#Chapter 20 - Know Your Place

The following day I deliberately did my best to avoid James at all costs. I’d decided to take the subway to work and enjoy the time with myself without having to feel the overwhelming pressure of having to keep up the appearance of James Derek’s wife. When it was just myself, it was a time when I could be who I really was. Granted, I was dressed to perfection and made sure my shoulders were always squared back...But other than that, I was just me. When I officially clocked in for work, I made sure to set all emotional issues toward James aside and carry on with my work as normal. I still managed to handle all of my secretarial responsibilities as professionally and as orderly as possible. When I got a few moments to myself, I decided to fix myself a cup of tea in the communal office kitchen. A few of the other workers came in and were lightly chatting about some sort of current event. “Hey,” one of them approached me with interest. “Did you hear the news?” “Um, what news?”