All characters are over eighteen. An abused woman owes her spouse nothing.
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*****
"I appreciate your concern, Richard," I said over the virtual call. "Like I said, I'm doing fine."
"That's great, Liv," my husband said. "Managing your business must be rough, especially right now."
"I'm handling it. Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?"
"Nah, I just wanted to make sure we're ending things on good terms. Take care of yourself, babe."
Richard hung up without another word. Those stress-relieving exercises must've worked because I was silent for a full five seconds after he was gone.
"Fuck you, Dick!" I bellowed.
He wasn't trying to part on "good terms." The only reason he called was to make sure things ended on his terms. One last act of control before our separation became permanent.
I was all too aware of how impotent my rage was. The terms of our divorce were clear: I had no way of hurting him professionally, where it would've really hurt.
Richard was running for office as a politician. His platform was one of vocal support for local businesses. That was part of his public justification for the divorce: generously sacrificing his marriage even as he would continue to support me by arguing on my behalf. With him holding a wide lead in the polls, there was nothing I could do that wouldn't allow him to portray me as a vindictive ex-wife.
The only thing I could still take comfort in was my appearance. Richard had said all sorts of things as part of his regime of abuse, but even he never denied that I took care of my body. I was a busty, voluptuous five-foot-two natural redhead. That was the one thing he could never take from me.
I was examining my reflection when an idea presented itself. My current laptop had been a 'gift' from Richard. As the CEO, I could get my own company-issued laptop. Better yet, after everything was transferred, I could take the old one home and smash it. It was more spiteful than anything, but I felt euphoric just picturing it.
Calling the IT department, I said, "Hey, Aaron."
"Hey, Liv. What's up?"
"Have you got any inventory laptops?"
"Sure," he said. "Did you break your current one, or did you just want a temporary device?"
"Actually, I'd like to transfer everything from my current one to a permanent replacement."
"Hmm. I could make that work, but it'll take a while. I need to head out and pick up my son."
"Oh, okay," I said, slightly disappointed that small vengeance would have to wait. "Think you can take care of it tomorrow?"
"Actually, why don't you come down? Oliver volunteered to stay late to complete some of our scheduled server updates before next quarter."
"Did he really volunteer, or did you coerce him?" I joked.
"A bit of both," Aaron replied enigmatically. "He asked for it all on his own, but I certainly dropped some hints that I thought he would be the perfect man for the job."
"Wow! He must be good if even you think he's competent enough to do your job. Maybe this is my chance to finally replace one of my highest-paid employees with someone more junior."
"Go ahead. I'll just start my own company and pay the kid more than whatever you offer him."
"Sounds demanding," I laughed. Aaron and I had made jokes about each other's employment for years. "How about we settle for deciding if he's suitable for acting as your stand-in while you go on that long-overdue vacation with your family?"
"Deal."
*****
It wasn't often that I agreed with my more gossip-prone employees, but I had to admit Oliver was kinda cute. It didn't hurt that he took off his glasses whenever he wasn't working. It made his dark brown eyes and handsome young face stand out more.
"Hey, Oliver," I said once I made my way down to IT. "Is this a good time?"
"No, I'm in the middle of a multi-million dollar drug deal that's so profitable I'll be able to buy world peace and... just kidding," he said with a welcoming smile. "Come on in."
Once I finished laughing, I followed him back to the work area. Our IT office was situated between two parallel hallways. The glass doors and walls gave it a very sci-fi feel. Aaron called it the 'JP' and made all his employees swear an oath of secrecy never to tell me why.
Oliver and I already knew each other. Part of my orientation program is to make sure that every new employee interacts one-on-one with every manager they will likely encounter, including me. As someone who studied Hofstede in college, I tried to create a culture that broke down perceived power distance between employees. Everyone works better when they view their coworkers as peers instead of someone who has the power to fire them. Plus, I preferred being called by my first name even when I was married.
"Think you can finish it by the end of the day?" I asked him.
"Yes, but I'm afraid company policy requires that for a high-risk device like yours, at least one level four or higher supervisor has to be present, so you'll have to remain until it's finished."
"Oliver, I'm the CEO of this company. I think I can bend the rules. Can't I just pick it up first thing in the morning?"
"No," he said, although he looked visibly uncomfortable. "I'm afraid I can't make an exception."
"Good," I smiled. "I was just testing you. I don't have a problem with waiting."
The sad truth was that I had nothing better to do with my freedom. That's how much control Richard had over me. I'd resisted believing that the man I'd once genuinely loved had turned our relationship toxic until it was too late.
Fuck you, Dick.
