Set Free // HS ✓

Twenty-One.

Why am I like this?

Somehow I translated 'finding my way out of the depths' to 'go meet up with your husband's mistress.'

I've always been a glutton for punishment.

It takes a few minutes to talk Whitney's assistant into ringing her office. It's apparent that Miss Rhodes doesn't particularly enjoy surprised visitors.

Well, I don't particularly enjoy the fact that she was sleeping with my husband behind my back.

We'll call it even.

'Come in' I hear a muffled voice call behind the door. Before I can talk myself out of it, I step inside and take a good look at her.

Her brown hair, now featuring a few highlights, is pulled back into a messy bun, a very form-fitting dress adorns her size zero body.

If I were to wear that, I'd look like a stuffed sausage.

"Can I help you?" She calls from her desk without even looking up from her computer screen.

That's an excellent question. Can she help me?

Probably not, but here we go.

I squeak, "Er, maybe?"

Annoyed by an undesired presence in her workspace, she glances up at me.

Whitney recognizes me, "Wren? Wren Brinsley? Oliver's Wren?"

I can't help but think that she belonged to Oliver more so than me.

"Um, yeah." I stammer.

"Have a seat," She smiles at me sweetly.

Not being able to return her grin, I awkwardly follow her instructions and sit down.

"So, Wren, what can I do for you?"

"Look," I nervously begin, "I-I know everything."

"Everything?" She questions.

I nod, "About you and... my husband. Your relationship with him."

There's a couple of moments of silence that follow that statement. I'm not sure if the lack of response is due to humiliation, or confusion; her face gives nothing away.

"I'm n-not here to like... yell at you, or put you on a guilt t-trip. It's just I have a few concerns," I gulp.

"Well, this is a conversation that I didn't think I'd have," She marvels. "Wren, I wish I could apologize to you right now but... I honestly can't. I was in love with; hell, I still am."

"That's fair enough, I suppose."

"What I can tell you is that neither of us intended the relationship to go where it did. It was a strictly casual arrangement at first; a way for us to release stress if anything." She slowly explains, "About six months in, the feelings began to develop. But, he- he didn't want to end his marriage. You depended on him for everything; you were his responsibility, and he couldn't bear the thought of you out there on your own."

So in other words, I was a burden.

"He saw you as a kid sister, you know? He cared about you a lot."

Kid sister?

Sister?

Then why was he begging me to go down on him every night then?

Despite that this information is destroying me; I find myself craving more. What else did this man have to say about me?

"But there is something that I need to tell you; something that has always bothered me."