Chapter 3

3

Because I loved her, I chose to believe her lies for a little while longer. I wanted to give our marriage one last chance.

I told her plainly that if she ever cheated, we were done.

She responded with nothing but impatience.

After that, she became even more brazen about spending time with Silas.

My heart finally turned to stone after being disappointed over and over again.

I loved her, but that didn't give her a license to walk all over me.

I stared at her now, my gaze freezing cold.

"You don't get to decide what kind of person I am."

"And let me remind you―emotional cheating is just as disgusting as the physical kind."

Aria's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. She was stunned by my sudden coldness.

In the past, I had always pampered her. My current attitude was something she hadn't expected.

I didn't want to waste another second on them. I walked away.

Sensing that I was genuinely angry, Aria shouted after me. "Bennet! Wait for me! I'll come find you as soon as I drop Silas off!"

I had heard that empty promise too many times in the last two months. I didn't look back.

At the after-party for the awards, I drank a lot of bourbon.

When it was over, a colleague offered to drive me home, but I waved him off.

That house wasn't a home anymore. It was just a hollow building.

I was walking with my head down, reflecting on our marriage, when I saw Aria standing in front of me with her hands on her hips.

She was wearing the teddy-bear coat I had bought her for Valentine's Day. She looked furious. "Why did you drink so much? Don't you know it's bad for you?"

Usually, she wouldn't care if I drank myself to death. The fact that she came to pick me up was a surprise.

Maybe it was guilt. Or maybe she was just trying to cover her tracks.

I struggled to stand straight, my body swaying. Aria reached out to steady me.

The moment she touched me, I jerked my arm away in disgust.

A wave of revulsion rose from the pit of my stomach.

I looked her in the eye. "Maybe I'll just drink myself to death. That would make things easier for you and Silas, wouldn't it?"

Aria's face tightened. "I know you're mad because I missed the ceremony! But Silas had a medical emergency! I've told you a thousand times―his partners stole everything. He's in a dark place and he's fragile."