Should I knock on the door first? Or burst in and yell surprise, she thought giddily. Or, maybe I should call him from my cell phone and pretend I’m at home, then tell him to open his door.

June squeezed the plate as she tried to decide, but a strange noise interrupted her thoughts. Her smile faded into a look of consternation. A woman’s voice seeped out from her husband’s office. She recognized it immediately as the receptionist, Kayla. A pretty redhead, in her early twenties, with a tiny waist and a solid D cup. June remembered Kayla from the previous year’s Christmas party. A slinky red dress and lipstick to match.

June pursed her lips and held her breath. Surely it was nothing. Kayla was probably staying late to help with filing. Against her better judgment, June peeked through the blinds. She was hoping not to see anything. But as the Rolling Stones preached, you don’t always get what you want.

Kayla sat on top of Brad’s desk with her legs spread, her mischievous grin burning a hole in June’s stomach. A hand slid up Kayla’s leg and disappeared up her black skirt. Kayla moaned softly then giggled. Brad stepped into view, his back to June. She couldn’t see the expression on his face, but his body pressed into Kayla and June heard a low manly grunt.

Is this really happening? June thought in a nauseous haze.

“I bet your wife doesn’t give you a show like this, baby,” Kayla purred, grabbing Brad’s wrist and pulling him closer.

Brad chuckled, “She’s got nothing on you.”

Kayla laughed. “Few women do.”

“Oh ya,” Brad said, his voice hoarse now with lust.

“Tell me you love me. You said it last night, but I need to hear it again.”

“I love you,” Brad said roughly, as he grabbed Kayla’s head and kissed her deeply.

Those words were what ripped June’s heart out. Maybe she could have handled the sex, but love? How could he love someone else? June took a step back from the window, hot tears pouring down her face. She started to shake as she clutched the Tupperware with Brad’s birthday cake. In a daze, she walked down the hall and stepped back onto the elevator.

He loves her.

The elevator doors opened, and June stumbled off. The rest of the way home was a blur. She didn’t know how to react. Should she talk to Brad? Maybe he didn’t truly love her. Perhaps it was a temporary tryst. Or, maybe he just needed to blow off steam. Poor Brad, he had been working so much, maybe June just wasn’t giving Brad what he needed. How could she blame him for turning to someone else?

It was with that thought that she slammed hard on the breaks and snapped out of a daze. She was about half a block away from her house, and the street was empty. June sat for a minute, the motor running, listening to the quiet of the night. Then she snapped.

June screamed like a banshee. She shook her head fiercely and beat her hands on the leather wheel. It was like she became possessed; her anger spewed over her body like a volcano. She reached for the Tupperware and launched it out the window, hitting the middle of the street. She clasped the wheel and launched the gas as she drove straight for it, the plastic popping and crunching beneath the tires. June pulled into her driveway, parked her Mustang, and stomped inside her beautiful house. The house that Brad bought her.

June didn’t stop until she got to the kitchen, and in a flash, she picked up the cake and slammed it into the trash can. Seeing the wasted effort and pieces of coconut sticking to the side of the trash bag, June screamed again. Only this time it was more animal. The pain she felt was unbearable. What should she do next? After she exhausted herself screaming, she hunched over and trotted off to bed.

The next day, June awoke to Brad gently nudging her. “Hey Chipmunk, what happened to my cake?”

It took everything June had, not to reach for the Tiffany lamp on her nightstand and bash Brad over the head with it.

“Your cake,” she said softly.

“Ya, you said you made me my favorite cake.” His blue eyes earnestly stared down at her. She used to adore those eyes. Now she couldn’t stop picturing herself stabbing him in the eyes with a cocktail fork.

“Oh,” June muttered. “It’s in the trash.” He raised his eyebrows. She wanted to tell him to go fuck himself. Instead, she said, “I burned it.”

“What? That’s not like you, Chipmunk.”

Don’t call me that.

“Nobody’s perfect, I guess.”

Brad smiled. “I suppose not. It’s ok. I forgive you. You can make me another. I’m off to the office, another late one tonight. Don’t wait up.”

She didn’t respond, but let him kiss her forehead. Rage bubbled up inside her again. “Of course, honey.”

Agreeable? Not anymore.

The timer from the oven beeped, and June jumped. She reached inside with her oven mitts and pulled out the cake pans, placing them on the counter to cool. She patiently waited until they were ready, then carefully took the two perfect circles out and placed them on the cooling rack. Nearby was her homemade icing and shavings of fresh coconut. It only took a few minutes for June to perfectly ice the layers of the cake and sprinkle the top with the fresh coconut. It smelled divine. No one would be able to tell what the special ingredient was.

“Hey there, Chipmunk!”

June’s mouth twitched at the sound of Brad’s voice. She forced a smile and turned to see him walking toward her. “Hi, honey. How was your day?”

“More of the same. But, hey it’s a living, right?”

June clenched her teeth. “Right.”

“I see you made me a new cake! It smells amazing. I hate to have to take it to go again, but duty calls. I’m sorry we have to delay that Paris trip, Chipmunk. This last minute trip out of town just couldn’t wait.”

“I understand, honey. Paris can wait; work is more important.” June did her best to fake sincerity.

Brad smiled and kissed her on the forehead. “That’s my girl.” He stopped and pointed to something on the counter. “What the hell is that?”

June turned and spotted the bottle of rat poison she left on the counter. Her breath caught in her chest. “Oh, that…that’s nothing honey. I thought I spotted a mouse or something in the hallway.”

“For God’s sake, are you crazy? Why don’t you call an exterminator?” Brad snapped.

June looked at him for a moment and then smiled. “Silly me, I guess I should just call a professional.”

Brad’s face relaxed, and he nodded. “It’s a good thing you have me to think for you. Can you grab that slice of cake for me, Chipmunk? I don’t want to be late for this meeting.”

“Of course,” she replied. She reached for a knife and held it tight. “Honey? I was thinking. Why don’t you take two pieces, in case you might want to share a piece with someone? I wouldn’t want someone to miss out on something so delicious.”

“That’s a great idea; I’m sure someone at the office would appreciate a late night snack tonight. How thoughtful of you,” Brad said, cheerfully.

“I’m just thinking of you, honey,” she said quietly.

After Brad left with his two slices of cake in tow, June waved goodbye to him from the front door. He smiled back at her as he drove off in his Porsche. As soon as he was out of sight, her face straightened, and she slammed the door shut. June headed straight for her bedroom.

The cab was soon outside, the horn beeping loudly. She grabbed her luggage and strolled through the house. She walked into the kitchen once more and stared down at the remainder of the cake. She thought about throwing the rest in the trash but decided to let it stay.

As she got to the hallway, she spotted the new pink hat she bought earlier that day and placed it on her head. Of course, Brad walked right passed it when he left and didn’t even notice. She looked at herself in the mirror, admiring her new hat.

Perfect! Audrey Hepburn would be proud.

As she slipped in the back seat of the cab, the driver asked, “To the airport, Miss?”

“Yes, please,” she replied.

“Going anywhere special?”

She smiled. “To Paris.”

“Oh, meeting someone special there, or is this a vacation for one?”

“Just me,” June said.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll love it. I bet you won’t even want to come back.”

There was a glint in June’s eye. “No, I expect I won’t.”

The driver began to pull away, and June took one last look back at the beautiful house that Brad bought her. She felt nothing. Facing forward, she started thinking of Paris and the beautiful sites to be seen. June smiled the entire way to the airport.