Cindy had just arrived when I got there. She acted normal as if nothing was going on. The devil herself.

“Good morning boss,” she smiled broadly.

“Hi Cindy,” I greeted her, looking at her from top to bottom, then I headed to my office.

The sound of her heels told me that she was following me. She came into my office and sat opposite me.

“Cindy, you should take your stuff now from my office because I’m back for good,” I instructed.

“Oh,” she said rolling her eyes.

“Yes, and you may go back to your office,” I said quickly.

She stood up without saying a word and removed her pictures from my wall. I watched in pleasure. Taj came in with my cappuccino and croissant filled with bacon and cheese.

“Thank you so much sweetie,” I thanked Taj.

I kept my day as busy as possible, double-checking all the stock and the work that Cindy did. It was high time to find a replacement or someone who could be her superior. She knew her job so well, but I’m not sure what was giving her the wings to be a husband snatcher. Time to knock off arrived and I closed my laptop.

My back was already tired and needed some magic hands to give me a back massage.

Tony was home early and he was closing the garage. I was holding my umbrella and wanted to get into the house without talking to him.

“Babes,” he called out. I continued to walk and he pulled me to him. I laid my head on his warm chest and stopped the tears from coming out.

“I’ll fix this and I’m sorry,” he apologised.

I’m not sure what he was apologising for because I didn’t confront him. I moved away from my husband and headed to the house.

“Good evening madam,” Namhla greeted me happily, holding Tasha.

“Good evening Aunty Namhla, you can call me Mrs Morongwe. Hope Tasha didn’t give you problems,” I said taking Tasha from her.

“Not at all, she’s a good baby.”

“I’ll take a shower quickly and come and join you guys for supper,” I gave her my baby back.

“Not a problem. I’ll feed Tasha so long and will set the table,” she said softly.

I quickly went upstairs to take a shower. Tony opened the bathroom door.

“Babes, I want to join you,” he said.

He didn’t even give me the chance to respond, and I saw him standing next to me. The last thing I wanted right now was to be as far away from him as possible. In my mind I kept on seeing the images of him kissing Cindy passionately.

“I’m already done, but you can go ahead,” I said, taking a bath towel to dry myself.

“At least give me a chance to talk to you babes,” he said softly.

The truth was that I was tired of keeping up appearances because it was costing me my happiness. Tony came and kissed me on my cheek. I could feel my eyes getting teary, but this wasn’t the place to show them. I changed into something warm and went downstairs to join Namhla and Tasha.

Namhla showed me my seat I nodded my thanks. We waited a little while for my husband to join us and once I said grace, everyone dived into their meal.

I’m sure Namhla felt the tension in the lounge because she picked Tasha up.

“Don’t worry about the dishes Aunty, I’ll do them,” I smiled at her.

Once she was out of sight, Tony tried to reach out to me.

“I’m sorry for not being a good husband lately,” he confessed, “I promise to do things differently now.”

“Are you apologising for not spending time with us anymore or you’re feeling guilty about something you can’t share?” I asked with anger.

“There’s nothing wrong I have done besides not being with you guys,” he lied through his teeth.

I thought he would confess the truth and ask for forgiveness, but I guess I was fooling myself. He was so into that wretched girl I had picked from the dust. Standing up slowly, I picked up the plates at the table and went to the kitchen to do the dishes.

I decided that tomorrow I’d meet up with Danie, a very reputable lawyer. He was the one who managed the legal side of my business. It was time to know what I’d lose or gain should things end between Tony and I.

***

Tell us: Do you think Monica will go ahead with the divorce?