Love Crumbled But Her Brilliance Shone

Three years had passed since Cathy Fowler said her wedding vows, only to find herself betrayed by the man she married.

She stepped into the club's private lounge, letting the heavy door swing open behind her. The sight inside made her stomach drop. Her husband, Jayden Thorpe, had his arms around Marissa Briggs, who wore a crisp white dress, their lips locked as laughter and shouts rose from the table.

Someone exclaimed, "Looks like Mr. Thorpe and Miss Briggs make the perfect pair!"

Cathy's arrival stopped every conversation cold.

Jayden barely missed a beat, glancing her way with a practiced smile. "What brings you here, Cathy? We're just having a little fun." He waved off her shock, then nodded at Marissa. "She can't handle her liquor, so why don't you grab her a coffee or something?"

A dull roar echoed in Cathy's ears, blotting out the noise in the room.

There was a time, three years ago, when Jayden had nearly died for her. The crash that followed wiped his memory clean — of everything except her.

Since then, Cathy had kept her true self hidden, discarding everything she loved. She'd put away her surgical mask, left her racing dreams in the dust, and buried her passion for design, concentrating on treating his memory loss.

All of that hope now felt meaningless, shattered in an instant.

"Do you even recall what you promised me last night, Jayden?"

A message from an unknown number had reached Cathy just minutes before, sending her straight to the club in a rush. Grease stains streaked her shirt, and her hair hung in brittle, uneven clumps, making her look dull.

Jayden had given his word just last night — he would be home for dinner. Cathy spent the day fussing over every detail, hoping for a quiet evening together.

Instead, she found herself watching her husband flaunt his affair for everyone to see.

With a flicker of annoyance, Jayden dismissed her. "I've got work tonight. Don't start something here."

His eyes glanced over Cathy. On the surface, she looked fresh-faced, with a natural kind of beauty. Still, in his mind, she never measured up.

To him, she was just someone who kept the house running. Nothing else about her stood out.

"It's Marissa's birthday," he added, "so let's not ruin the celebration."

If you compared the two, Marissa seemed to have it all — prestige, family money, a future in medicine. According to what his grandfather said, before losing his memory, he had loved Cathy so deeply that he was willing to risk everything — even his life included — for her. But now, Jayden only found it so absurd.

Marissa rose from her seat, all wide-eyed and apologetic. "Please don't take it the wrong way, Cathy. Tonight's my birthday, and things got a little out of hand. We really were just having some fun..."

Her tone was sweet, and her face said she was just another innocent caught in the middle.

To anyone else, it might look like Cathy was picking on her.

Cathy pressed her lips into a smile, masking how much this stung. "I didn't know party games meant treating someone's husband like party favors."

Any more of this, and she would forget what it meant to value herself.

She looked up and said, "Jayden, I want a divorce."

That single sentence seemed to drain all sound from the room.

A strange tightness settled in Jayden's chest as he stared into her eyes, colder than he'd ever seen.

Everyone there understood just how fiercely Cathy had once loved him.

"Divorce?" Jayden almost laughed, brushing her off like she was being dramatic. "Fine, Cathy. Just don't come crawling back later."

Marissa, still smarting from Cathy's earlier words, edged closer with a brittle smile. "Don't blame Jayden for this, Cathy. Honestly, I should be the one—"

A splash interrupted her.