"She's different," the familiarly voice filled my ears and my heart. It was the voice of my first love, the man I had married. I assumed he was defending me to his friends who would undoubtedly be slandering me as a gold digger. My husband was rich, and his friends considered him important, but to me he was just Richard. All the same he they wouldn't believe me, and he rarely defended me. Now I thought I understood he wanted me to stand on my own, but in my absence, he would stand up for me. That illusion was shattered even as it still formed in my mind, "She will never betray me, and she will never go anywhere. Who cares why she likes me. Wheater it's my money or some shared history she believes in with her whole heart. Either way she takes care of the house, she's loyal, she does as she's told, and she respects my boundaries. Any way you look at it she is perfectly suited to running my home and raising my children. Paying her so much attention when we were young and broke instead of running around was the best investment of my life. Plus, young woman are so much more fun now that I'm older any way and with her always waiting at home I have the perfect excuse to create distance when I need to. She really isn't like those gold diggers. She's the best tool I've ever invested in."
"You are disgusting Richard. I'm leaving," with that stern yet silky voice drifting in the air and the weight of my husband's confession still assaulting my consciousness the door to the private room in front of me opened.
Scarlet stood in front of me. Red pants of some kind of leather clung to her as if painted on. Her black halter top barely covering her ample breasts. Her pale skin almost glowing in the dimness of the club. Her jet-black hair was in a tight ponytail and her eyes like a predatory cat shinning gold in the club lights were fixed on me.
She stormed towards me the door slamming shut behind her. I never seen anyone inside the room and I had hoped none of them had seen me, "We're leaving," Scarlet commanded, snatching my wrist and dragging me threw the club, "How long had you been there? How much did you hear?" She asked desperately trying to figure out how bad it was, how hurt I was. Scarlet was my best friend, and the only member of Richard's inner circle that didn't be little or accuse me. She had in fact come to my defense more often than my husband had.
All my old friends were long gone striped away by Richard's paranoia and possessiveness or I was beginning to suspect to systematically isolate me. Scarlet was different she had been appointed by the board as a condition to get Richard's start-up of the ground. Unambitious experience an insurance policy if he was out of his depths. Now that powerful presence was crashing against me with pressure, I rarely saw her display.
"From She's different," I admitted meekly, and she began to cry for me.
"He's such a bastard. I was trying to protect you, Ray. I figured if you never knew it was for the best."
The implication hung heavy in the air this was not the first time or some drunk rant taken out of context, this was how he always viewed me, and it made me want to puke. Even so, her use of my nick name made me blush and smile uncontrollably. It was a nick name usually reserved for our monthly drinking parties. That's where she had first used it.
"No matter how dark my world gets you're always a ray of sunshine bringing joy and hope. Thanks Ray you're my best friend," she told me before passing out on the bar.
"You'll stay with me tonight," she commanded me, bringing my mind back to the present. I for my part just shook barely. My reaction didn't matter Scarlet had made up her mind and she was a force that not even Richard could control.
"Bumped into your wife, kidnapping her for the night so enjoy your conversation and whatever tonight. Don't bother us," her tone harsh, her command absolute. Richard didn't respond he had been with Scarlet for years and he knew he was ill equipped to win an argument with me.
As we waited for the greasy over processed Chinese we loved to get when the world felt like to much, my mind raced with thoughts of what Richard was doing with this unexpected free time.
"Tell me everything," the words came out of my mouth as if someone else had said them, but I was resolved to not patiently wait in the shadow of my own life anymore.
"I'll tell you what I know, but me and Richard aren't that close, and I tend to leave when they start bad mouthing you. I'll start by saying the cruelest thing he's ever said to me and the most heartless thing he's ever done to you. When I was first brought on to the company, he brought me into his office and said, 'I was told you're a problem solver. No matter what you'll get it done. My wife I don't want her to be lonely. I can't have her looking for real friends or developing her own interests. I've infested too much into making her what I need. So be her friend and keep others away,' he said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. It made my skin crawl. I prepared my letter of resignation when I left his office. Then I met you and the thought of someone keeping tabs on you helping Richard deceive you never giving you the friendship you deserved. Well, that made me physically ill. So I stayed watching over you. Picking you up when he knocked you down became my purpose," The confession hung heavy in the air and I could fell it retexturizing our entire relationship. She had made a conscious effort to be there for me, but she had known the whole time everything about Richard and she had said nothing. She must have noticed the hurt I was trying to hide in my eyes. She adverted her gaze and began to talk again, "Do you remember the first time we hung out? It was right after we first met, I invited you for drinks while Richard was on a business trip. He took an intern with him. Do you remember the conversation we had that night?" Scarlet asked bringing the memory crashing back.
"So, your precious hubby took an intern with him. She's been at the company a week. Seems awful..." she started before my harsh defense voice cut the younger less sultry Scarlet off.
"If you just invited me out to bad mouth Richard I'll go. I don't care what his crass friends consider entertainment I don't do gossip or insults," I had responded with a harsh and finite tone. My mind continued to search, and I realized Scarlet had heeded my warning she never said another bad word about Richard or any of his friends.
"Yes, I'm sorry," I finally responded after what felt like a lifetime.
"It's fine. At the time I understood we weren't close enough for you to believe me. Then as time passed, I was afraid if I told you I'd get blamed for all the time that past with me being quiet. At some point though I told myself he was a jerk, but you were happy and disrupting that would be as cruel as he was."
"Scarlet you are truly a good friend thanks. You said first so is there more?"
"Yes, but are you sure you want to hear it all, and you will not blame me for telling you?"
"Yes, Scarlet please."
"I can tell you with absolute certainty he has never loved you. He would brag about the foresight of picking you and the genius in his criteria selection. Someone pretty enough to be arm candy, but innocent enough to be approachable and loyal. Smart enough to handle all the assigned tasks but naïve enough to never question why she was being given a list of tasks like a project manager. No family to comfort her and no friends or strongly developed hobbies. There was more, but I left whenever I could, and the picture was always crystal clear. Good enough to stand beside him, but insecure enough to doubt that. It cut me to think that's how he saw your devotion. Almost all business has been delegated for months. He's cheated as long as the company has been successful, but now he has two mistress and dates constantly. The mistress are roommates in a three-bedroom house he rents. I know this because I heard him bragging about how he's looking for someone for the third room. Such a pig. He almost never comes to the office any more just partying with the guys and spending time with his harem. His plan for your future is for you to raise all his children, and he intends to have a lot. That's the type of pig he is. Not sure how he plans on bring them to your house, but he is planning for them. I think everything else would be just rude for no reason. It's just different takes of your personality, appearance, and years of servitude. None of it nice and none of it accurate. I'm really so truly sorry Ray. I thought if I could be by your side for support and you never found out... Any ways you do know so what will you do now?"
"Gut him," I said coldly. I was not hurt or heartbroken, I was angry. I had chosen to believe in love, so I had become the woman he was looking for. I was not naturally domestic. I was originally planning to start my own company, but Richard wanted me safe at home he said. I only understood now he really meant confined to the home. He had gotten rid of all my friends, but they would have been too meek to stand up to him anyways. Thats why they had fled from my side long ago, but he had made a huge mistake there. He had chased away all my friends who were too scared to stand to close to him, or even lock eyes with him. Now they were all replaced by my best friend, a woman who openly challenged him and hated him even more than I did.
"Sounds good I'll help," she responded and I knew it wasn't just for comfort.