Me Against Her (Cate Blanchett x OC)

Minefield

When I went back to the office next day, it was like re-entering a strange planet after a journey in a different galaxy. I received odd stares from everyone like I became a stranger to the company in the week that I was gone. Even the intern gave me a dirty look as I walked past the reception desk, asking for my mail. She handed me a thick stack, as if to remind me that I had been gone for a week, vacationing as the boss' favorite. Quiet whispers spread behind my back whenever I turned a corner, and complete silence after people realized that I was in their vicinity. 

The passive aggression was the only thing I would've remembered about that day, if it weren't overshadowed by the piece of great news that took place the same day. 

Andrew had called everybody into the theater to have a "standup lunch", as was a traditional of the company whenever there was an urgent topic to discuss that couldn't wait until after lunch. All of us packed in with our lunch boxes and soda cans, waiting with baited breath to hear the announcement. Cate made sure to stand on the opposite side of the theater so that there was a sizable crowd between us. I looked in her direction multiple times but she never returned my gaze. 

"First of all, a big congrats to my lovely wife for losing the Oscar for the sixtieth time," Andrew stood up on the stage and gestured to Cate. The crowd erupted in laughter and a few whistles, as Cate gracefully did a bow for everyone. 

"But while you were livin' it up in La La Land, darling," he said, "we haven't all been idle bums back here in Sydney. In fact, we really held down the fort here and hustled quite a bit post our Spring Awakening success, and I'm happy to announce that we were able to secure a generous 2 million-dollar grant from a donor who'd like to remain confidential at this time." 

A wave of delightful gasps spread across the crowd, followed by the most thunderous applause. People started high-fiving each other and the room began to fill with the noise of beers can being cracked open and the sizzling of celebratory alcohol. 

Cate's hands flew to her mouth, and she couldn't take her eyes off of Andrew. For the first time in months, her eyes beamed with pride as she looked at the man she called her own. As if all this time underneath his saggy stomach lay hidden this intoxicating high-powered masculinity that was waiting to be discovered by her. 

"I know that the past few months have been a struggle for a lot of you, with the economy not doing so well, and other theaters beginning layoffs. I have to admit, it wasn't easy making ends meet in such a harsh climate, but as of today, I'm confident that we'd be able to retain all of you at the company, and we have the financial backing to keep our family together for a brighter future." Andrew continued, "Even if one of you screws up and gets fired, we can now afford your severance!" A couple of uncomfortable but good-natured chuckles from the crowd, "But all joking aside, I hope you'll all continue to keep up the good work you're doing. Onwards and upwards!" 

He raised a glass, and the crowd erupted into a second round of cheers. Cate walked up to the podium, put her arms around him, and gave him a long kiss on the cheek that made my stomach turn. They engaged in animated conversation for the rest of the lunch - I couldn't exactly make out what they were talking about, but from the look on her face I knew that he had accomplished something that made her really, really happy. 

I tried to work out some alone time with Cate that day, whether it was bumping into her in the hallway or sitting next to her in a meeting, but she seemed completely elusive, as if I was a new employee that she didn't even hire herself. Shame and guilt flooded my entire being for the rest of the day, and I couldn't distract myself in any other way except to work harder. Maybe Abby was right, Cate completely saw her relationship with me as transactional. She never intended to leave Andrew in the first place. 

Small, subtle changes also happened during the time that I was gone. I got out of my last meeting of the day and noticed that there were flowers on Cate's desk. Beautiful purple orchids wrapped in expensive-looking paper. They were certainly not from Andrew, he always had gifts delivered to their house. 

Later, I found out that ever since I came back, the intern purposely did not copy me on several major email chains. Cate had to forward them to me when she realized that I was not in the loop. 

Sinking into a depressed funk, I confined myself to my workstation for the evening to sort through my mail. 3 spammy life insurance ads, 2 theater promos, 4 intern applications, and 1 unnamed envelope. As I opened each, I heard a knock on the door. It was Cate. 

"Working overtime already?" 

"Just playing catchup," I said, "I'm still so jet-lagged though."

"So am I," she smiled wearily, "don't stay too late. And remember to eat, okay?" 

"You too." I responded. Then she closed the door and left for the day, leaving me alone in the dusk-filled building. 

I carried on with my paperwork mindlessly, until I got to the bottom of the stack and had the unnamed envelope left. It was an ordinary-looking one that anyone could get from the post office. There was no return address, just my name written in the middle. 

I opened it and a blank sheet of printer paper fell out. Again, no logo, letterhead, signature, or return address. Just a short message printed in Times New Roman at the top. 

"Resign in the next two weeks, or it'll all come out. Your severance will be covered." 

All the hairs on my neck stood up, and my hands started to tremble so violently I could barely read the words clearly. Without any further context, I instinctively knew that "it" referred to my affair with Cate. 

Somebody at the company must've found out. Or were we so obvious in our photos from the Oscars that were circulating around that everyone already knew? Or worse yet...I tried to stop my mind from going down the spiral but it was too late - could it be from Cate herself? But what good was it for her to expose our relationship? She had way more to lose than I did. Was it a secret admirer of Cate's at the company, seeking revenge for my closeness to her? Could be whoever was giving her flowers. 

But knowing my tendency to overthink things, my mind quickly settled on the one easy and obvious target: Andrew.