7. Chapter 6
J enna
Jenna stared at her phone, her thumb hovering over the green call button.
Her chest tightened as she debated whether to dial.
It wasn't that she couldn't reach Troy-she could-but every interaction lately felt like navigating a minefield.
She woke up alone, his side of the bed cold and unslept on.
He either avoided her like last night or treated her like a burden, an afterthought.
Sometimes, it ended in a fight where she felt she was wasting his time.
Troy went cold and she was left apologising tearfully. Lately, she just felt numb.
And if she was honest, she was tired of the explosions.
Sasha's voice echoed in her mind.
He's not some untouchable king, Jenna. He's your husband. Call him.
So, she did.
The line rang twice before a crisp, professional voice answered. "Mr. Bradshaw's office. This is Maggie speaking."
Jenna's stomach sank. Maggie. The gatekeeper.
"Hi, Maggie. It's Jenna. Can you put Troy on the line, please?"
There was a pause, and Jenna could almost hear the other woman's disapproval through the phone. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Bradshaw, but Mr. Bradshaw is in a meeting. Later, he has a meeting with Lila over lunch. Can I take a message? "
Jenna closed her eyes, gripping the phone tighter. This wasn't the first time Maggie had blocked her calls, but it stung every time. "No, thank you. Just... let him know I called."
"Of course." Maggie's tone was pleasant, bordering on smug. She was close to Lila and hated Jenna for some reason.
The call disconnected, leaving Jenna staring at the screen, the familiar knot of frustration and hurt tightening in her chest. She set the phone down carefully, as though dropping it too hard might shatter the fragile veneer of her composure.
In his corner office, Troy glanced at his phone as it buzzed on the edge of his desk. Maggie's name popped up on the screen, and he reached for the intercom button.
"Yeah?"
"Your wife just called," Maggie said, her tone clipped but professional.
Troy frowned, leaning back in his chair. "What did she want?"
"She didn't say."
He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "All right. Thanks."
It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to Jenna.
He did. But work had a way of swallowing his attention whole, and Maggie had proven adept at filtering the distractions that might derail his focus.
It was why he'd hired her, after all. Also, he did not want to have another conversation on his late shifts at work.
Jenna did not hold grudges and would not bring it up again, given time.
Lila breezed into his office without knocking, her dark hair gleaming under the fluorescent lights. "You look stressed," she said, dropping into the chair across from him.
Troy gave her a wry smile. "Occupational hazard. "
"Or marital hazard," she teased, crossing one leg over the other.
Troy stiffened slightly, but Lila's grin was light, her tone playful. It was easy to forget, sometimes, how sharp her words could be beneath the surface.
"Jenna called," he said, almost absently, as he flipped through a stack of papers on his desk.
"And Maggie handled it, I assume?" Lila asked, her tone so casual it sent a ripple of unease through him.
"Yeah."
"Good. You don't need to be interrupted every time she wants to chat about dinner plans or what colour to paint the guest room."
Troy looked up, his brow furrowing. "That's not what she-"
Lila raised a hand, cutting him off gently. "I didn't mean anything by it. Just... you've got a lot on your plate, Troy. It's not unreasonable to expect a little understanding."
Her words lingered in the air, and Troy found himself nodding reluctantly. Lila always had a way of framing things that made sense, even when they didn't sit right.
Still, there was this uncomfortable feeling in his chest he couldn't quite shake.
Later that evening, Jenna sat in the living room, her sketchbook balanced on her knees. She tried to lose herself in the lines and curves of the drawing, but her hand trembled, the pencil slipping.
The house was too quiet.
The kids were off at university, Troy was still at the office, and the walls felt like they were closing in.
Her phone buzzed beside her, and she grabbed it quickly, her heart sinking when she saw Sasha's name instead of Troy's .
"How's it going, babe?" Sasha's voice was a lifeline, warm and steady.
Jenna hesitated, her fingers tracing the edge of the sketchbook. "Fine."
"Liar," Sasha said, her tone sharp but fond. "You sound like you're two seconds away from crying into a tub of ice cream."
Jenna laughed weakly. "It's been... a day."
"You mean it's been another day of Maggie playing queen of the castle while your husband plays dumb," Sasha said bluntly. “Tell you what, go visit Claire. That should cheer you up.”
Jenna's silence was answer enough.
At the mention of Claire, Jenna's lips quirked into a small smile. Claire, the COO's wife, had been an unexpected ally-quiet and kind, with a sharp wit that caught people off guard.
Jenna hesitated. "Troy spends an awful lot of time with Lila. He takes her to lunches goes on business trips with her... Do you think...do you think they are having an affair?"
Sasha was silent for a minute before sighing. "I don't know Jen, I don't think so, but I don't know Troy at all. Maybe you should speak to him openly about how you feel."
"I will try, Sash," Jenna said, her voice barely above a whisper." It’s just...he is never home...he never talks to me anymore...he bites my head off when I ask for more time with him. Anyway, thanks, Sasha. I will try harder to have that talk. It’s long overdue."
"Anytime, babe. Now put down the sketchbook and go take a bath or something. You deserve it. "
Jenna smiled, a genuine warmth spreading through her chest. Maybe she couldn't fix everything right now, but at least she had people in her corner.