Married to my suspect

I sighed and poured water on my face, looking myself in the mirror. After the wedding, it had gotten increasingly difficult to eat or even work in the company, far more than I'd anticipated. I'd completely underestimated the jealousy of women and how that jealousy could impact me. I shook my head, it was like high school all over again. Regardless, I wasn't going to starve because of what a few women thought of me.

I took my phone and headed down to the cafeteria. Since we both worked in the same company, we'd come to an understanding. We ate breakfast at home, something light and easily makeable since neither of us really loved breakfast, then, since provisions for feeding had been made at the company with a cafeteria, I went down for lunch. Jonathan, who was mostly out in a meeting usually figured himself out and when he was in, the nutritionist usually delivered his food to him. We went home together when Jonathan didn't need to stay back at work which was a rare event, microwaved whatever we wanted to eat from the options that were available, ate together at his massive dinner table, did the dishes together and retired to our rooms. So far, after coming back from Greek, we'd spent two weeks like this and so far, I'd not had any opportunity to do any searching.

The elevator doors opened, and I stepped out, immediately meeting Julia's eyes. With her were three other women that had quickly become the bane of my existence after my honeymoon. Like I said, high school. I ignored them and went to fill my tray and sat in my regular seat at the back of the cafeteria. It had quickly become a place of refuge when I realized staying at my normal table wasn't going to help me. Now, I sat at the end, alone, much like an outcast.

I took a bite of my food and jumped as Julia slammed her tray on my table, making the food inside to splash on me. I looked up and wiped my face.

"What was that for?" I asked her, struggling to keep my voice even.

She shrugged. By now, we'd gotten the attention of everybody in the cafeteria, a normal experience, I feared. "Sorry. I just don't like you."

I took a deep breath. After the nonsense she had pulled at our wedding, Jonathan had spoken to her, and I'd finally felt relieved that she would be leaving or, better still, would feel regretful for what her rumor had almost caused. On the contrary, I'd seen her the very day I'd resumed back to work, and she had welcomed me with a glare and personally delivered insults and threats. I could identify what I'd felt at that moment, defeat. I'd realized my getting married didn't mean I was getting someone who will be on my side as well. It was obvious the woman would be a danger to me but I guessed he didn't see it that way. "I feel the same way about you, but you don't see me acting like a high schooler, right?"

She glared at me. "Like I said, I'm going to make your life hell. Why not go and complain to your husband about the way I'm treating you?

I glared at her. "We're at work. Why do you insist on acting like this? He was never yours. I don't understand why you keep on behaving like you have a claim on him." I was finally at my wits end and I couldn't take it any longer."

She slammed her hands on the table. "Consider him yours for the main time, but he is mine, and I will get him back." She yelled. Whispers began in the cafeteria, but her glare put an end to that and made them go back to what they were doing. Or, at least, pretend to do so.

I gasped and moved back, a little scared of the fury in her eyes. "Alright."

She moved a chair back and sat down. "I know you have an ulterior motive or something that you did. Because there is no way Nathan would have chosen you. What do you want from him? His money? Fame?"

I shook my head and stood up. "He loves me." She had overheard us when Jonathan had brought up our agreement so that statement was meant solely to make her furious.

I could see flames burning from her eyes. "Alright. We'll see how things go."

I took my tray, ignoring the curious eyes on me, and dumped my remaining food. I was going to stop coming to the cafeteria. If I had to go hungry, I would, and it was a decision I should have made earlier, if I had common sense.

I went back upstairs, unable to take my mind away from the madness in her gaze, and sat down at my desk. At least, she had stopped coming upstairs. I still had about twenty minutes left of my lunch hour, but I didn't want to go back downstairs again. What really was her relationship with Jonathan that she was laying claim this fiercely? And why had he succumbed to marrying me when he knew he had a crazy ex? He had even let her continue to work near him. Should I go inside and confront him? I stood up and sat down back. Should I? Shouldn't I? Will he be inside?

I shot up when Jonathan's door opened with a slam with his phone still on his ear, hinting at his rush. He had been inside.

"Cancel all the things on my schedule for today and tomorrow. The M and A, we have been pushing, is in its final stage, but a problem came up that I have to go and attend to physically."

I nodded. "Yes Sir. I'll do that, Sir. I'll also try to reschedule your meeting with Mrs. Anderson as sensitively as possible, but she may still take offense. She had been sending me reminder messages since last week."

He checked his clock. "I'll talk to her. I'll be back, probably tomorrow. I'll stop by the house to get my things."

I nodded and bowed as he left and sat back down, my lips getting wider. This would be the first time I would be alone since I got married. I whirled around on my chair and raised my hands in excitement. I couldn't wait.

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I entered the code for the apartment, butterflies racing in my stomach. I had barely made it through work, but since I'd considered myself a diligent worker, I'd sat my butt down and worked on the meeting reschedulement as well as my other secretarial duty, and now I was home. I left the light untouched and screamed, finding the chair where I dropped into. My smile was almost stretching my face.

My smile dropped, and I screamed again, this time in terror, as the light came on, and I saw someone pointing a knife at me. I ran towards the door as the woman screamed along with me, opened it and ran outside, breathing like I'd just run ten miles. I checked the door, confirming I really had been in the right place, and my guess was correct. Were women, especially older women now into armed robbery and murder? Had I just narrowly escaped death?

The door opened, and I jumped, hiding the phone that had started dialling Jonathan behind me. What if she went rogue if she saw I was calling for help? The woman came out and this time, the knife was no longer in her hand.

"I'm so sorry for startling you, Mrs. Carter." The woman said.

Huh?

"Sorry. Who are you, and why are you in someone's else house? Now that it looked like she wasn't set out to murder me, I dropped the call. Jonathan hadn't even picked. If I had been in a real emergency, would he have known?

"I'm Michelle. I'm the housekeeper. I should have left earlier, but I forgot my phone, so I came back to get it and was startled when I heard a scream." She said, waving her phone. She bowed her head." I'm so sorry."

I nodded and inputted the code, so we both got in. "I'm sorry for startling you, too." I was belatedly remembering my scream of happiness and how terrified she would have been. "And call me Danielle."

She nodded and took the hands I offered. "It's my pleasure. My kids will be expecting me home, so I have to get going."

I nodded and stood up. "Thank you for the food. They're very delicious."

She stared in surprise before a pleased look came to her face. "Thank you so much. It's my pleasure."

I nodded and waved as she closed the door behind her before finally taking a breath of relief. My experience today had taken at least five years from me. But from the pleasured look that came at my compliment, it meant my husband was also closed lips with her. Did she call him Mr. Carter? Ew. I almost shuddered.

I stood up and went into my room to freshen up, coming back out in an old shirt and a short and my towel still on my wet hair. Something I wouldn't have attempted with my husband around and went to the kitchen, opening the fridge. Thankfully, it was Friday and tomorrow was the weekend. I could stay up all night or do something even more crazy. I shook my head, I was thinking like a high schooler that was just sleeping without her parents for the first time.

I picked out some meatloaf and brownies and placed the meatloaf in the microwave, munching on the brownie and thinking of all the things I needed to do tonight. Since today was the first time alone and God knew when next I would enjoy this, I needed to learn more about my husband. It was amazing what a person's room could tell about the person.