Page 36 of Yours Suddenly

“Stunning. Anyways, Roman?” Mama says. “He has some guests over and, yes, they have a meeting in his office. He didn't appear too happy to have them. Unexpected and uninvited.”

“Oh,” I say.

“It would be a good idea to take him some food,” Mama continues. “Try and fish him out of that room and make him interact with people.” She gestures at the foyer at large impatiently. “It’s always work, work, work.”

Matthew behind her nods emphatically.

The food for the party is laid out on the dining room table. I put some steak and chips and ketchup, some caviar, and oysters, and prosciutto, and creamy pasta on a plate. A little chaotic but that’s how he likes to eat. I glide to his office, humming along to the music, receiving compliments from guests about my dress and giving them back, telling the kids to be even more rowdy than they are and wondering, not for the first time, when our first little bundle of joy is coming.

I pick a chip from the plate, popping it into my mouth. He loves it when I pick from his plate. He thinks it’s intimate, sexy even. So I want him to see me do it. Who knows, maybe a girl might just fall pregnant. If I’m not already…

I’m outside his office door and the voices behind it float to me.

“…would love to work together in the long term,” a stranger’s voice says.

“I'm sure you would,” Roman says.

“Yes,” the man replies. “With your superior flair for business, skill in, uh, dealing with competition effectively, and our experience, I'm sure we could take the real estate development market by storm.”

“I'm not interested in new partners, particularly those who come uninvited when I'm enjoying time with my family,” I hear my husband say frostily.

“I hear you, I hear you,” another man says. “I would want to spend precious time with such a beautiful family as well. You're a lucky man, Trent.”

“In what way, Gareth?” Roman asks.

“You and your wife seem to be in love. Love is a very rare thing. As you know, most of us marry for power.”

Roman makes an annoyed, dismissive sound. “There is no love,” he says. “She is just a wife. I have yet to experience this true love you talk about. If that's ever going to happen, then that woman hasn’t come into my life yet.” A pause. “My wife… she makes a good, loyal partner. That's it.”

“Damn,” the first man says. “Here I was, thinking you were the luckiest man in the world.”

“You were mistaken,” Roman says coldly.

I don't hear the rest of the words exchanged.

I step away from the door. One, two, three backward steps, and then do a one-eighty.

The plate I'm holding is shaking so badly in my hand, but I maintain a firm grip on it. I don't want to drop it and have them realize I was standing by the door.

“Are you alright?”

An older couple who I know to be cousins of Mama watch me as I come down the stairs.

I put a smile on, even though I can feel the tears stinging my eyes. “I'm fine,” I say.

“It must be pregnancy hormones,” the woman says sympathetically.

“What?” I say, my voice wobbling.

“Poor thing,” she says. “Here, I'll take that. You should get some rest.”

“Oh, I — thank you,” I say, handing her the plate as I turn to go back up the stairs, hoping I don’t come across anyone else, particularly all the men in that room.

I text Adrianne:have a headache, just gonna lie down for a bit, and she texts me back two worried-face emojis. Then:do you have Tylenol?

Me:I have some in my room. Thanks.

Adrianne:I’ll come up to check on you

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