I played baseball for a while, the rhythm of the game distracting me from the growing tension in my chest.
“Sorry, wife, I got an urgent call and had to take it. That’s why I’m late.”
I scanned his collar, noting how it had been carefully adjusted to hide the faint mark of a kiss. Without missing a beat, I said, “It’s fine. I’m tired of playing. You guys go ahead; I’ll wait over there.”
Cooper’s friends were around and as there were four of us, we paired off into two groups.
In a quiet gesture, his friends had paired Kaia with Cooper’s side.
An unsettling thought crossed my mind.
Did his friends know about his affair with Kaia?
That question was answered over dinner.
One of his friends, who couldn’t hold his liquor, got drunk after only a few drinks.
He slurred, “Cooper, you’ve got the life everyone envies. Your wife’s a goddess and this secretary? She’s as sweet as honey…”
Before he could finish, Cooper’s face darkened and he cut him off sharply.
“Shut up and go rest if you’re drunk. Stop talking nonsense.”
His hand then found mine, rubbing it in what was meant to be a comforting gesture.
“Wife, don’t listen to him. He’s just drunk,” he said, his words hollow.