Page 56 of Parker
“What are you talking about?” I stammer, the confidence I’ve built over the past few years disintegrating.
“I’ll let your husband tell you.”
“That’s enough,” Joel barks. He runs a hand through his hair in exasperation. “Sit down, both of you. This needs to be discussed with some sort of professionalism. You know I have more important things to be dealing with than you two being at each other’s throats.”
His words sting. “Joel,” I whine. “I only came in here to discuss the Adam Project budget.”
His disappointed eyes run over my face. He looks as if he could be sick at any moment. “Darling,” I say, dashing to his side. “What’s wrong? You look ill.”
He sighs. “Just take a seat, Nicky. Ebony has some concerns. We all need to discuss them. Wait here, both of you. I’ll call my mother. She needs to be here, then we need to involve the board.”
“Thank you,” Ebony purrs, her tears having vanished. “I appreciate you taking my concerns seriously.”
He walks away without a response, leaving and closing the door behind him. As soon as the lock clicks shut, she turns to mewith a sly smile on her lips. “Remember the night you won? The night your career blossomed?” I nod, unsure where she’s going with this. “I hate to tell you, but you actually started your demise that day.” Not knowing what to say, I stay mute.
“Before you walked into our lives, things were good. Everything was coming together, then you ruined it,” she hisses through her teeth. “You turned into the mother fucking queen of fashion. I’ve spent fifteen years here. And have yet to be seen…”
“Ebony,” I stammer. “I never meant—”
She cuts me off by throwing her hand across my cheek. It stings as her palm connects with the skin. My natural defenses spring into action, and I grab her by the shoulders, shaking her hard as she sits on the sofa.
“Don’t,” she cries. “Don’t hurt me.” Her hands fly over her face protectively, and she cowers away from me into the cushions.
The door swings open, and Joel bursts in to find me holding onto Ebony, my face millimeters from hers.
He grabs me from behind, pulling me off, his fingers digging into my skin.
“What the hell are you doing, Nicky?” He throws me to the side, rushing to her. “Are you hurt?”
“Thank goodness, you got here in time,” she sobs. “I thought she was going to kill me.” She clings to my husband like a life preserver.
“Joel,” I say, panicked. Tears spring to my eyes as I watch him comfort her. Familiar insecurities surface. “She goaded me. I lost my temper. She provoked me.” He turns on me, his eyes dark with fury.
“Nicky,” he snarls. “Get out and go home. I’ll talk to you later. We’ll get to the truth, but right now, my friend needs me. You terrified her. I’ve told you she’s vulnerable. What the hell were you thinking?”
“What?” I say, stunned. “She’s setting me up. How can you not see that? I’m your wife. You should be on my side.”
“Don’t be such a drama queen. Now go. I’ll talk to you at home. You have a lot of explaining to do.”
My heart is breaking; he believes her. He’s taking her side over mine, and I don’t even know what I’m accused of. Ebony snuggles into his chest. Her body shakes as she fake-sobs. Joel strokes her hair and talks quietly to her, reassuring her.
I watch on in horror. Imelda appears at my side, taking my arm. She leads me from the office, and I follow her dumbly.
***
It’s mid-afternoon on a Wednesday. I’m sitting at home, alone, confused, and scared.
In our six years of marriage, I’ve never felt so furious with Joel. He’s always been my number one supporter. But today, he believed her over me. He treated me like the guilty party, when I don’t know what the charges are.
For the first time in years, I want the oblivion that alcohol offers, and I was sorely tempted to stop at the off-license on the way home. I parked, then stared at the keys in my hand before restarting the car.
If I drink, Ebony wins. She wants to destroy me, and I can’t let that happen.
Later, my relapse would devastate Joel upon his return home. But judging by the look on his face today, he has already surpassed disappointment in his wife. What hurts most is that he never asked my side of the story. I wasn’t allowed to explain my actions.
As Imelda led me away, Ebony turned her head on my husband’s chest and flashed me an evil smile.
The award for drama queen of the year goes to her.
