It was still quite early, and there were only a few cars in the parking lot. I closed my car door and walked up to the entrance. I pulled open the heavy door, and made my way inside.

  I shaved in the bathroom, using the electric razor I had left in my car. I went into the break room, brewed a cup of coffee, and took a bagel from the fridge for breakfast. As I sat at the table eating my bagel with cream cheese, I thought about how, the previous night, I had snuck dow247020 n to the kitchen and hid by Mrs. Kim's feet. I smiled and shook my head. What had I been thinking? It had definitely been a stupid thing to do, yet I didn't regret it. It felt good to take risks. It felt good to stand defiantly before a giant.

  I walked to my office. It was still early, so I decided to get a head start on the work for the day. I powered up my computer, and sat at my desk. If I started working now, I might be able to leave early, and have the weekend to enjoy with Annie. I started working at a steady pace.

  Slowly, the empty silence gave way to a more typical office chatter as mid-morning approached. I continued working, until I heard a knock on my door. It was Linda. She stood in the doorway. I hadn't seen her in two days. We hadn't spoken since our last encounter, which had ended a bit awkwardly. She looked at me sternly, and told me she wanted to meet with me, at the usual time.

  "I have some big news," she said, smiling.

  I approached Linda's office door, which was closed, indicating that she was busy. I took a seat in the stainless steel chair by the door. I looked at the office plant beside me. Somehow, it was hanging in there. When Linda was ready, she opened the door, and let me in. I sat in front of her desk. She closed the door, and then took her seat. I wondered how it would go, considering what happened last time. I was a bit nervous, and kept waiting for any sign or mention of our last meeting. But she just sat straight at her desk, peering through her glasses, at some documents on her desk. She looked up at me and smiled.

  "Will, the deal went through."
  I looked at her, quizzically.
  "The merger, Will, it went through."
  "Oh. That's great."

  Linda began to elaborate on how her hard work had paid off, and how the deal would be great for the company. She seemed quite proud of herself. I complimented her. After all, she had worked hard for this. She had seemed to be respecting me, so I was more than happy to share in her celebration. The meeting was going a lot better than I had expected. I was about to leave, when she spoke again.

  "There's just, mmm... one more detail. In light of the company restructuring, and the new responsibilities I'll be assuming, I will be receiving a higher salary."
  "That's great."
  "Mhm... also, we've had to let a few people go, most of them at the other branch. We've managed to avoid that here though, through a compromise of sorts."

  She handed me a sheet of paper, with the heading "Payroll Updates for 4th Quarter." I scanned the slip of paper, there was a spreadsheet, listing about a dozen employee's names, and their new salaries. I saw the name "Hansen, Linda." Her salary had increased quite generously. I was surprised to see that the name immediately beneath hers was "Hansen, William." Something wasn't right. My pay had been cut to barely 70% of its previous level.

  Puzzled, I looked at Linda.
  "Look at it this way, Will. I had to make a certain amount of cuts. Now you know I can't play favorites, Will. Taking my pay raise into account, our household still comes out ahead on this deal by a longshot. It's win-win."
  She grinned. I didn't know what to say.
  "Oh, and one more thing, Will. The new branch used a different database system from ours. All of their employee data, client lists, et cetera, will have to be integrated with ours."
  Bewildered, I began to walk towards the door.
  "Oh, and Will... we want to be moving forward on this, understand? So, please get this done ASAP, okay?"

  I walked out of Linda's office wondering what had just happened. I had stood up to her, I had refused her sexual domination, and in response, she had cut my pay. There had to be laws against this. I cursed under my breath in bitter defeat. Still, I had to admit, it was a brilliant move. I had been insubordinate, and she had clearly reminded me who was in charge. I was ashamed to admit that she was the one in control, that she would now be the one providing the most for our household. It would have been no use arguing with her, I knew how that would have gone. I realized that as long as I valued my job and our marriage, she held me in the palm of her hand.

  I went into the men's bathroom, and splashed my face with cold water. I wanted then more than ever to escape. But still I held on to her. I looked down at my wedding band. I felt its smooth metal with my fingers. I guess I'm sort of old-fashioned when it comes to marriage, but I believe it's a sacred bond. I was fully aware of the unhealthy state of our marriage, and I wished desperately that it could be repaired. I had pledged my life to her. What kind of man would I be if I didn't honor that pledge? I couldn't forsake that pledge. Not unless...

   I exited the bathroom, and saw Linda walking down the hall. She hadn't seen me. I wondered where she was going. I followed her down the hall, careful not to alert her to my presence. She stopped in front of Cory's office. She knocked on his door, then entered. I snuck down the hallway and stood against the wall outside the office. The door stood ajar. I could see Linda's reflection in the glass window of the door. She started talking to Cory.

  "How are things, Cory."
  "Good, Linda."
  "That's good."
  Suddenly, she lowered her voice.
  "Hey, Cory, I was thinking, maybe we could get lunch again sometime."
  She put a strange emphasis on the word "lunch."
  "We could, um, discuss where the company's headed after this merger."
  "S-sure," replied Cory.
  "How about Monday, at noon?"

  As I turned to go back to my office, I couldn't be sure, but what I thought I saw reflected in the glass looked a lot like Linda wrapping her hand around Cory's pinky.

***

  I actually ended up coming back to the condo a bit late that night. The events of the day had made it hard for me to concentrate on all the extra work Linda had given me. Annie greeted me, cheerful as ever, but it wasn't quite enough to lift my spirits. We had dinner quietly. We sat on the couch together, watching television. I saw moving shapes on the screen, but my brain didn't register the images. I was thinking about Linda. And Cory. I struggled not to admit it, but there it was, right in front of me. She was having "lunch" with him. I didn't want to think about what was happening on these lunch dates.

  "Annie, I..."

  Annie turned to look at me, her eyes full of sympathy.

  "Annie, I don't think I love my wife anymore."

  Annie just stared back at me attentively. What the hell was I doing? She couldn't understand all of this. I didn't want to drag her into my mess of a life.

  "Annie, I... I don't know if I should be telling you this... I'm sorry..."
  "No, Will, it's okay. Please... whatever it is... it's okay."
  She rubbed my shoulder softly.

  I took a shower. I thought about my life. I was unsure of how to move ahead, but I knew I couldn't stand still. I washed my hair, my wedding band rubbing bluntly against my scalp.

"...I don't think I love my wife anymore..."

  When I emerged from the shower, I stood and looked at myself in the mirror. I had a plan. I was ready to fight.

  I changed into some comfortable clothes. I stood in the doorway to Annie's room. She sat on her bed in her pajamas, reading a book. She looked up.

  "Hey," she said.
  "Hey."

  I looked at her innocent face. I hesitated on the decision I had made. Then I thought I would sleep on it. A few measured seconds of silence passed.

  "You okay?" she asked me.
  "Yeah. Good night, Annie."

  I sat in bed, finding it difficult to put it out of my head until the morning. I fell asleep to the sound of my muttering inner monologue.

Are you sure about this, Will? Yes, I'm sure. I need proof. Then I can break it off. Then I can leave all of it behind me. Then I'll be free... They probably won't be gone more than an hour. Of course, I'll have to find a way to... and I can't drive my car there... We'll sneak into my office first... and if I get caught... no, don't think about that... and Annie...

  Having a sudden thought, I got out of bed, sat at my computer and quickly typed an e-mail to Gary.

***

  We sat at the table, eating our breakfast in silence. I felt uncomfortable, as if I should say something, and as if Annie was expecting me to say something. I thought for a second, then I spoke slowly, carefully, trying to distill for her all that had been going through my head the previous night.

  "Annie, about last night, I... I said that I don't love my wife anymore. This is something that's been developing for a long time, and... only now am I realizing that I'm in an unhealthy situation and need to get out of it. She's been using me. I don't think she loves me, and I think she's cheating on me. It's been hard for me to face it, but I have to... and staying here with you this past month has given me a chance to see that clearly."

  She watched with sympathetic eyes, and gave me a hug when I had finished.

  "Annie, I need to ask you to help me with something."

  I told Annie my plan, and she got quite upset. She asked if I was crazy, and tried to persuade me to change my mind. I told her about how, at Liz's house, I had snuck downstairs into the kitchen with Mrs. Kim. I would be careful, I said. I would be alright on my own. I had to do this, I said.

  "But this time," she pleaded. "I won't be there if... if something goes wrong."
  "But I have to know what they're doing. I have to see it for myself. And you can help me do that. Then I know I can end it with her. Please, Annie, help me take this important step."

  We talked for a long time. Somehow, she finally agreed.

  "Okay, Will. I'll help you."
  Her eyes showed calm, trustful submission, as she realized that I was committed to my decision.

  I don't think she could have fully understood my situation, but I think she understood how urgently I wanted to change it. She couldn't have known what I had been through, or the thoughts that lead to my decision, but she must have known how I felt. I saw it in her eyes. She knew my plan was crazy, but she knew I was sure of myself, so she trusted me. Maybe I shouldn't have been sure of myself, but I was.

  I had spent the weekend doing work at the condo, to make sure I wouldn't have too much to catch up with on Tuesday. On Sunday, I had Annie invite Liz over, since she had a role to play in this as well. I explained the plan, and asked her if she was on board. After some hesitation, she agreed. Later, I called work, fabricating an excuse for why I would not be able to make it in on Monday.

  I looked at Annie. She chewed her lips, looking at me with unsure eyes. I said good night, running my fingers through her hair, and retired to my room. I fell asleep quickly, thinking of what I had to gain, thinking that anything was possible with Annie on my side, thinking that I was going to win even if everything went wrong.