When Roger first started his company, I'd begged favors from everyone I knew. My parents pulled every string they had. His entire startup fund? My parents had mortgaged their assets to loan it to him.
Back then, whenever Roger mentioned any of this, his eyes would redden with emotion.
"Lori," he'd say. "I owe you everything. For the rest of my life, I'll make it up to you. I'll treat you right. I'll treat your family right."
Now?
Now it was: "Lorraine. Yes, I relied on you. But that doesn't mean you get to let your family look down on me."
I stared at this man I'd loved for seven years. I'd told myself I would handle this calmly, rationally. But hearing him speak, my chest seized so violently I could barely stay on my feet.
Then my coworker's voice cut through the haze, sharp with outrage.
"Un-fucking-believable. So what I'm hearing is you're a textbook gold-digger who climbed your way up using her, and now that you've made it, you've traded her in for a younger model?"
She stepped in front of me, jabbing a finger toward the woman.
"And you have the audacity to make her the villain?"
"You really think you're something special, don't you?"