A Storm Is Brewing

Suspicion

Leah POV:

Kyra Taylor was so much more than just part of my management team. She was a shoulder to cry on when things got tough, a source of knowledge when things needed managing, and a source of calmness when things got out of control.

We first met just after Leo was born; she came into the team with an infectious laugh and a comforting smile to go with it. She was good at her job. I often told her that I felt she was overqualified to just be a team member, urging her to try for every promotion that came up, but she would smile sweetly and remind me that she had everything she needed with us.

In the months that followed Sophie's return from maternity leave, our relationship began to crumble. She was constantly working and exhausted when she got home, and we argued about the most ridiculous things. We never lost love, though.

We refused to go to bed on an argument, refused to leave the house without a proper goodbye, and even when I thought she couldn't possibly fit anymore into her schedule, Sophie always found a way to attend a midweek conti cup matches.

But then things changed.

Within a week, Sophie received a retirement notice from one employee, another sprung maternity leave on her, and another suffered a tragic bereavement and needed a lot of time off. We talked it through; I knew she was already suffering from mum guilt, but I also knew how much hard work she had put into getting the firm off the ground, so I'd be damned if I was going to let her business suffer instead of stepping up.

Over time, Sophie became more and more absent. It started with getting home after dinner, reheating whatever I'd made in the oven, and falling asleep in front of the TV, then progressed to sneaking into bed in the early hours of the morning and trying not to wake me because I was due to get up in just a few hours. Within a few months, she was rushing home to see the kids before disappearing into the night again and leaving me to go to bed alone night after night.

Weekends were what I clung to for hope throughout the week. The thought of waking up on a Saturday morning and finally being able to snuggle into her back until the kids woke up was heavenly. She made an effort during those weekends, forcing herself to stay awake later so we could go to bed together and organising little day trips for us to go on.

When my match schedule increased, everything was fucked. Weekends were jeopardised because I wasn't there, and the biggest blow came when Sophie started missing my matches, sending the kids with mum instead. It was only one or two, but to me, it felt like I was losing her.

It wasn't long before the cracks began to show. Usually, this type of thing would've caused explosive arguments, but every time I brought it up to her, she would give me the exact number of days until her employees returned and promise that it would get better. She didn't even have the energy to argue.

Kyra was the first person I told about it. I knew it made Sophie sound like she was selfish, like she didn't care for her family if they interrupted her work schedule. I didn't want my family to form that opinion, and I knew that even if Kyra did, it wouldn't make any difference to our lives. She didn't matter, not really.

She was supportive; on the days I threatened to walk away from Sophie altogether, she would remind me to hang in there. She would tell me how much Sophie loved me, selflessly telling me to message her when I felt like walking instead. So that's what I did. It didn't matter if the arguments were small or big; Kyra became a sounding board, someone who never judged me when I sent a follow-up message an hour later telling her Sophie was home and we were happy again.

She was the first to tell me about the stories, doing it in the most careful way. She didn't tell me in an office full of people; instead, she asked me to call at her house, bringing me inside and giving me a look of pity as she told me the details of what was about to be printed in the papers.