Paige narrates:
It's been a few days since I met Tabatha, at the moment I find myself living with her as my friends may have a lot of willingness, but they need their privacy.
Also, my friend is single, but not alone. Her words, not mine, which I found very funny. Just now I find myself sitting looking at the sea, with the beautiful view that Tabatha has from her beautiful and big house. I can see her economic situation, she works most of the time at home and she offered me to be her assistant, since she always forgets things and the secretary is a separate issue that has her frustrated with work. I happily accept, as I will have to go when she goes to the office, or in case of keeping me in the loop go once a day to organize her schedule and company stuff.
On the other hand, Simba has plenty of room to play and entertain himself, he is happy with the weather here. I have been talking daily with my friend Sarah and Ethan, both of whom are concerned about me and my baby. I asked them in the beginning not to tell me anything about Mason, I don't want to know what's going on with him.
I love seeing my friends happy with the baby's arrival, they are both anxious.
It saddens me that there are only two weeks left to sign the divorce, only two weeks. Tabatha will be in charge of finding me a lawyer, as she has a lot of contacts.
Thanks to her I am reinventing myself and moving forward, as it was not easy with everything that happened. My mood was not the best and my baby kept me company and prevented me from falling into a depression. You may think it's not that bad, but for me it was painful and a hard blow everything that has happened these weeks. Having to leave my life, my friends, my whole world to be well and to be able to forget that guy who unintentionally broke my heart.
My days pass in normality, I pass between work and my little dog, I laugh with my friend and sometimes I meet with my other friends who have become my family in this country.
The person in charge of running the company sends me emails updating me with what is going on, but I asked him to send them to Mason, he will be in charge of running the company, he could even keep it, but he didn't want to. I don't blame him, we were almost the three years together, the least he could do was keep the agreement and wait for the time left in our marriage so we both get what we deserve.
Riley has been calling me more often, she's the only one who still doesn't know about the agreement, for her I'm traveling for another reason, something work related I made up.
This day she has been calling me repeatedly. I couldn't answer the first time, and she kept insisting until she managed to talk to me. Her way of speaking to me was strange, almost angry.
"Hey, friend!" I say excitedly.
"When are you coming back? I need to talk to you," she responds to my cheerful greeting.
"I don't have a date yet. Is something wrong?" I ask curiously.
"Yes, but it's not something we can discuss over the phone. If you don't come back in a few days, I'll come myself," she replies sternly, surprising me. She's usually all happiness and smiles.
"You're scaring me. Are you okay?" I insist once again.
"I'm fine. I hope you are too. I'll give you two days. If you're not back, I'll pay you a visit. That way, I can clear up some doubts and find out everything. I have to go now. Take care, and I love you," she ends the call as abruptly as she spoke.
I stare at the phone, not understanding what just happened. It was all too strange. I send a message to Sarah, asking if she has heard anything from Ripley since she called me, and it felt odd. My friend tells me she hasn't seen her.
"She's been swamped with work, and I think she had a medical check-up to address some pain she was feeling. I'll call her and let you know what I find out," Sarah responds.
I thank Sarah for her willingness to help me investigate about Ripley. Her behavior is not typical at all.
The hours pass, and I still haven't heard anything from my friend. I stop overthinking and focus on work. It's the best I can do for now.
The day flies by, and I don't even realize it. I leave my phone aside for the rest of the day. I make significant progress at work, and Tabatha congratulates me for everything I've accomplished in just a few days. Tomorrow, I have to go to the company to talk to the secretary and update Tabatha's schedule.
The next day...
I'm ready in the living room, waiting for my boss to tell me what I need to bring. She's wearing a tracksuit and sportswear. If there's one thing she dislikes, it's having to go to the office. She's laid-back and hates formal attire.
"The first thing you need to do is go to my office. Check the drawers and bring me a folder that's in one of them. It's the only black folder with some important documents. Be careful with the vice president; he's a charmer, and I'm sure he'll try to ask you out," she says, raising her eyebrows.
"So, he's a womanizer," I say, pretending to take note of what she says.
"No, not at all. It's quite the opposite. It's just that he won't be able to resist your beauty. I've never known him to have a girlfriend since he's always busy working. Although he comes around here often to sign papers and such, I think once he finds out you're living here, he'll come just because. You know, out of curiosity," she says, laughing.
"I don't think it's like that, but I'll be careful," I reply, smiling.
I leave the house to go to my boss's company. It feels weird to tell her like this, even though she told me not to do it at the company I won't tell her otherwise, it would raise suspicions about our relationship outside the office and I don't want them to know I have this job because I'm her friend, at least not yet. Because it is inevitable that someday they will find out.