powerful arms still warm around my body. “He was the one who was married. He was the one who should have said no. He was the one who should have honored his commitment to his marriage, whether he was happy in that marriage or not. His behavior is inexcusable—and not at all your responsibility.”
“I-I didn’t know he was married. He wasn’t wearing a ring.”
“A man shouldn’t get married if he’s not going to wear his wedding ring every moment of the day, whether that’s in the shower or when he sleeps, let alone out of the house. He obviously had bad intentions from the beginning. You’re as much of a victim in this as his wife. So, don’t carry the grief, the pain, and the responsibility for someone else’s crime. You don’t deserve it.”
The sincerity in his voice and the serious look in his eyes made me feel better, somehow. I gave a slight nod and took a deep breath, doing my best to stop the tears before they really destroyed my makeup. “I’m sorry. It’s just been eating me alive since last night.”
“Don’t be sorry.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tissue and handed it to me. “It’s good to get it out sometimes.”
I took it and dabbed at my face. “She was just so devastated. I could hear it in her voice…”
“He doesn’t deserve her. He has a woman who loves him so much, and he takes it for granted. Worthless.”
I did my best to fix my makeup, to wipe up the darkness that was probably bleeding under my eyes.
“When you knew the truth, you ended it. You did the right thing.”
“I feel so stupid. I feel stupid that I trusted him, that I took part in an act that broke someone’s heart. I’m so sick of men who won’t hesitate to cheat the second the opportunity presents itself. It’s just… What’s the point?” It was the second time I’d been cheated on, but this was worse than the first time because I was the other woman this time.
“Not all men are like that,” he said gently. “I know good men who would never do that, even if there was absolutely no chance of getting caught. I know men who would do anything and everything just to make their wife smile. I’m sorry this happened to you, but we aren’t all like that.”
“But men like that don’t last long. Good men are snatched up quick, and women never let them go.” That was what I would do if I ever found a man like that. I would never take him for granted.
He watched me clean up my makeup for a long time. “You would think…but sometimes women can be worse than men.”
“Everything alright, honey?” Cleo took the seat at her desk.
I didn’t hear her approach because I was busy working on the schedule. “Yeah…just had a rough night.” I felt a lot better after talking to Dex. There was something about him that always made me feel better. “I’m better now. Dex talked me down. My eyes are just puffy because once they get puffy, they never go back.”
“You seem to have taken a liking to him.” She turned in her chair to regard me directly, her toned legs crossed, her heels shiny like they were brand-new. Reading glasses were on the bridge of her nose because she always put them on once she sat at the desk so she wouldn’t strain her eyes as she read the screen.
“How can I not?” I said with an uncomfortable laugh. “The guy is perfect.”
“Why do you say he’s perfect?” There was a slight smile on her lips, probably because she held her own affection for the same man, a motherly love that seemed to take everyone under her wing.
“Because he’s got a heart of gold.” The answer shot out of my mouth immediately. “How is a guy that intelligent and that hot that humble? That just doesn’t happen, you know? Most men have way less and think they’re God.” I rolled my eyes, thinking about almost every guy I’d ever been with. “He’s funny, easy to talk to… Everyone here is like that, but he’s especially kind. And then everything that happened with Mr. Carlton—the guy is a hero. But he never thinks of himself that way. It’s strange.”
She kept her eyes on my face and gave a slight shrug. “Sometimes it’s hard for us to see what others see because we think we don’t deserve it.”
“He