The Housewife's Return To Her Alluring Prime - Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Melissa was way more panicked than I was. She gripped my hand, terrified I'd make a scene. After all, Jared was a big-shot executive. She probably figured if we caused a public embarrassment, I'd end up regretting it.
"Victoria, I'm so sorry. I-I had no clue..." Melissa stammered, worried I might do something crazy.
I patted her hand gently and whispered, "It's fine. Where's our table? Let's go sit."
Melissa's eyes went wide in disbelief—my calm must've thrown her off. "Victoria..." she started, then trailed off.
I gave a cool smile. "I know that woman. She's Jared's assistant, Tracy. No big deal."
Melissa peeked over quickly, let out a breath, and led me to our table.
Maybe my dress—part innocent, part sexy—was too eye-catching, but Jared spotted me right away. And plenty of guys around us couldn't help but look up at me, too.
"Mom!" Yvonne suddenly stood up and called out.
I turned and waved, but she didn't budge. Instead, she glanced right at Tracy beside her.
Tracy looked over at me. Then she reached out, brushing Yvonne's hair gently, and whispered something in her ear. But Yvonne just hung back, not moving.
Jared stood up, took Yvonne's small hand, and walked her over. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his eyes sweeping over me.
Melissa perked up, smiling brightly. "Mr. Holcomb, I invited Victoria to dinner."
Jared nodded politely at her and then nudged Yvonne. "Say hello."
Yvonne mumbled reluctantly, "Hi, Melissa."
Melissa gushed right away. "Yvonne, you're getting so pretty, and you've grown so much taller."
Jared looked at me, then at Tracy, and finally at Yvonne. "Want to go with your mom?" he asked.
"No." Yvonne shook her head firmly. "I'm done eating. Tracy said she'll take me to the arcade later. I wanna go."
"Alright." Jared nodded and turned to me. "We're heading out."
I gave a small smile, calm as could be. "Okay."
Jared stared at me, confused. Clearly, he hadn't expected this—no scene, no anger, not even a question about the short-haired woman or what she meant to him.
He took Yvonne back to their table, grabbed their stuff, and hurried off.
Melissa watched them disappear through the door, then turned to me, her face full of sympathy. "I'm so sorry, Victoria. I shouldn't have picked this restaurant—I never should've let you see something that'd hurt you."
"I'm not hurt," I said, my voice steady. "Melissa, I don't care about Jared anymore."
"What?" Melissa's jaw dropped.
I sipped my coffee, letting out a bitter laugh. "If a guy's that clueless, trying to control him is just a total waste of time. Now that he wants to fool around out there, let him."
"Are you really okay?" Melissa asked, her voice filled with concern.
"Nope. I'm just finally seeing things. All these years, I've been focused on Jared and Yvonne. It was exhausting, and I never even got a thank-you," I said calmly.
Melissa's eyes instantly welled up, and she felt even more sorry for me, as if I was forcing myself to hold back my hurt, putting on a brave front.
I picked up my wine glass and held it out to her. "Don't look at me like that. Let's celebrate. New chapter, remember? Wish me a good future—young, pretty, healthy, and free."
Melissa froze for a second, and then her eyes lit up. She clinked her glass against mine, tears still shimmering. "To new beginnings. And may everything go your way."
I smiled from the bottom of my heart.
While we were eating, a waiter showed up with three fancy-looking dishes.
Melissa blinked. "I didn't order these. Must be a mix-up?"
The waiter smiled, "Compliments of Mr. Holcomb. Your bill's taken care of."
Melissa's head snapped to me. "Jared sent these?"
I took a bite. "Not bad. Let's eat—no sense wasting good food."
Melissa laughed awkwardly. "One of these probably costs more than my entire meal."
I didn't expect Jared to send over dishes. Maybe he felt guilty and was trying to make up for things with cash? That was just like him—seeming thoughtful, but cold at his core, a total train wreck.
Halfway through, Melissa still looked confused by my calm. She leaned in, her voice serious. "Yvonne was so cozy with that woman. If I didn't know better, I'd think she's her kid. Doesn't that make you mad?"
I wasn't surprised she would ask this. She'd watched me hover over Yvonne like a helicopter parent, terrified the kid might get a paper cut.
Back then, I barely had enough breast milk. I'd call lactation experts every day, let them prod and poke until my skin was raw, and still nothing. I had cried through that whole first month, holding Yvonne, feeling like I was failing her.
Melissa used to say Yvonne was my entire world. She thought having my "precious little girl" stolen by another woman would be like a knife to the heart.
I took a sip of wine and shook my head. "Maybe once. Not anymore. She's six—old enough to understand right and wrong. Kids aren't puppets I can control forever. Someday she'll find her own path. If she's happier with someone else, I can let her go."
Melissa stared at me, looking stunned. She let out a soft sigh. "Wow, Victoria. You're totally different now. If it weren't for your face, I'd swear you were a completely different person."
I chuckled quietly. "Growing up can catch you off guard sometimes. Melissa, we've known each other since high school, stuck together through college, and now we're living in the same city. I'm still me—I just let some things go."
Melissa nodded. "Good. You're my friend, and that's not gonna change, ever."
After dinner, Melissa tried to pay, but the waiter told her Jared had already covered the bill. She looked at me and shrugged. "I was supposed to treat you, but your husband beat me to it. Next time, it's on me—promise."
I smiled and nodded. "Deal."
Since we'd both had a few drinks, driving was out of the question. Melissa stood at the edge of the sidewalk, trying to flag down a cab.
Just then, a black Land Rover pulled up. Warner rolled down the window and said, "Mrs. Holcomb, Mr. Holcomb sent me to take you home."
Melissa scoffed, "Mr. Holcomb is really thoughtful, huh?"
I stayed quiet, opened the door for Melissa to get in first, then slid in after her. During the ride, I closed my eyes to rest.
Jared's mixed signals were confusing as hell. If he was gonna cheat, he should just ghost me. But no—he took Tracy to dinner and then turned around and played Mr. Thoughtful for me. How shameless.