Page 53 of Damaged Enemy Next Door

I shake my head, handing him the envelope. "He hasn't had the time to yet," I reply. "But it's fine, Dad. I'll find something soon."

My father looks at me with concern. "Are you sure you're okay? If he's giving you trouble for trying to quit, we will have the law on our side."

I nod, putting on a brave face instead of an annoyed one. "Yes, Dad. I'm fine. Let's just enjoy dinner. He's not giving me trouble."

"Hmph!" my dad comments.

We sit down at the table, the candlelight casting a soft glow over everything. I pour us each a glass of wine, and we begin to chat, catching up on each other's lives.

The whole while though, I just pretend to be present in conversation. My trick? I allow my dad to do all the talking and my mind to do all the wandering. I can't help but feel a sense of emptiness without Adrian by my side. I can only imagine what he's going through right now, and I pray that everything goes according to plan.

"So, Olivia," my dad says, pouring himself another glass of wine. "Do you have any leads on a new job yet?"

"Actually, I do," I say, pretending to be casual about it. "I'll tell you all about it if it comes through."

Just then, my phone beeps. I look at it, and it reads. "TV."

"Hey Dad," I say, grinning and standing from the table. "You know what I was thinking?"

"What?" he asks, putting down his glass.

"Movie time?"

"Sure, why not?" my dad says, standing up as well.

We make our way to the television room, where I have already set up a cozy little spot for us right in front of the TV – pillows and blankets on the floor.

As we settle in, I can't help but feel like I'm doing something wrong. The atmosphere is heavy, and my nerves are on edge.

Just as the movie begins, I receive a text from Adrian. "It's time."

I take a deep breath and try to calm my nerves, knowing that this is it. The moment I've been waiting for. I glance over at my dad who is already engrossed in the movie, and I feel a pang of guilt. But then I remind myself that this is for Emily and for myself, and I keep my focus on the task at hand. I take the remote and switch input modes.

"Hey," my dad frowns. "What -"

He squints his eyes at the black-and-white video playing on the screen. "Olivia," he says, standing. "What is this? Is that - that man?"

"Adrian, Dad," I say. "Yes."

My dad looks at me with a shocked expression on his face. "Olivia, what kind of sick game are you playing? Is this some sort of twisted revenge?"

"No, Dad," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. "This is the truth. This is what he's been doing behind our backs."

"What?" asks my dad. "What has he been doing? The way I look at it - he's just talking to his wife."

"His ex-wife," I say dramatically, walking to the kitchen door and opening it. On my command, the private investigator walks in.

"What is the meaning of this?" my dad sputters.

The investigator looks at me for permission. I give it. He moves to the TV and plugs in an audio wire to go along with the video.

"Dad, just watch this. If after this, you still decide that it's either you or Adrian, I will never question you again."

My statement is so permanent, so jarring, so ridiculous even to me as an option, that I think my father understands the gravity of the situation. With a sigh, he sits.

"This," the investigator says. "Is happening in real life." He turns up the volume.

Suddenly we can hear a conversation between Adrian and his ex-wife Veronica. We can feel the tension between them as they talk, and taste the bitter sarcasm as Veronica tries to flirt with Adrian, but he refuses her advances. She then gets to the point – asking for a check for one million dollars.

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