"This isn't my housekeeper," he says evenly. "This is my wife."
Lila laughs...sharp and disbelieving. "Wife? You're joking."
She glances at me. "No offense."
"Some taken," I say before I can stop myself.
Alex's arm tightens just slightly.
"But you said you weren't interested in marriage," she says, her voice cracking just enough to be real.
"I wasn't," he answers.
She looks me over, slow and deliberate. "But you were for...her?"
That's it. Any sympathy I might have been feeling for her evaporates.
Alex exhales through his nose. "What we had was nothing. And if you insult my wife again, I won't stop her from throwing whatever she's holding at you."
He nods at my hand.
"And trust me," he adds calmly, "she's got good aim."
Silence stretches.
Lila swallows, pride warring with hurt on her face.
"Well," she says stiffly. "Congratulations."
And she turns to leave without another word.
The door shuts.
I look down at my feet, covered in coffee grounds, then back up at Alex.
