Chapter 13 - Melanie
Griffin and I had exchanged a few texts after I picked up the new phone.
He assured me that he was picking through the information I'd already sent with a fine-tooth comb.
After I sent him Penelope Yang's information, he told me that he was impressed with Gram's choice and seemed relieved.
Apparently, Yang had a vicious reputation.
Me: Met with my lawyer, she wants any proof that I can gather of infidelities or offshore accounts. He changed his password, but I still have the laptop.
I sent Griffin a text as soon as I got back out to my car and then started driving back to the house.
I probably should’ve told Penelope that I was pregnant, but I knew for a fact that pregnancy was going to complicate a divorce.
I wouldn’t be able to hide it forever from Ben, but if I could get the proceedings started before he found out, then maybe he wouldn’t be able to use it to delay the inevitable.
I knew that Ben wasn’t going to give up on this marriage without a fight unless we forced his hand, and right now, he didn’t have anything to hold over my head, but I had plenty to hold over his.
I pulled into a grocery store parking lot and headed inside with a resigned sigh.
I’d been gone for a week and doubted that Ben had kept the kitchen stocked with fresh foods.
The least I could do for all the support Lily had provided was make her a nice dinner.
I wandered the familiar aisles on autopilot as I gathered the ingredients for a homemade primavera.
“Melanie?” A voice called from the end of the aisle. I tensed and pasted a smile on my face as I pivoted to greet the person who was approaching.
Cassie was walking towards me with a look of concern on her pretty face.
“What are you doing here?” she said quietly as she got closer, “I thought you were in North Dakota? Ben told Billy that your grandmother had passed away, I’m so sorry for your loss.” She wrapped her arms around me in a gentle hug.
“I had to come back early to deal with some stuff here, but I’ll be going back in a week or so.” I eased back from her embrace.
“I was surprised to hear that Ben didn’t go with you…” she said slowly. Her eyes bounced back and forth between mine.
“I was too.” I shrugged and looked down at the cart.
“Melanie…” she chastised.
“Ben’s sleeping with Peter’s secretary.” I admitted. Her lips tightened into a thin line, but she didn’t speak. “I returned from the funeral to find them together… in my hot tub.”
Cassie’s jaw clenched, and she looked around to make sure we were still alone before speaking.
“Billy told me that Peter’s secretary had a meeting in HR with Ben yesterday and was walked out of the building afterwards.
He said there had been whispers about them, but we didn’t think Ben would do that to you.
” Cassie shook with anger as she began retelling the story that her husband had told her.
Apparently, Angela had arrived at work only to be escorted into a meeting where Ben, his lawyer, Peter, and the HR woman were all waiting for her.
The rumor mill speculated that she had been accused of sexual harassment.
Still, some of Billy’s coworkers claimed they had seen Ben and Angela together after hours on multiple occasions, and he didn’t look like he was being ‘harassed’ by her.
“I’m a little surprised he got her fired. I can’t imagine that’s the best foreplay in a relationship.” I snarked. Cassie gasped and then snorted back a laugh.
“I’m sorry, nothing about this is funny.” She apologized and waved a hand back and forth in horror.
“At this point, it’s either laugh or cry, and the man doesn’t deserve my tears.” I said dryly.
“What are you going to do?”
“Oh, I’m all done. I already told him we are getting a divorce. It turns out she wasn’t the first and I’m sure she wouldn’t have been the last.” I shrugged and busied myself by checking the items in my cart again.
“Wasn’t the first?” Cassie repeated. Her tone conveyed her shock, and I rolled my eyes.
He really did have EVERYONE fooled.
“It’s hard to believe, I know.” I admitted, “I keep asking myself how I was so blind.”
“Melanie, it’s not because you’re blind, it’s because of how he behaved around you… the man never missed an opportunity to show you off, his eyes never strayed when you were in the room, he always spoke highly of you, he came home when he was supposed to, he was happy to support you both-“
“Actually, he hated the idea of me working or going to school.” I interjected bitterly. “He was happy to have me dependent on him.”
Cassie eyed me warily as she thought about my admission.
“That does sound controlling.” She said carefully.
“I wonder if it was so I wouldn’t question what he was doing…” I pondered and then shook my head, “it doesn’t matter now.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Please make sure that Billy doesn’t share any of this conversation with Ben.
I have a few more things to get in order and then I’ll be serving him and heading back to North Dakota to wrap up my grandmother’s estate.
My lawyer wants to maintain the element of surprise as much as possible.
” My lips pulled into a guilty smile, “I already ruined that a little by telling him I knew about the other women.”
Cassie hummed to acknowledge my words and nodded.
“Billy won’t say anything. Can I check on you tomorrow?”
“That should be fine. I told Ben to stay elsewhere for the time being. I figured it would be with Angela but if he got her fired today then…” my voice trailed off, and I let the rest of the thought go unsaid. I didn’t know where else my husband would go and wasn’t going to bother guessing.
“If Billy hears anything about what Ben is up to, I’ll let you know.” She assured me, and I grimaced.
“I want to tell you not to bother but until I serve him it’s probably good to know what he’s doing.” I grumbled. She nodded and looked down at her phone awkwardly.
“I’m sorry, Mel, I need to get home…” She gave me a sad smile, and I offered one in return.
“Me too, Lily is supervising the crew that’s dismantling the hot tub right now and I plan on making a homecooked meal tonight.”
Cassie blinked a few times and opened her mouth silently. Then she closed it, swallowed, and tried again. “Crew?”
“Lily said I couldn’t light the damn thing on fire so I’m having it removed instead.”
“Oh…” her lips twitched, and she tried to keep a straight face.
“It’s okay, you can laugh.” I rolled my eyes and huffed, “Although, it seems completely logical to remove the hot tub that you witnessed your husband screwing another woman in.”
Her shoulders started to shake a little as she covered her mouth with her hand to hide the laughter that was overtaking her.
“Yes, lighting a hot tub on fire was perfectly logical.” She agreed.
· · ─ ·?· ─ · ·
My phone rang while I was chopping vegetables for the pasta.
“Hello?” I answered and clicked the speaker button without checking the screen first.
“Melanie, it’s Griffin.” My brother’s business partner replied.
“Oh, hi Griffin. I’m sorry, I didn’t check the caller ID because I’m busy making dinner,” I said, feeling oddly flustered. “How was your meeting?”
“It was fine. What are you making?” Griffin inquired.
“Pasta Primavera.”
“Homemade?” he sounded hopeful.
“The noodles are storebought.” I admitted.
“I’m sure it’ll be delicious. Do you think you have enough for one more?”
“What?” I looked up as my doorbell chimed. “Are you?” I wiped my hands on my apron and walked to the front door without bothering to grab my phone off the counter.
Griffin was standing on my front porch with a little smirk on his face.
“I said, do you think you have enough for one more?” He opened his arms for a hug, and I fell into them without a second thought.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I whispered, and he squeezed me a little tighter.
“If you won’t let Kyle be here then I’m the next best option. He’d be pissed if I kept your secret AND let you go through this alone.” Griffin mumbled into the top of my head.
He wasn’t wrong.
While we had never been close, Griffin had been a constant in our family for many years now, and he knew my brother better than anyone, better even than Ben.
Griffin and my brother met in their first semester of college and quickly became best friends.
A fact that had always rubbed Ben the wrong way.
I had always wondered if his dislike was motivated by a tiny bit of jealousy.
Unlike the rest of us, Griffin came from a very wealthy family.
His great-grandfather had immigrated to America from India, where he'd met and later married an American schoolteacher, and they had three children together.
It was his great-uncle who started the family company.
He'd once told me that the reason he went into security was because he didn't want to ride on the coattails of his great uncle like the rest of his family.
He admitted that he didn't have much in common with his own sibling, who was a social media influencer.
It only took one Walsh family dinner for Griffin to decide he wanted to spend the holidays with our family.
“Come in. There’s plenty!” I finally pulled out of the embrace and wiped away the rogue tear that had escaped. “Lily said the hot tub crew is almost done.” Griffin raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment.
Lily was walking back into the house just as I entered the kitchen.
“Quick, think of something else for them to demo.” She said with a cheeky grin. I rolled my eyes and stepped to the side so Griffin could step into the room. Lily’s eyes went wide, and she looked him up and down with an appraising expression.
“Who are you and do you do demo work?” she flirted.
“Lilyyyy.” I groaned. Griffin laughed and stuck out his hand.
“Griffin Bose, I think we met briefly at the funeral.” He shook her hand lightly and then stepped back to my side again.