Page 78 of Broken Bonds

“You can almost be sure of that,” Alexandra yells from her place on the table, the sound muffled, the girl has her head buried in the headrest, but she hasn’t lost the thread of the conversation for a moment. As always, she’s in the know of everything. “Never doubt my ability to get away with it.”

No, definitely no one who knows her could do it.

“Your husband is so dreamy,” I hear Ashton say in a sleepy voice. “And all those photos on your Instagram feed…”

That makes me laugh, appearances can be misleading… “Do I have a stalker on my account?”

All three laugh loudly, and I don’t know which one to look at first. “Several of us,” Nathalie confesses, touching my hand with her fingertips.

“Your husband is a stud,” adds Ashton.

“Don’t be fooled, Stella,” says Alexandra. “Her husband is big and strong, and this redhead here is crazy about him.”

“Those navy guys…” Ashton defends herself. “At the academy, they must give them classes on how to drive the women in their lives crazy along with how to rescue hostages and defuse bombs.”

The three murmur in acceptance. I don’t know what to say, only Lionel knows how to drive me crazy. In more ways than one.

When I’m ready to go out, I look at myself in the mirror. Following through on what I promised, I send Valerie a quick text, otherwise, she would never forgive me.

Stella: How do I look?

Valerie: Your idiot husband is definitely going to fuck your brains out. That body deserves some boom, boom, bang, bang.

Stella: I hope so.

Valerie: Tell me you don’t have granny panties on under the dress.

Stella: No, Spanx.

Valerie: I hope Lionel has an electric saw on hand to get you out of that thing.

Stella: Kidding. The outfit includes a fabulous lace corset set.

I need to go, it’s about time.

Valerie: Have fun, take lots of photos and tomorrow I expect a full report.

Stella: I’ve got you!

I feel like a princess fresh out of a fairy tale as I walk down the stairs to meet Lionel. My dress is a very pale pink, covered by a thin layer of sheer fabric with black embroidery. It has an air of the twenties, it’s unique, and I love it. My hair is in a low bun, and my makeup, a very natural glam. My high heels rattle on the hardwood floor as I walk in search of my husband.

To my disappointment, he isn’t in the kitchen, so I guess he’s in the office.

The door is ajar, and as I get closer I can hear his voice perfectly. He’s arguing with someone. I’m about to knock when I hear the screams.

“You think I don’t know?” he says, his voice full of pent-up anger. “I’m not a fool, Mom.”

Mrs. Kral is here, and I suppose the reason for her visit isn’t pleasant.

“That woman is nothing but a gold digger, Lionel, she’s part of the charade,” she yells. “How can you live with her? What are you thinking, taking her to the ARC party? That woman is a gold digger and an attempted murderer.”

Peeking through the crack I can see Lionel already dressed for the party, minus the jacket. He looks gorgeous.

“Be very careful, Mom. You’re talking about my wife.”

Mrs. Kral gives a rather loud laugh. In silence, I move away from the door, but don’t move very far. I have to keep listening. They know things about me that I’m not aware of myself.

“Is she your wife now?” she alleges. “Since when? We both know you didn’t marry her.”

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