Chapter 3

3.

The second I stepped inside, Alyssa snapped: “Why did you claim that training program was yours?”

“This was Kyler’s last hurdle to get promoted to assistant coach!”

I looked at her, bewildered.

“Is there something wrong with telling the truth?”

Alyssa grabbed the ceramic mug off my desk and hurled it to the floor.

The mug shattered with a sharp crash.

“This was your way of making things right with him! You trashed his peace offering last night, so you owed him this!”

I looked at the broken shards on the floor and knelt down to pick them up.

Without warning, Alyssa kicked me hard in the chest.

I lost my balance and tumbled backward.

My palm slammed right onto a jagged shard of ceramic, blood immediately pooling across the floor.

Panic flashed across Alyssa’s eyes for a fraction of a second.

But seeing my emotionless stare, her expression hardened again.

“You brought this on yourself for disrespecting his kindness!”

“If you want my forgiveness, go back to the owner right now. Tell him the plan belongs to Kyler and that you only lied out of petty jealousy.”

I looked down at the bloody cut on my hand, then at the shattered pieces, and let out a quiet, bitter laugh.

That mug was the very first gift Alyssa ever bought me.

I had cherished it for years.

Now, she had smashed it to pieces with her own hands.

It was fitting, really. There was truly nothing left between us to hold on to.

Ignoring the bleeding wound, I got to my feet and looked at her coldly.

“Alyssa, whatever bond you share with Kyler is your business. Your debt of gratitude is yours to pay, not mine.”

I had asked her once why she went to such extreme lengths for Kyler.

She told me that during her childhood, her parents heavily favored her brother and often left her to starve.

It was Kyler’s parents who secretly slipped her food and kept her going.

She swore she would repay that kindness for the rest of her life.

Back then, she had wrapped her arms around my waist and purred: “Babe, you’ll help me take care of him, won’t you?”

For that simple reason, I had let them walk all over my hard work.

Now, my eyes were wide open.

Repaying a debt was just a convenient excuse to carry on an emotional affair in broad daylight.

Alyssa scoffed, clearly irritated.

“What do you mean it’s not your business?”

“We’re married! Aren’t we supposed to share our burdens together?”

I let out a harsh laugh.

Only in moments like this did she ever remember we were husband and wife.

Whenever it came down to choosing between me and Kyler, she threw me under the bus without a second thought.

The scale of her heart would never tilt toward me.

If that was the case, this sham of a marriage was completely pointless.

“Does repaying a favor mean robbing your husband to feed another man? Alyssa, do you even have a conscience?”

“You’ve pulled this stunt over and over again. Whatever we had left...”

Before I could finish, the door flew open, and Kyler stumbled in with rimmed, teary eyes.

He grabbed Alyssa’s hand, his voice shaking with feigned agony.

“Alyssa, please don’t fight with Damon over me! I don’t need the assistant coach title.”

“I don’t care about promotions. All I need is to be by your side.”

Every single time he put on this helpless act, Alyssa folded instantly.

True to form, her heart melted, and she pulled him close, cooing softly.

“Don’t be so silly, Kyler. You earned that spot.”

“And whether you’re assistant coach or not, I will never leave your side. I promised your parents I’d always protect you.”

I had no appetite for watching their tragic romance melodrama, so I stepped around them and walked straight out the door.

That evening, as I unpacked my things at the dorms, a text from Alyssa popped up on my phone.

“Kyler is having an emotional breakdown. I’m staying at his place for the next two days to look after him.”

“Do not call or disturb us.”

I knew this was her usual tactic to make me squirm.

In the past, a text like that would have had me begging on my knees within minutes.

Now, all I felt was an overwhelming sense of relief.

Taking advantage of her absence over the next forty-eight hours, I went back to the apartment and cleared out every single item that belonged to me.

Standing in the half-empty living room, a fleeting pang of nostalgia tugged at my heart.

A second later, Kyler sent a photo that shattered any lingering regret into dust.

It was a picture of him and Alyssa locking lips in a heated, passionate kiss.

Even though I had already decided to walk away, seeing the undeniable proof still stung like a knife to the chest.

The following morning, the owner brought our new transfer over to my station.

“Coach Palmer is stepping in to take over your current assignments.”

I nodded and led Coach Palmer straight to Alyssa’s private training room.

When I pushed the door open, Kyler and Alyssa were leaning intimately against each other, sharing a smoothie from the same cup.

Seeing me walk in, Alyssa stood up leisurely, a smug, triumphant smirk playing on her lips.

Before she could utter a word, I spoke up first.

“This is Coach Palmer. Starting today, she will be handling your training, Alyssa.”

Alyssa’s smirk vanished instantly, replaced by sheer shock.

“Damon Mercer, what the hell is this supposed to mean?”

Then, as if realizing something, she let out a scornful laugh.

“Do you really think threatening to drop me as a client will scare me? Let me tell you, it won’t work!”

“I am the reigning star of this club! What difference does it make if I get a new coach?”

Ignoring her defensive rant, I pulled an envelope from my leather portfolio and placed it on the table in front of her.

“Alyssa, let’s get a divorce.”

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