Chapter 2

2

The wedding was over, and so was my five-year relationship.

Thatcher's parents tried to come by my house with some cheap gifts to smooth things over, but my parents kicked them out.

I stayed in my room, deleting every single photo of him from my phone.

Was I heartbroken? Of course.

I had known for a long time that Thatcher loved Seraphina more than me.

I just thought that if I loved him enough, she would eventually become a distant memory.

But she showed up at the wedding, looking as perfect as ever.

Thatcher told me she was a special guest there to give us her blessing.

I guess her version of a blessing was an invitation to elope.

Ding―

A notification popped up on my phone. Three thousand dollars had just been charged to my credit card.

I didn't even have to guess. Thatcher was retaliating.

His cards were still linked to my account.

This was his move. Whenever he was mad at me, he went on a spending spree with my money.

Once, he spent twenty thousand dollars in a single night just to spite me.

Back then, he acted like it was his right.

Everyone saw me as his doormat, and he did too.

In his head, I should be happy to pay for his lifestyle.

But I was done being the victim.

He wanted to play house with his childhood sweetheart while using my money? Not a chance.

I called the bank immediately and shut down the account.

Thirty seconds later, my phone exploded with texts.

"Gwen! Are you kidding me? It was just a little bit of money. How dare you freeze my card?"

"Fix it now. I'm trying to pay for dinner!"

I was about to reply when I heard Seraphina's voice in the background of a voice note he sent.

"She won't even pay for this? Wow, how cheap can a woman get?"

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks.

That's why he spent three grand in ten minutes.

He was using my money to impress her.

"Just a reminder," I texted back. "You aren't my husband or my boyfriend. If she loves you so much, I'm sure she'll cover the bill."

Thatcher went silent for a moment before sending a frantic reply.

"You're so petty! Seraphina was right. You're just a small-minded woman."

Petty. Jealous. Small-minded.

He seemed to forget who had been taking care of him all these years.

He forgot who paid for his vanity and his ego.

But in front of her, I was always the one in the wrong.

I had given him everything for five years. Even a dog would have wagged its tail at me by now.

But you can't make someone love you if they don't.

I blocked his number and went back to work.

Life goes on, no matter how messy the breakup.

I thought it would take months for things to settle, but I underestimated how shameless they could be.

Three days after the failed wedding, a friend sent me a screenshot.

"Gwen, check out Thatcher's Instagram. You won't believe this."

I clicked the link.

It was a photo of Thatcher and Seraphina hugging. The caption read: "True love conquers all."

They were both wearing matching diamond bands.

I realized then what that three thousand dollars had been for.

But the worst part was the background. It was clearly a hotel bathroom.

Thatcher was wearing a plush white robe with the hotel's logo on the chest.

There was a very visible hickey on his neck.

I felt a wave of nausea.

Three days ago, he was standing at the altar with me.

Three days later, he was in a hotel bed with her, paid for by my credit card.

I was officially done.

Back in college, Thatcher was the golden boy―handsome, smart, and popular.

I was just the girl with the wealthy family who watched him from the sidelines.

Seraphina was the star of the school. Beautiful and talented.

Everyone called them the perfect couple.

Back then, I never dreamed I'd actually be with him. I was happy just to look at him.