“Grandpa had been in poor health these last few years. He passed away from rectal cancer…” I trailed off, unsure of what else to say.
The coffee cup she was holding fell, and a loud crack was heard as it shattered on impact. In a panic, she got up to pick up the shards, but a waiter quickly stepped forward to handle the mess.
Sally’s voice trembled as she apologized profusely for her carelessness.
The waiter hurriedly shook his head and tried to calm her down. “It’s really nothing, ma’am. I just need to clean this up.”
I stretched out my hand to help her up, not knowing how to comfort her. I knew that her apology was not actually meant for the waiter but her deceased father.
Soon enough, Sally was able to regain her composure. Ever the elegant woman that she was, she was able to recover quite quickly from the earlier mishap.
However, her expression was no longer as composed as it was when we entered earlier. Even though she was smiling, it was strained.
“It’s getting late, Aunt Sally. Let’s head back.” I figured that after this revelation, she’d likely not be in the mood to continue shopping.
Sally nodded. “Yeah, let’s go. You should be resting after a full day out.”
Since I was fumbling around with my bag, I also failed to notice that Sally had stopped in her tracks on her way out. I looked up immediately, only to be surprised by what I saw.
It was just our lucky day.
Sharon, of all people, happened to be standing at the entrance of the cafe. Behind her was Marcus, who presumably just parked his car and entered the building.
“Marc, let’s go somewhere less filthy,” said Sharon cruelly. The expression on her face was truly a nasty sight.
Marcus glanced at me and frowned before nodding in response.
The pair turned around to leave but were stopped by a well-intentioned waiter. “Are you here for coffee? Where would you like to be seated?
Sharon barely glanced at the waiter but kept her eyes on Sally the whole time. “Well, your establishment seems to be more suited to entertaining notorious maneaters.” She sneered and continued. “A popular hangout spot for mistresses, perhaps, but definitely not for me.”
The waiter was taken aback and turned to look at Sally as well.
The cafe was initially quiet, but the commotion had attracted the attention of the other patrons. Soon, whispers were heard among everyone present.
“What the f*ck is wrong with that woman?”
“Oh, haven’t you heard? That’s the ex-wife of Benjamin White. The one standing next to the lady in white is a scion of the Fullers, a prominent family here in J City. I think her name is Sally or something like that. I heard that she was his mistress for a good number of years but only became his official wife in the last two years or so.”
“That explains it! No wonder the ex-wife is so unhappy about this. How can such a prominent family let the heiress be another man’s mistress? What is the family even thinking?”
“Who knows! Maybe it’s true love after all?”
“I’ve heard that the couple are about twenty years apart. Doesn’t this age gap seem….a little too extreme?”
The sound of gossip was far from subtle. Sally glanced pale-faced at Sharon but did not say much else. She turned around and prepared to leave.
Sharon was quick to move in Sally’s way, thus blocking her path. “What’s the rush? Everyone is curious about your little love story, so why not tell everyone what happened?”
“Ms. Bauman, just because you enjoy airing your dirty linen in public, doesn’t mean everyone else likes it too.” I was aware that I was being a little harsh, but I could not let this slide. “You failed to retain something valuable and let it slip through your fingers. I’d suggest having some self-awareness and self-respect.”
“Are you sure I’m the one without self-respect here?” Sharon was angered by my words, and her voice immediately went up by a few octaves. “Just who the hell do you think you are? What gives you the right to be pointing fingers at me?”
Sally immediately pulled me behind her, concerned that Sharon might hurt me. “Nobody is pointing fingers at you, but if you’d like us to, just keep going as loudly as you can. I dare you. By tomorrow, you’ll be the talk of the town.”
Sharon was so angry that she was nearly foaming at the mouth. She grabbed Marcus by the arm and gestured at both of us wildly. “Marc, it is clear that they are ganging up on me here! They’re trying to humiliate me!”
I frowned. This woman clearly had no qualms about picking a fight, but this was still, by and large, a problem for the White family to sort out. Because of that, whose fault it was remained unclear to me. However, her appalling behavior was embarrassing. Was the display she gave us yesterday not enough? Why did she have to cause a scene so publicly today as well?
Looking at Marcus straight in the eye, I said, “You seem like a reasonably smart person, Mr. White. I’m sure that you’re not going to continue blocking the way and turn us all into the joke of the century, right?”
Marcus raised a brow and did not say much. Instead, he stepped aside a little and muttered, “By all means.”
The episode that happened earlier was a particularly exciting spectacle and it was definitely not a pleasant sight. With that, Sally hurriedly pulled me aside and tried to leave without bumping into either of them.
However, the entrance to the cafe was not spacious enough. Sharon, in her rage, refused to give way. Sally was reluctant to engage with her and marched out of the cafe.
I followed Sally closely from behind and couldn’t help but steal a glance at Sharon. There was something quite pitiful about the state she was in right now. Having gone through a divorce at her age just meant that her marriage was far from perfect.
What I wasn’t expecting was for Sharon to stumble in my direction and bump into me. Sensing that I was about to fall, I instinctively covered my belly in a feeble attempt to cushion myself.
My heart stopped for a moment as a chill overcame my body. The only thing I could think of was…
Having seen that I was about to fall, I felt my arm being pulled upwards by force. Another hand came around my belly and tried to keep me stable. The motion immediately snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Are you okay? Are you in a shock?” Sally held me by the arm and was now fussing over me in a panic.
I was alright, but the thought of falling gave me a cold sweat. I stood still and shakily drew in a breath while shaking my head at her. “I’m fine.”
