MARRYING HIM WAS A MISTAKE

(Six Mon

n't lo

ot to hear him but the second time, the words rever

most people's cars, staring at our wedding photo on the canv

ething,"

loodshot eyes. When had

o say?" My voice came o

Throw something." He loosen

pretending I didn't know how we'd gotten here.

n ordinary Tuesday, when I still b

**

ming through the ceiling wind

never came home at all. I couldn't really recall which i

l pickup was at 3:30. Eight hours to fill with nothin

I'd started sleeping in the guest room three weeks ago. Neither wanted to acknowle

us. My brother had bee

t go to

ged to get himself into today c

e mirror. The woman staring back looked expensive but empt

I become t

erties, the second largest conglomerate in the state. I used to walk into

III. Billionaire's wife, a prof

st part? I'd

I had owned everyt

xteen. I'd spent my college summers learning acquisitions, spent my twenties closing deals, spent every waking moment of

my first love in colleg

dreams. Empty pockets but hi

it to be him and so I thought the stars were aligning in my

ed to me. My parents were

her had said, voice shaki

s me," I'

s your po

m anyway, in a ceremony my parents

a heart attack and left me everything, I went on to make

roperties and conglo

had built from nothing. I had wrapped it in a bow and handed it t

y, baby. Let's

rs. Called me his queen. Promised we

sted exactly

and slowly, so slowly I almost didn't notice, pushed me out of

s, I wasn't even

" Jimmy had said when I prot

r decipher because I was still blinded by love

hundred million dollars. And lega

ned it a

y in this house

ia, our housekeeper, had already made sure to go through everything. Coffee in t

ouldn't drink and st

buzzed. Ma

d this tim

." His voice was ragged.

m bu

in that massive mansion pre

ched. "

're disappearing, and everyo

hangin

cheating

ap and for a moment my head

I said quietly,

ndra

ed the

n. Marcus didn't know anything. He was

gain. But this tim

om an unkn

know the truth.

e message. Spam

ned my ema

subject line. No text

pho

and what I saw m

de him, a woman. Blonde hair, red dress, perfect post

mp: Last Tue

. He looked happy. Relaxed.

. This was a mistake.

tiny detail that made

mès. The one I'd given

hamper last Wednesday wi

r. "I need you to pick up

Mrs. Banks.

irty. Don'

rust me on

and grabb

es. I was going to walk into Ji

I wasn't leaving

city should have cal

late nights and cold shoulders and the way

as this bee

ering wheel tighte

cial district. I drummed my fi

my's

erior, license plate JB13. Pulling out of

o f

my neck to

tor sunglass

a red dress. "Was she the same person i

and trying to mak

ed green. Cars

ollo

mmering like it was about to explode. This was insane. I

couldn'

avenue. Right on Madison stree

hotel from

held the door for her. She laughed at something he sa

street, engine idl

Part of me wanted to storm insi

t was th

ready

ad, I

city entirely, until glass towers gave way

erlook and sat there, hands shak

e buzzed

e back. I'm wo

t. Unknown n

nt the truth, meet me to

d at the

trap. Had

id I have l