A Shotgun Wedding with the Mafia Don-Chapter 40: A liar, a cheater, a monster

Documents piled up on her desk, waiting for her approval and signature.

Meetings filled her schedule, left and right.

"Haaah!" Sigh of exhaustion expelled from her lips, swamped with tasks that had occupied most of her morning.

It was just halfway through the day, but her body was ready to slump on a hay. But she only had herself to blame for staying awake most of the night.

Tossing and turning in her bed, she didn’t sleep a wink.

Her mind kept replaying yesterday’s event, wondering if she had done something wrong.

After her husband helped her with the ointment, she never saw him again. She heard from Taylor that he had been called to an urgent meeting and had to leave immediately.

All night, she had anticipated him walking to their bedroom door, but she had waited in vain. By the crack of dawn, she finally gave up.

Oliver was not coming home, feeling dejected and disappointed.

"Oh, why are you still thinking about him? Wasn’t the entire night more than enough?" She chastised herself, burying her face in the palms of her hands.

Wasn’t it obvious? He didn’t want her. So, why was she even entertaining thoughts of him?

"Hey, what’s my most valuable employee doing back to work...?" Her boss unexpectedly appeared at her doorstep with a silly smile on her lips. "And what’s with the long face?"

"HI! Jenny, is there something that I can do for you?" She asked, looking up from the fourth document that needed her immediate attention.

If she hadn’t filed a leave of absence for her wedding and honeymoon, her work wouldn’t have piled up on her desk.

"I heard that this would be your last day," Jenny said, as her face turned serious, and her voice still sounded a little concerned. "Are you really certain about your plans?" She asked again.

"You know I am." There was no turning back for her.

Jenny eventually crossed her office and closed the gap between them. "Just remember, if you need me, just call." Then, her boss enveloped her in her warm embrace, acting as if she were one of her children.

But Jenny had not been just a boss or a friend. She had been her mentor, her mother, and sister, all in one.

"I promise..." She raised her face to look her friend in the eyes, "...you’ll be my first call."

For a second, it felt like time stood still. She realized how much she had missed having a family. To have someone have her back.

But just like all things, it had an ending.

Soon, she had to cut ties with her friends before they became targets because of her.

After their short farewell, she returned to her work.

Until her phone rang.

"Hey, Ashley, what’s up?" She was surprised that her friend had called.

"I think we need to talk," Ashley said on the phone, sounding anxious.

"What is it?" She asked, a little curious and intrigued. "Is there a problem in the hospital?"

What else could it be?

Did her friend’s patient die, or, much worse, did her friend deliver a stillborn baby?

The last time that happened, it took her all night to console her friend.

The most common misconception about doctors was that they dealt with patients like robots. Cold. Impassive. Emotionless.

But that was not the case with her friend.

In truth, Ashley wore her emotions on her sleeve, in her collar. In her entire doctor’s coat.

Unlike other doctors, her heart was gentle, even fragile to some extent.

"No. It’s not that." Her friend said. "Actually, it’s about your husband’s friend." She informed her that Jacob came by, looking for her.

Her husband’s friend? Who?

In the short time she had become Oliver’s wife, she had only met her husband’s few friends. But one name stood out, Jacob Franco. The man who always stood by her husband’s side.

"What did he want?" She assumed her friend was speaking about Jacob.

But a few ideas already crossed her mind as she thought of Oliver’s friend.

Did Jacob come to see Ashley because her husband was starting to get suspicious?

Did Oliver finally learn of her true identity?

"I don’t know. I didn’t actually get the chance to talk to him." Ashley told her. "I was busy all day, and by the time I walked out of the delivery room, he was already gone."

"But the nurse told me that he waited for hours before he eventually left." Her friend added. "What do you think?"

That was odd.

"Didn’t he say anything before leaving?" She asked, unable to make sense of Jacob’s motives for dropping by the hospital.

"Nothing," Ashley said, sounding confused, too. "But the nurse did mention that he received a phone call before he rushed to the elevator."

Again, she didn’t know what to make of it.

Then, she thought of what Taylor said. "Oliver had an urgent emergency meeting."

Could that be a coincidence? Or was her husband and Jacob together last night? 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Or was her husband out with another woman?

Whoa! Stop that, Sophia.

Where did that come from?

Honestly, when she was with Oliver back then, even with her fat figure and the million reasons why she shouldn’t be with him, she had never felt insecure about their relationship.

Oliver had always assured her that there was no other woman in his heart. He loved her. Only her. And she believed him.

But now, things had changed.

The Oliver she had loved was just an illusion. The real Oliver was a liar. A cheater. A monster.

Still, why did she suddenly feel annoyed? Angry? Green with envy? Feeling a tightening in her chest as she thought of all those women in her husband’s arms.

"Do you think they already suspect something?" Ashley voiced out what she was afraid to admit verbally.

Did Oliver discover her secret?

Thinking about yesterday, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. When she returned to the room with her husband, he seemed attentive to her needs.

At least Oliver hadn’t said anything. But he left without saying a word. Then, she hadn’t seen him since.

"Well, maybe we are just overthinking this." She said, hoping against hope that it was nothing. That she was just being paranoid.

But more importantly, she just wanted to distract her mind from the insane idea that she might be jealous.

"What do you mean?" Ashley asked, her voice echoed her bewilderment. "Why would he come to see me?"

Then, an idea popped into her head.

"What if he came for you?" She teasingly said. "Not me." She emphasized, waiting for her friend to realize her point.

That was not such a far-fetched scenario. "Don’t you see, Ashley? You’re beautiful. A successful doctor. And single." She painted a picture that was more acceptable than her husband finding out the truth about her.

"Jacob must be one of your many suitors. Why else would he wait to see you for hours?" She added when her friend stayed silent on the other end.

"Sometimes, you and Jenny need to stop playing Cupid. You know I have no time for romance. My patients and studies already consume most of my time." Ashley just gave her a fibble laugh from someone who had no time for nonsense.

"Better that than to question you about my identity." She said, feeling as if her heart would run out of her chest from the way it started palpitating.

The idea that she already blew her cover before she could accomplish anything terrified her. Not because she feared for her life, but because she would fail her son. Her parents.

It pained and terrified her that she would never be able to give them justice.

"That’s not funny, Sophia, but I guess Jacob chasing me is better than Oliver finding out about you." Ashley finally agreed with her.

After assuring her friend that it might be nothing, she eventually ended the call.

"I guess I need to speed up my plans." She told herself.

At that point, she knew she had to act soon before her husband uncovered the truth.

Tonight, she must make her move.

Kring! Kring! Kring!

Assuming it was Ashley who must have forgotten something, she quickly grabbed her phone.

"Did you miss me already?" She playfully said, answering her phone without bothering to check the display.

"Ahm!... I..." The voice that answered was hesitant, but surprisingly, didn’t sound like Ashley either. In fact, the male tone sounded taken aback.

"I’m sorry..." Immediately, she apologized, realizing that it was not her friendly doctor on the other line. "I thought you were my friend." She explained before pulling her phone out of her ears and checking the name of her caller.

"Fuck!" She gasped, a little louder than she intended, but seeing the name caught her off guard.

Fuck! Fuck! Damnit, Sophia. She cursed a few times more, but this time, no sound came out of her lips.

"Well, I figure that much." He finally said after a few seconds of pause. "Anyway, I’m having dinner out tonight." He told her.

Then, silence.

Instantly, her stomach dropped, her breath hitched, and her heart stung as a sudden pang of disappointment hit her upon hearing his plans.

Again, why was she even reacting this way? She had no feelings whatsoever for Oliver, except hatred.

"Are you still there, Sophia?" He asked when she didn’t say anything.

"Yeah!" She answered hastily before taking a much-needed intake of air when she realized that she had been holding her breath in her lungs for far too long.

"I hope you can join me." He unexpectedly said, making her wonder if she had imagined it.

Why would he suddenly invite her to dinner? What was his game?

After vanishing yesterday, not coming home last night, and not seeing him the entire day, why would he, out of the blue, want to go out of her?

Then, she eventually assumed that it must be a business meeting that might require the presence of his wife. "Sure." That must be it.

Why else would he invite her if not for their contract?

After ending the call, she was left with just a few hours before her date with her husband.

It’s not a romantic date. It was just a performance for the public’s eyes. She reminded herself before she fell again into the illusion.

After working all day, she finally grabbed the last folder on her table. She checked the details and signed her name at the bottom. It was her last project with the Sinclair Group. Their collaboration with the Morton Group.

At last, it was time to leave.

This dinner date would be her perfect opportunity to dig into his dirty secrets.

"It’s time to take them down."