A Wifey for the Bad Boy(189)

Chapter 4

The days and nights rolled by. The sun and moon performed their eternal dance among the twinkling stars. Martin continued to needle Carrie about Danny. He rolled his eyes whenever she sent him a text or called him on the phone, and Danny was getting annoyed at her as well for he felt like she was being kept captive, and nothing she said reassured her. Then, one day, while at work she was on the way to drop off some important files to Jodie, when she overheard Martin's voice coming from the office. To this day she can't explain why she stopped and listened at the door. It wasn't something she usually did but there was something in her gut that told her to listen to what was being said.

“Are you sure about this? You've been piling the work on her. Why are you trying to make her work so hard, is this a way to fast track her to a promotion because it's not going to work. All you're going to do is burn the poor girl out,” Jodie said. Martin snorted with a laughter of derision.

“This isn't about work. I'm trying to keep her away from a bad man. Trust me, this is what's best for her.”

“Well, you know her better than me, and you're the boss, but if you give her too much more there are going to be questions asked by the others. People are already gossiping that she only got the job because of her relationship with you.”

“She did,” he said bluntly, “she gets everything because of me and that's exactly the way she wants it. I'm going to work her until this guy leaves her life and then I'm going to ask her to marry me and there's going to be no-one to stand in our way.”

Carrie gasped and almost dropped what she was holding. She turned away and ran, only knowing that she had to get out of there as quickly as humanly possible. Her mind whirled with horrid, dark thoughts, and she didn't know what to believe, but she was forced to face the truth about her and Martin's relationship and she didn't like what she saw.

When Martin returned home that night he acted like everything was normal but he knew something was up when he went into the front room and found Carrie sitting on the sofa with her hands folded in her lap.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

“I'm not sure. I'm not sure of everything anymore,” she said.

“Sounds heavy. What happened? You left work early. I'm a little hurt that I didn't hear it from you.”

“There's a lot of that going around,” she said. Martin looked at her with a quizzical expression on his face. He sat down beside her and tried to take her hands, but she pulled them away and stood up. Martin's expression twisted into something dark.

“What's going on?” he asked, spitting his words out in a staccato rhythm.

“I overheard you in Jodie's office. I know everything. That I only got the job because of you. That you're the one who's been giving me all this work, all to come between me and Danny. Who do you think you are? You don't get to choose who I'm friends with. I'm my own person!”

“Yes you are but I know what's best for you. I'm your future husband. We've talked about this. I'm only doing what's in your best interest. You won't end your friendship with that animal so I have to do it for you, and in the meantime you're getting a lot of work done which can only help your chances at getting a promotion when your position is reviewed at the end of the year. I'm only doing this for you so don't act like I'm the enemy or something, just calm down. Frankly I think I'm due a thank you.”

“A thank you?!”

“Yes. You know as well as I do that we shouldn't have a man who has been in jail around our kids. I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable leaving them with him and if this is the only way to get him out of your life then so be it. I don't regret anything I've done. Soon enough he'll show his true colors. He'll throw you to the side like every other man has done. I'm the only one that stands by you. I'm the only one that's going to be there until the end.” And as he said that Carrie knew that inside Martin lay a horrible, deadly beast, and it was as though he transformed before her very eyes. She saw the cruel malice in his face and the way that he held himself like a bird of prey, ready to swoop down and pick at her carcass. She saw the way he had manipulated her into giving up her dreams and moulding herself to the image that he wanted. She looked down at what she was wearing. Clothes he had chosen for her. A job he had convinced her to take. A life he had manipulated her into believing she wanted when all along Danny had been there, trying to save her again, just like he had in the alley all those years ago.

Martin tried to hold her again and use his silver tongue to work his magic but Carrie was immune to that now. She saw him for the monster he really was, and pushed him away.