Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband by Anney GW

My CEO 196

196 Alibi Groundwork (Winona)

| drive through the city to Cass's cafe, my hands grip the steering wheel a little too tightly. Abby's in the

backseat, chatting away about the dolls she wants to take to the park tomorrow.

She has no idea what I'm about to do of course, and that's the way it should be. Steve's not going to control my

life anymore, and I'll do whatever takes to make sure of that.

| called Lisa to see if she could watch Abby for an hour Mom's asleep, and Jayden's out of town dealing with

business. That left Lisa-my one constant, the person I trust most in the world. She knows something's up, but she

didn't hesitate.

| hope she's ready to be an alibi if | need one. I'll leave my car there and call a ride, or something. | don't know

yet. But I'll work it out. If Judy can get away with shit through lies and paying off people, so can I.

| don't have to be the bigger person this tor take the high road. This tI'm just going to do what I've

always wanted to do. Once he's gone, all our lives will be so much better.

I've never been to this part of the city where Cass works before. Every empty wall is covered in graffiti, but not

random tags everywhere. This is all intended artworks. | can tell. It's beautiful in a randomly eclectic way.

There's the vibe of alternative youth going here. | can see why Cass likes the neighborhood. We pull up outside

the café, and | pause for a moment, looking at the place. It's not your usual spot-more like something out of a

punk rock music video. The exterior is painted matte black with neon purple accents, and through the windows, |

can see the ‘servers all decked out in black, tattoos, and piercings galore.

All colors and styles of hair are on show, from rainbow mohawks to wild blue bangs.

The interior is dark, with edgy artwork on the walls and industrial-style furniture.

It's a far cry from the sunny, pastel cafés I'm used to, but it suits Cass perfectly.

In fact, it makes Cass look a little vanilla.

| glance at Abby in the rearview mirror, wondering if she'll be a little freaked out by the vibe. But there's no

backing out now. "Ready to go see Aunt Cass, sweetie?" | ask, trying to keep my tone light.

Abby nods enthusiastically. "Ready!"

We step inside, and immediately, one of the servers-a guy with a full sleeve of tattoos and piercings in his lips,

ears, and brows-greets us with a wide smile. "Hey there! Welcto Punk Brew. What can | get you two lovely

ladies today?" I'm taken aback by how friendly he is, but Abby's the one who surprises me. She looks up at him,

her eyes wide with curiosity. "Does it hurt to get tattoos?" she asks, pointing at his arm.

He chuckles, crouching down to her level. "A little bit, but it's worth it. They're like stories you carry with you all

the time. Cool, huh?"

Abby nods, grinning. "Do you have lots of stories?"

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196 Alibi Groundwork

"Sure do," he says, winking. "Maybe one day, when you're a lot older, you can get your own stories too."

"Now cfind a table with your big sister here..."

"That's Mommy. Not my sister."

"Really, wow." He waggles his eyebrows at me. "Congratulations, you have a smokin' hot Mommy."

| feel my face burn as he flirts. | have other things on my mind, but | need to appear normal, just in case anyone

comes asking later. | wink at him and smile.

"What's your name, Poppet?" He asks Abby.

"Abby. My Aunt Cass works here now."

He stops at a table and pulls a chair out for Abby and then for me.

"Wow, Cass is your aunt? That's amazing. I'm Ziggy. I'll send your Aunt Cass right out. | have her washing dishes

right now." He grins "She's my slave, muhahaha!" He gives a fake laugh and rubs his hands together.

"Zig, stop scaring the kids and go pick up the dishes on table five." A slim woman with as many tatts and

piercings as Ziggy, comes past. She raises her eyebrows atand smiles, shaking her head. | grin back.

"See! I'm the slave. Save me, Abby, don't let them takeaway....!"

Abby giggles as he runs away, and any concern | had about her being scared melts away. This place might look

different, but the people here are warm and welcoming.

If anything, the contrast to what I'm used to makes them even more genuine.

After we look at the menu for five minutes, Cass comes over with a smile. Her outfit is all black, still very loose,

and she's wearing chunky boots that I'm pretty sure could double as weapons.

But there's a nervousness in her eyes as she approaches, like she's worried I'm going to judge her. "Hey, Winona,

Abby," she says.

Abby jumps out of her seat and wraps her arms around Cass. "Aunt Cass! | made a new friend!" she announces,

pointing back at the tattooed server. "His nis Ziggy."

Cass hugs her back and smiles. "Oh yeah? That's cool, Abby. He's my friend too."

"Where's Mom? Is she okay?" Cass askswith a frown.

"She askedto say sorry. She's really beat today, and she's taken ssleep meds."

"That's okay. As long as she's okay. There'll be a next time."

| smile and say, "Cass, you couldn't have found a better place to work. Everyone here has been amazing. It suits

you perfectly."

Cass blinks, clearly taken aback by my words, but then a genuine smile spreads across her face. "Thanks,

Winona. I... | really like it here, so far."

"Good," | say, meaning it. "Because you look like you belong. This neighborhood is just amazing. I've never

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196 Alibi Groundwork

been here before."

Cass relaxes a bit, nodding. "I love all the art everywhere, and everyone is so supportive of each other's

differences. | like that."

She takes our order-iced chocolates with lashings of whipped cream for Abby and me, and a side of fries to

share. Abby's laughing and chatting away, totally at ease in this punk paradise.

When we're done, | pay the bill, leaving a generous tip for Cass and her crew. As we head out, Abby gives Cass

another big hug. "See you later, Aunt Cass!"

"See you later, munchkin," Cass says, ruffling her hair. "Thanks for visiting."

"We'll definitely be back and I'm bringing friends."

Cass smiles. "I might be hlate."

"We're going to visit Lisa for a couple of hours, so see you back hwhenever you get there. Call if you need a

lift."

Layering up a possible alibi is easier than | imagined.

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