Chapter 14

Shirley

Ralph: Hey, beautiful. Sorry about the last few days. I came down with a cold and had to be hospitalized. I just woke up an hour ago.

Aww, poor thing.

Anya: Oh my! I’m so glad you’re okay.

Ralph: Don’t worry about me, sweetheart. -heart emoji- I’m fine.

I want to gag as I read his message, but swallow down the sensation as I remember who’s in my company. Plus, I need to search for the perfect thing to say. It’s been days since I’ve heard from Ralph, seen him - a situation that I should rectify as soon as possible. I can’t let the loss of time affect the plan.

Finally, I come up with an idea that’s purely sinful.

Anya: Well, I’m sorry you had to miss the Halloween party. Especially because you didn’t get to appreciate my costume.

“Anya,” Keith begins, trying to gain my attention.

But I’m too busy. Following my text, I immediately send Ralph a few photos I’d taken earlier in the night. They’re all of me in my hotel room, striking multiple sexy poses that highlight some of my best “assets.” As I send the last photo, I smile down at my work.

“Who is that?” Keith tries again, seeming to notice my glee. However, I’m left ignoring him a second time as my phone lights, ringing loudly around us.

“Hello?” I feign surprise as I answer, not at all bothered by Keith’s grunt.

“Those are some impressive photos,” Ralph purrs into my ear and I hate how close his voice sounds. “You’re right. It's a shame I wasn’t there to see the costume in person, kitten.”

Now I really want to cringe. As I hear him use the same remark the rogue wolf made earlier in the night, it makes me sway a little, tilting the world around me. But I steady myself as I pinch my arm, putting everything back in its place.

“I’m glad you like it,” I tell him.

“I wish I could see you,” he breathes. “If it weren’t for this cold then I’d be driving straight to your place right now.” His voice dips as he finishes, hinting at his obvious lust after seeing my photos.

“Hmmm, well, why don’t I come see you?” I ask. Now my company is deathly quiet, listening carefully to my every word.

“You’d do that?” he asks, both astounded and flattered. “But…I could get you sick.”

“I don’t care,” I retort. “I want to see you. In fact, I need to see you. I can be there in thirty minutes.”

I figure that’s how long it will take to walk to the hospital. It’s on the other side of town, but it’s still doable. And thankfully, I’ll be walking down more busy and well-lit streets along the way.

“That sounds perfect,” Ralph says then, clearly excited as I hear him shift. “I’ll see you soon, baby.”

“See you soon.”

Well, no turning back now, I guess.

Without another word, I slide my phone back into my purse, lifting my chin as I begin to walk again. Only, this time I’m not headed toward my hotel, but in the opposite direction.

“Where are you going?” Keith demands, grabbing my arm before I can get very far. I have no choice but to stop right in front of him as I take in his frown.

Good. Let him disapprove.

“Ralph woke up,” I inform him, pulling my arm away. As my words land, I watch as his head snaps back as if I’ve struck him.

“And you’re going to see him? Now!?” he scolds, swiftly shaking his head. “Jean is there taking care of him. He doesn’t need you.”

His last words feel like a stab in my side as I take a step away from him, doing everything I can to keep a lump from growing in my throat.

“She put her entire life on hold to be there for him while he was in the hospital,” he continues. “You should respect that - respect her - and leave space for them to be alone together.”

I don’t need this. I don’t need him throwing Jean in my face, reminding me - once again - how awful he thinks I am when he doesn’t know the first thing about what’s going on. Being alone with Ralph is dangerous and definitely not what Jean needs.

I’ve had enough of this. Enough of him.

“Oh, but that doesn’t matter, right? Not to me?” I fire back at him. “I’m just an evil minx in a coquettish dress who loves fooling around with mated men.” I make sure to shoot a glare in Lily’s direction, causing her to look away. But she still manages a scoff, showcasing how she still thinks she’s so much better than me.

I don’t care, though. Let her believe whatever she wants or think whatever she wants. It doesn’t even matter if she goes and tells every wolf in the pack that I walked across the whole town in the middle of the night to see Ralph. She’s upset me too much for me to worry anymore.

“So you’re going,” Keith states - yes, states - dryly as I turn back to him. I can tell with every second that passes that his impression of me is only getting worse and worse.

But I just can’t care anymore.

“What can I say?” I ask with a shrug. “Some whores just can’t help themselves.”

He’s livid. Completely and utterly livid. If there was ever a picture of perfect, unadulterated anger then Keith mirrors it exactly. But I don’t let it shake me, I only let it fuel me as I hold his eyes for another moment.

And only when I’m certain that he has nothing else to say do I leave.

~

Ralph is beside himself when I arrive at the hotel, giving me wide grins and approving looks as he takes in my costume. I pretend to be bashful as he stares at me or we make light conversation, but I know my quiet nature can be blamed on Keith and his ignorant Gamma.

“Thank you for coming,” Ralph says sincerely. “It means a lot. Honestly…you’re one of the best people I’ve ever met.”

The comment hits me like a slap in the face. It makes bile jump from my stomach, climb up my throat, and threaten to fall from my mouth as his words echo through my mind.

All I’ve heard all night…almost everyday since I got here…is how terrible I am, how ashamed I should be. The words basically feel tattooed in my skin at this point, burning hot each time I acknowledge them as if someone is going over the ink again and again.

Keith. Lily. Random people on the street. All they have to say about me are awful things that strike me to the core despite them not being true. But they make them feel true.

And now here was Ralph. A disgusting, selfish, and complete monster of a person…and he’s telling me I’m one of the best people he’s ever met. Looking at me like I’m an angel who’s just walked straight out of heaven.

So…if such a horrid person sees something in you, makes you feel adored…then maybe in some sick, twisted way…that makes you horrible too.

I swallow as the thoughts fall down on me, glancing toward the edge of the bed. I don’t thank Ralph for his compliment, his kind words. I just remain silent as I reach forward, taking his hand nearest to mine.

I smile, and I try to keep it there. Even as I realize how perfectly his hand fits in mine.

~

“Did he do something?” I ask Jean, gripping her hand tightly in my own. We’re currently seated on a couch within her sitting room, only a lamp lighting the space around us as the sun went down hours ago. It’s nearly eleven o’clock now, but the late hour didn’t stop me from coming over immediately when Jean had called me in tears.

And tears are still falling in her face now as she looks toward the ground, her lips trembling.

“Yes…” she whispers.

“What happened?” I prompt her, desperately needing more. I know Ralph isn’t here as he’s still in the hospital, but I’ll drive across to pay him a “visit” if I have to.

“I-it’s the nanny,” she finally says. “I saw her earlier tonight -“ Jean has to pause as her voice catches, swallowing a few times. “She was crushing up sleeping pills, sneaking them in Eliot’s bedtime bottle.”

“What!?” I ask, my jaw dropping.

“I was completely beside myself. I asked her what she was doing, hoping I had been mistaken. But she admitted everything,” Jean continues, no longer to contain her sobs. “She said that Ralph had told her to do it - he even taught her how. Apparently it’s what he does when he’s home and doesn’t want Eliot to disturb him.”

Oh, that fucking asshole. I can’t help but grip Jean’s hand tighter, trying not to jump up from the couch as she continues.

“But…but she didn’t stop there. She eventually let it slip that…that Ralph had been sleeping together,” Jean says, each passing word making my face grow hotter. “She said they haven’t fooled around in months, but…but I can’t believe he’d do this, Shirley. I really can’t.”

I can. After everything he’s already put Jean through, Ralph is no longer capable of surprising me. I wrinkle my nose, shaking my head as I think about the man I saw in the hospital the night before, how I’d allowed him to hold my hand. I can’t believe I’d actually compared myself to him, convinced myself I was just like him.

“I fired her,” Jean states. “I feel awful, but I can’t have her around Eliot. Or me. Not after that.”

“You did the right thing,” I tell Jean dryly, our hands shaking within each other’s - hers from heartbreak and mine from pure anger.

“But,” I begin again, my stare burning at a spot on the wall above Jean’s ahead. “I think it’s time to make Ralph really pay.”