The Work Wife

Exes

"I don't know what all that was back there," I tell him as I drop onto a lounger far away from the rest of the group.

"Just Chase being a drunken fuck," Logan says irritably as he sits across from me.

"Okay, well, I have never seen Chase drunk like this, and I'm not going to lie, I don't appreciate how he is talking to me or how he is taking this situation. I talked to him about us last night, and he seemed to be fine with it." 

Logan sighs. "Chase and I have known each other for years, so unfortunately, he knows about my past fuck ups and he's taking it out on you." 

"Look, I don't need to know your whole relationship history; whatever this is between us is still so new, but if this is going to go any further, I need to know about Tessa. Chase name-dropped for a reason." Logan shakes his head, clearly annoyed. I didn't think we'd have drama this early either. We're still both supposed to be basking in our after-sex glow. 

I drop my glass to the ground by my foot but realize I may need a large gulp of alcohol for this conversation.

"Tessa was...where the hell do I start?" Logan scoffs as he shakes his head, "She was a part of our little gang in college. We had a relationship off and on after college, and she went to work for Chase for a little while."

"Wait, wait, is this the same Tessa who worked as a coordinator at Havicore for a couple years?" I ask, beyond confused.

"Yeah, Chase got her hired when he was still doing marketing there. Anyway, she and I were together when I was creating my bikes and my company." He runs a hand down his face, clearly uncomfortable with telling me this story. "I kinda told her I would be ready to settle down once I got my company on its feet. She helped me through my... darker times, thinking we'd get married once I had a steady income. Well, I started to feel like she was just holding out, hoping to get rich when I launched my company. But I couldn't guarantee her anything. It was a start-up; there were no guarantees," Logan states, and I can tell he's frustrated.

"So...I know you didn't have a girlfriend at your launch party because you were there without a date."

"We didn't even make it close to the launch party. She didn't even make it to when the prototype came out."

"What happened?"

"She wouldn't stop talking about money. Everything about our future revolved around me having a lot of money, and it was so much pressure. I was twenty-seven, engaged, living in her sister's basement, and working crazy hours trying to get everything together. I couldn't ask my parents for money, and I knew my brothers didn't have any. Chase was an early investor, and I didn't want to let him down or throw his money away. I was stressed and couldn't handle the pressure. So...I cheated on her. To force a breakup. In the end, I loathed her."

I sigh and then snatch my drink off the floor. I take multiple gulps while trying to digest this.

"I'm not perfect, Stella. I fucked up, and I fucked her over. Chase thought I was self-sabotaging, but he never saw Tessa's true colors. He thought I was close to having it all, and I ruined it all by cheating."

"He did mention to me he worries about your tendencies to self-sabotage."

"I worked so fucking hard. You have no idea. That's also why I was drinking so heavily at the party, because I thought I had worked so hard for something so fragile. Between my brother's shit and my lack of self-confidence... and then you snapped me out of it. I am trying to enjoy life now that I have the money to do so. I went so long scrounging and working so hard that I'm just now trying to grab life by the ass. I can breathe for the first time in a long time. I'm not who I was back then. That's why I am mad Chase even mentioned Tessa."