Chapter 3

2

The next morning, I sat in the conference room for two hours.

Gavin never showed up.

I drove to his office, only to be told by his assistant that he wasn't coming in.

By late afternoon, an anonymous text popped up on my phone.

It was a photo of Gavin and Skylar at a high-end rooftop lounge.

They were attending a friend's birthday party.

Skylar was clinging to his arm as his plus-one.

When I walked into the VIP section of the lounge, the music seemed to drop in volume.

Skylar saw me and quickly wiped the smug grin off her face, hiding behind Gavin like a frightened kitten.

Gavin's face darkened, but he forced a stiff smile.

"What are you doing here, Jade?"

I didn't say a word. I picked up a glass of red wine from a nearby table and threw it right in his face.

"Why didn't you show up this morning?"

"You skipped our legal meeting to play house with her at a party?" I sneered.

Gavin stood there, wine dripping from his chin, his face turning a dangerous shade of purple.

"This is my best friend's birthday. Have you lost your mind?"

"Are you trying to ruin my life in front of everyone I know?"

The wealthy crowd around us began to whisper, their eyes judging my every move.

One of Gavin's buddies tried to step in.

"Hey, Jade, let's take it easy. We're all friends here. Just stay and have a drink."

"You two have been together forever. There's no need for this much drama."

I looked around at the people I had spent the last few years trying to impress.

I realized then that they all knew.

They had seen Gavin and Skylar together for months and kept me in the dark.

I was the only one who didn't know I was the town joke.

"I'm here for one thing and one thing only."

"Gavin, sign the papers. Leave me alone."

"You can spend every waking second with Skylar for all I care. Just let me go."

Silence fell over the room as everyone waited for Gavin's reaction.

Skylar broke the silence with a shaky, high-pitched voice.

"Aunt Jade, why are you so desperate to leave Uncle Gavin?"

"Is it because you found someone else?"

She peeked out from behind him, her eyes darting around the room before she added more fuel to the fire.

"I saw her the other day. She was leaning against a man in a black suit. They looked… very close."

"I'm sure he's just a friend, right? You always were so popular with men."

Gavin's rage boiled over. He pointed at me, his hand shaking.

"So that's it! You're trying to pin this on me because you're the one cheating!"

"You want the divorce so you can run off with your little boyfriend!"

"You're projecting your own guilt onto me and Skylar!"

Skylar nodded eagerly beside him.

"It makes sense. Uncle Gavin paid off all your family's debts, and you repay him with betrayal."

The murmurs in the room grew louder.

I heard them calling me ungrateful. They called me a snake.

Gavin saw the crowd shifting in his favor. He took a deep breath and tried to look like the bigger person.

"Jade, I'll forgive you. I'll overlook this. Let's just go home and forget the divorce, okay?"

Skylar glared at me, her eyes screaming with hidden malice.

"Aunt Jade, he's giving you a second chance. Don't be stubborn."

They all expected me to be ashamed. They expected me to crawl back.

Instead, I let out a sharp, cold laugh.

"Gavin, if you don't sign those papers, I'll see you in court."

I wiped a stray tear from my eye and walked out without looking back.

The night air was cold as I walked down the empty street.

How did we get here? When did the man I loved turn into this stranger?

My phone buzzed. It was an encrypted file from a private investigator I had hired weeks ago.

There were recordings and videos.

Skylar was the star of all of them.

But Gavin wasn't the only man in them.