time and date I took each photo. Do you remember seeing this guy?"

  "Vaguely. I think he hit on you not long after we got there."

  "So that happened. I can recall that part of the night in my head, but not this."

  Annette hands me my cell. "So I'm guessing Corey has seen these."

  "Yeah," I mutter, fighting off more tears. "I don't know how to explain something I have no memory of. There's no way in hell I'd ever cheat on him but looking at these photos makes me think I may have. And he thinks so too."

  "Oh God," Annette blurts, covering her mouth with her hand a moment later.

  "Exactly," I reply. "It's appalling. And Corey is furious. I don't know what'll happen next. This could be it for our marriage." I feel my hands shake again. The tremble works its way down into my fingers until I drop my cell to the floor. It bounces on the carpet.

  "Hey, hey. It's okay," Annette says, wrapping her arms around me. "Everything's going to work out. I promise."

  I lift my head and study her eyes. "You think so?"

  "I know so. Things might seem terrible now, but I guarantee this will all come to an end."

  Annette smiles at me, trying to raise my gaze further. "I hope you're right."

  "Hey, I'm always right," Annette says with a chuckle.

  "Yeah, you are."

  "Which makes what I have to say next so hard."

  I stop breathing for a second. "What do you mean?"

  Annette lets out a sigh and glances away from me, closing her eyes. She opens them and refocuses on me. "What I'm about to say to you I say as a dear friend. One who cares deeply."

  "Okay," I whisper.

  "I think it's time you asked yourself one of the hardest questions you'll ever have to face."

  My eyelids push my brow up into my forehead. "What?"

  "Do you think marrying Corey was a good idea?"

  "You mean a mistake?"

  "Hear me out. You guys are a wonderful couple. You always have been, but the second you two rushed into marriage, things have gone from one disaster to the next."

  "We've had a few difficulties," I say, suddenly feeling offended, "but we can push through it."

  "Can you, though? Last night aside, you've been at each other's throats almost every day from what you tell me. Is that the sign of a happy marriage?"

  My head spins as I pull my focus away from Annette and stare at the floor. I feel like a powerful migraine is about to knock me flat. "We need to go see a marriage counselor. I know we'll get through this. We have to."

  Annette lifts my chin up with her finger so I have to face her eyes. "What about Ava? Is all of this arguing good for her?"

  I shake my head. "You don't understand. I don't want to fight in front of her, but it happens."

  "And it keeps happening and is damaging her in ways you'll never realize until it's too late."

  "No, she's a strong girl."

  "I know she is, Kat, but is it really fair for her to have to deal with this situation?"

  I snap my head away from Annette's. "You don't know what you're talking about. You don't have kids. How could you possibly understand what it's like to sacrifice for them day in, day out, and get no thanks for your efforts?"

  We fall silent. I keep my eyes from Annette's knowing I've said something hurtful, but I don't care. I'm too angry to apologize.

  "You're right. I don't have kids, but I know what you've been through with Ava. Who do you think has been there whenever you've needed help from the day she was born?"

  She's right. Annette may not have a child of her own, but she knows how hard it's been for me. She's witnessed the good and the bad. I need to apologize.

  "Don't. It's fine. It's clear you're upset over what I said about you and Corey. Maybe I'm wrong about you guys and everything will somehow be okay but think about what's best for Ava and yourself. I'd hate to watch you fall into another downward spiral the way you did with Peter."

  I stand from the sofa in a hurry, not wanting to accept what Annette has to say. It can't be true. Corey and I belong together. We're a good couple.

  "That won't happen," I say. "Corey and I are married. Peter would never have committed to something so serious. Hell, the second he found out I was pregnant he raced away."

  Annette stands and steps toward me. "Peter ran away, but it was no surprise, was it? He was a terrible boyfriend from the start, and you allowed him to treat you that way."

  "But Corey isn't."

  "No but ask yourself a question you've been avoiding since the moment Corey proposed to you."

  I shake my head, feeling my body shift from side to side. I realize what she is getting at and I don't want to face it. Not now.

  "Come on, Kat. Don't make me be the one to say it."

  "You don't understand."

  "You know I do."

  We stare at each other, each holding our gaze. I blink first and lower my eyes. "I can't do this."

  "Fine. I'll ask then."

  "No. Please."

  "Did you want to get married?"

  The question flows out of Annette's mouth and hits my ears without stopping. She's known this all along and has held her tongue. Until now.

  "Well, did you? Did you want to marry Corey when he asked you?"

  A sigh escapes me. "No."

  53

  Annette

  I hit Katherine with everything I had last night and sent her a devastating blow at the perfect time. It was obvious from the word go tha
t Katherine didn't want to get married when Corey surprised her with an unplanned proposal. I remember the lack of excitement in her eyes when she told me the news. It even left me believing she might back out of the relationship. But instead of being honest with Corey, she doubled down.

  I don't know which hurt me more at the time: knowing that Katherine never wanted to marry Corey or finding out that he had asked her. But it didn't matter. My feelings were thrown out like worthless trash. They forced me to be their witness at the courthouse when they got married. I had to sign their marriage license. I had to give my approval to the world no matter how much pain it caused me. That day sent me over the edge.

  Until that point, I had handled seeing Corey and Katherine together as best I could. It was a waiting game. I knew I just had to push through until Katherine screwed things up the way she always did. But then Corey popped the question.

  It was clear he hadn't thought it through, and that Katherine wanted to run until her feet bled. But they got married. Part of me knows I should have said something, anything to stop the wedding from going through. I was there. I could have made them each understand the mistake, but I remained silent.

  I don't know if it was anger holding me back or the fear that I had finally lost Corey to my supposed best friend. Either way, I failed. And now, I alone must right what's wrong unless Katherine sees the light.

  I'll consider this Katherine's last chance to do what she should have done the second Corey asked her to marry him. She never deserved to receive that amazing question from such a perfect man. If she can see past her ego and come to her senses, then I won't have to escalate this situation any further.

  But I'm not one to take chances. Especially on someone as stupid as Katherine. While she's contemplating her life and the terrible choices made, I'll continue with the plan and follow each step. I'll do whatever it takes to claim what is mine.

  Soon, I won't be responsible for my actions.

  54

  Katherine

  Corey didn't come home last night, so I barely slept. I alternated between sitting at the end of my bed, listening out for the sound of his car, and pacing up and down the corridor. I did what I could to not disturb Ava, but on multiple occasions she woke up to the tone of me muttering to myself.

  "Go back to sleep, sweetie," I said as I gently ran my hand over her forehead the way I did when she was only two years old.

  "Mommy, I heard a scary noise."

  "That was probably the wind, honey. Nothing to worry about."

  "Okay. Can you read me a story?"

  "Sure, baby. Which one do you want to hear?" It was only fair.

  Morning trickles into existence as I finally fall asleep on the sofa in the living room, hoping to catch Corey sneaking in through the front door. The sound of chirping birds only adds to the throbbing pain in my head.

  I shuffle toward the kitchen with both eyes half shut, feeling my way to the coffeemaker. I could just about make myself a strong espresso blindfolded, given how well I knew the machine.

  Within a few minutes, I'm sitting at the dining table close to the kitchen, slurping down the hot beverage as fast as possible. I need the caffeine to kick in if I'm going to survive the kids.

  After my absence yesterday I needed a good night's sleep so I could charge into work and prove myself to Barry and the rest of the staff. But if any of them were to see me now, I'd be lucky to still have a job by the end of the day.

  Why didn't Corey come home? I know I'd also be furious if I found selfies of him and some unknown woman almost kissing on his cell. But would I have left like this? I honestly can't answer the question.

  What if nothing got slipped into my drink? Maybe I made the conscious decision to return to the bar on my own. I guess deep down I was still harboring anger toward Corey for the whole promotion drama. Maybe that's why I felt the need to run back there and get drunk.

  But there's more to it than that. There was a painful truth to what Annette said last night. As upset as she's made me, I can't be mad at her for trying to be honest with me about Corey. I didn't want to marry him. At least not this early. But he stared into my eyes that morning, begging me to take the next giant leap forward. I wasn't only scared to commit; I was worried, and still am, for my daughter.

  Corey has always been amazing with Ava from the first day he met her. I trust him with her welfare. And that's not what has me concerned. All this chaos that has enveloped mine and Corey's relationship has the potential to do so much damage to Ava. I'm afraid more than anything else that if Corey and I don't make it through this rough patch, Ava could lose the only man in her life who is a positive father figure. That will have a lasting impact on the way she views men.

  I reach the end of my cup without realizing it until I try to take another sip. My neck snaps toward the doorway to the kitchen as I hear footsteps coming through the living room. "Corey?"

  The footfalls continue until I see Ava poke her head in. "Hi, Mommy."

  "Hi, baby. Why are you awake so early?"

  "I couldn't sleep," she says as she rubs her eyes with her knuckles.

  "I'm sorry, honey. Are you feeling okay?" A wave of guilt hits me in the chest. This is my fault. I kept waking her up last night, breaking her cycle. What a terrible mother I've become.

  "Guess so," she says a second before a huge yawn breaks through.

  Pushing up from the dining table, I step toward my daughter. "Come here, sweetie," I say as I bend down and scoop her up into a big hug. Ava does what she can to stop me from smothering her with kisses as she giggles at me. I'll never grow sick of hearing her innocent laugh.

  "Mommy," she says with a full smile.

  "What is it?"

  "Where's Corey?"

  The sun is rising. Even Ava knows he would still be here on one of his long days to school.

  "Did he come home yet?"

  I was hoping she didn't notice. "Um, yeah. He did. He had to go into school super early this morning because he has a lot of work to do with his new promotion."

  "Okay," she replies, somewhat skeptical.

  I hate lying to my kid. She always seems to see through anything I tell her. Even a white lie like this. I almost want to spew out the truth to prepare her for what may come next. How would I go about informing Ava that Corey won't be around anymore if he decides this marriage isn't worth the hassle?

  "Are you hungry?" I ask, changing the subject. "We can have a nice big breakfast to help us wake up a little before we leave." I haven't even worked out how we're getting to school yet. With my car still in the shop, Corey would have taken us. But he's not here.

  Ava's eyes drop away from mine. "Can I stay home today?"

  I place a hand on her small shoulder. "Why do you want to stay home?"

  "Because I'm tired."

  "I know it would be nice to take it easy, honey, but we both have to go to school even though it would be more fun to lie around all day on the sofa watching TV."

  "But, Mommy."

  "But nothing. Come along. Let's have some breakfast together." I take Ava's hand and guide her into the kitchen. She reluctantly accepts.

  It would be nice to pretend to be sick today, but after yesterday I have no choice but to go into school and face the music.

  55

  Annette

  I risked a lot saying what I said to Katherine. Most of it came out without me thinking. It almost felt strange being so honest, given the number of lies I've been spinning lately. But I know once she has settled down and had a chance to think, Katherine will realize there is a harsh truth behind every word spoken.

  I came into work early today, hoping to catch Corey alone. Last night would have been the better time to speak with him while he was so vulnerable after finding those photos on Kat's phone. Still, I persevere.

  The parking lot is almost empty apart from Corey's sedan parked in its usual spot. He's such an enthusiastic worker. He makes ninety percent of the teachers in this school look lazy. I park
my car as far away from his as possible so no one suspects I'm here to see him. I can't let my hard work come unstuck by a simple mistake.

  The cold morning fills my lungs and wakes me. I don't know how Corey does this five days a week, but it doesn't surprise me. He's never shied from a challenge. Every time I watch him interact with Kat's annoying kid, I wonder to myself how he does it. How can he stand taking care of her, knowing full well she's not his child?

  I rush into the office and dump my stuff off in a hurry, then head into the faculty lounge to prepare two cups of coffee. One for myself and the other for Corey. It's a long way to carry a pair of hot mugs, but Corey will see exactly how much I appreciate him when he sees me walking in with these.

  To make the walk easier, I brought two travel cups from home to avoid burning myself.

  When I find Corey pacing up and down his classroom, I instantly feel the tension that has manifested between him and Katherine. I resist smiling, knowing that I am the mastermind behind their relationship's descent. It was all too easy. There were gaping holes in their relationship to exploit, making the task all that much simpler to concentrate on. Now all I need to do is finish the job.

  I knock on the door with the back of my knuckles. Corey snaps around in my direction almost alarmed to see anyone else so early. I hate interrupting and keeping him from his important work, but after last night, I have to focus and take what is mine before Katherine ruins everything again.

  "Annette?" Corey walks over to me and yanks the door open. "What are you doing here?"

  "I spent a few hours with Katherine last night. After hearing about the argument, I figured that you also may need someone to talk to."

  Corey smiles at me out of the corner of his mouth. "And is that coffee for me?"