The Love of Lies

Suspicious

Ashton’s POV

I took too long in the shower and because I don’t want to be late, I put on whatever Cori picked out for me. Typically, I’m extremely particular when it comes to my wardrobe, and I would have never thought to put the combination together, but it works well, and I could tell it made Cori happy to see me wearing it when I entered the kitchen.

“Cori… Why did you cook? You know I don’t have time to sit and eat.” I have to leave in five minutes to make it to the office on time, but now, I feel guilty.

“It’s okay. I packed it for you.” The woman hands me a lunch bag that I’ve never seen before, and a travel mug. “What time will you be home?” I’m immediately suspicious, not of the food, but I’m a little taken aback by Cori’s sudden change in attitude.

“Will you be here when I get home?” This is a conversation I’m willing to be late for.

If the board suspends me for another two weeks over it, I feel it will be worth it for the sake of my unborn children, and right now, Cori is worrying me.

“I-I thought we decided that I would stay.”

“Of course I want you to stay, but just yesterday you were packing, and now you're sending me off like it never happened. Can you blame me for being suspicious?” Cori doesn’t argue, likely understanding what I mean, and it’s clear that she doesn’t have an answer for me.

“Won’t Miss Linda be here?” I check my watch, noting that it’s nearly 7AM, so Cori won’t actually be alone.

“Yes, but can she stop you if you want to leave?”

“Should I give you my phone?” I don’t like that, so when Cori lifts her device, I take a giant step back.

“That sounds real ‘prisoner’ like.” I’m not sure what Cori is thinking, but if I’m asking her to trust me, I have to trust her as well. “Look, I’m running late, but I’ll be home before my family. Please be here when I come back.” I kiss Cori’s head, staring at her for almost ten seconds before I let her go and leave.

I don’t know what to expect, but I hope leaving Cori alone was the right decision.

Cori’s POV

An hour after Ashton left, I started to get text messages from a random number. I know who it is, and I know what she's doing, but I can't bring myself to respond or block her.

It would make sense that Ashton would want to pretend to be in a relationship for the sake of our children, but I don’t think it’s that.

I plop on my mattress, screwing up my face a little because I made my belly move too much. I may not be where I’m supposed to be weight wise, but these babies are heavy, and combined with my mental state, I'm starting to become a little miserable.

Mrs. Lewis should be back today, so I made sure to walk on the treadmill, and I regret it.

Just as my eyes start to close, my phone rings, so I quickly sit up, grimacing as I realize I need to pee.

The person is calling in regard to my remote interview, but we don’t even get through a full line of questioning because after I admitted that I was pregnant, the entire tone of the interviewer changed.

I can guess that I didn’t get the job, and now I’m even more depressed.

“Miss Cori, are you ready for lunch?”

“Please, just call me Cori, and I’m not really hungry.” I try to lay down, but Linda starts patting my shoulder, shaking her head while ranting in Spanish.

She’s speaking far too fast for me to catch everything, but I know she’s saying something about me being pregnant with a girl because women carrying boys are stubborn, not spoiled.

“I’m not spoiled, I’m sad.” I fold my arms petulantly and have to laugh at myself because I look just like a brat right now.

The woman sits on the bed next to me, asking if she can touch my belly. She and I start talking about Ashton, and how she constantly warned him that his lifestyle was going to catch up to him one day.

“What I said about him behind his back is the same thing I’ve told him for years. The only difference is that he likes you enough to care.”

“I hope you didn’t get in trouble.”

“Ju- I mean, Ashton is rude, but not cruel. He wouldn’t fire me for something like that, but he was upset with me, and still is.”

“Sorry for getting you involved.”

“It’s not your fault; I should have kept my voice down.” I stifle a chuckle, liking that the woman isn’t making excuses for her actions or Ashton's.

I fall silent, but my phone buzzes from another text, likely from the same person.

“Ashton says that he’s not with Vanessa anymore, but she’s been texting me about their relationship. Who should I believe?”

“To be honest, I don’t know how to advise you, but I believe Ashton when he says they’re broken up because he’s never pretended to be something he wasn’t.” The woman stands abruptly, pulling me up with her. “Anyway, regardless of whatever he's doing, your health is important, so you need to eat. Ashton says that you need to gain ten pounds to be healthy."

“That's what the doctor said, but I haven’t even seen a nutritionist yet.” The woman tilts her head at me before shaking it.

“He didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Cori, I am a nutritionist…” The woman goes on to tell me that she wasn’t making enough money to support herself and her two children after divorcing, so she had to turn to her sister for help. “Eventually, I started to work for Mrs. Lewis during her pregnancy, and then for Mr. Lewis when he needed to lose weight."

Linda and I talk about random things as we eat together, and she somehow mentions that sacrificing her career was worth it because her children are doing much better than she was at their age, making me wonder if going to nursing school was the right choice for me.

If I were smart enough to start my own cleaning company, I could be in the exact same situation and still be making an income. That’s what it appears Mr. and Mrs. Ernesto did, and as a result, all of their children, nieces, and nephews are doing extremely well for themselves; much better than me anyway.

Our talk distracts me from being sad, but my mind is still preoccupied with thoughts of Ashton sleeping with his ex during the day and crawling into bed with me at night.

“Do you think your son or any of your nephews would be interested in the suits Ashton is getting rid of?” I asked because I thought it was the right thing to do, but Linda’s expression goes serious.

“That’s probably not a good idea.”

“Why? Ashton said I could do whatever I want with them?” It takes a lot of convincing to get the woman to give me her sister’s number, and again I’m met with resistance.

However, about twenty minutes after hanging up, Mr. Ernesto called to ask me if something was wrong.

Ashton’s POV

Tio Ernesto never calls me during the day; he always texts, so getting a call from him sparked a wave of panic from deep within. My mind is telling me that Cori left and Tia Linda is using him as a buffer.

I love the woman like a real aunt, but at the end of the day, Cori is carrying my flesh and blood, so after everything happened, I let her know that I was extremely unhappy about it.

The only reason I asked her to come back is because I know that Cori will feel guilty about getting someone ‘fired,’ and because she’s a certified nutritionist, but if she says or does anything to push Cori away from me again, I will absolutely waste no time in getting rid of her permanently.

“I don’t really understand what you're talking about. What exactly did Cori say to you?”

“Ashton, my family has never stolen from yours. If you have any suspicions, tell me outright. Don’t do things in this way, it's not like you."

“You’re going to have to explain to me what’s happening before I can respond.” The man tells me that Cori offered his son and nephews my old suits, and I find myself chuckling. “I gave her permission to do whatever she wanted with those clothes. It’s not a set up. Cori didn’t grow up in this circle; I promise you that she meant nothing by it.”

“So, Michael can really take whatever he wants?” Hearing the confusion in the man’s tone works to confuse me as well, so I ask him why he’s so shocked. “I’m not sure,” he admits, realizing that his reaction is a little over the top. “You know how people can be. They give you something and three days later, they show up with the police.”

That reminds me of what Cori said Vanessa told her when she walked into my apartment, and it makes me wonder how miserable it must be to work for people who can and will use their status to falsely accuse anyone they have a falling out with.

“Cori isn’t like that, she’s also pregnant, by me…” I added that last part just in case the man hasn’t already guessed. “She’s not used to being unemployed, and right now, she really needs to feel helpful.”

“Anything?” The man repeats as a question.

“Yes, anything.”

Cori's POV

I don't know the dynamics of hired help, but once Mr. Ernesto explained it, I felt a heavy sensation in my chest.

I would never do that to anyone, but I can understand why they'd be suspicious of a woman who showed up pregnant and started giving expensive things away.

I immediately forgive the man, and although it's still early, Miss Linda is leaving because Ashton asked her to take her son to his storage unit before I choose a charity to give the items to.

I know that he's coming home early, or at least that's what he said, so instead of pouting over the countless texts I'm getting, I put on some music and start preparing dinner.

I was actually hoping that Miss Linda would make something before leaving, but this is a good opportunity for me to show Ashton that I took his words seriously, and maybe also a time for me to ask him to choose.

Ashton's POV

I felt like I couldn't get home fast enough, but when I arrived, I felt an immediate sense of relief.

Cori is home, she's in the kitchen cleaning, and the only downside is that she's listening to super depressing music.

She doesn't look very happy, but then again, she's cleaning, so not having a cheerful smile is acceptable in this situation.

Cori hasn't noticed me yet, but I don't want to scare her, so I knock on the wall to get her attention.

"Oh, you're back." I approach and reach out to touch the woman's belly, but I don't like how rigid her body went with my touch, so I let go quickly.

"Looks like you’re busy.” I don't want to tell Cori that I don't like to see her clean because it reminds me of how hard she worked for a career that I practically ruined, so I fall into silence, looking for how to choose my words.

"I cooked so I’m just putting the kitchen back in order." Knowing that Tia Linda left early, it makes sense, so instead of complaining, I choose to ask Cori about the interview she claimed to have.