Chapter 5
I hadn’t slept in days. Couldn’t eat, couldn’t work, couldn’t function. I was basically glued to my phone, torturing myself by waiting for whatever bombshell they’d drop next.
I kept desperately trying to rationalize everything, clinging to any possible explanation that would prove my suspicions wrong. But when Charlotte’s interview aired, it was game over.
As one of the country’s youngest rising jewelry designers, she was already making headlines even without the family connections and gossip drama. Getting her on camera was apparently no big deal.
In the video, some reporter asked, “We’re hearing rumors about some exciting news in your personal life, Charlotte. You and this mystery man seem like the perfect match–will you share details when the time is right?”
Charlotte giggled like a damn schoolgirl: “Honestly, we didn’t expect to get caught by the paparazzi! He’s pretty private about this stuff, so we’re keeping things low–key for now. But trust me, if there’s any big news to announce, I’ll definitely let everyone know!”
Right on cue, her friend chimed in with a comment on the post: [These two have been through so much! He’s seriously devoted–waited for Charlotte at the airport until 2 AM the night she came back, and he’s been running around nonstop helping her get settled. Love like this just can’t be broken! ?]
My brain went completely numb. This crushing pain spread through my chest, and I felt like I was suffocating. So during all those early mornings and late nights, all those times I called and got no answer–he was with Charlotte the whole time?
I still remembered last year’s birthday, when I mentioned wanting to see the ocean and he literally chartered an entire private island. Spent tens of thousands on a drone light show just for me.
Three days and nights of pure bliss, making love as the waves crashed around us.
That’s when he whispered, “Sophie, I want to spend my whole life with you.”
In twenty–something years of living, I’d never felt as happy as I did in that moment. We’d promised each other forever–so how the hell was I supposed to just accept this nightmare?
I collapsed against the wall, sobbing until my entire body went numb. My imagination ran wild with every possible scenario, each one slicing through me like a razor blade.
I felt like I was suffocating, desperately reaching for the medicine box on my nightstand to find my heart medication, but suddenly everything went black and I collapsed hard onto the floor.
When I woke up at 5 AM, I was already in the hospital, our housekeeper Maria was hovering over me like a worried mother. She’d found me passed out on the bedroom floor and rushed me to the ER.
The doctor said I’d had what they call a “somatization episode“-basically, emotional stress had literally made my body shut
down.
Maria kept crossing herself and reaching for her phone. “I need to call Mr. Hayes right away-”
“No!” I grabbed her wrist, then while I opened my phone, I find a message from my best friend:
23:00
Signed Divorce at 3PM… By 5PM He Was Bleeding Out Saving “Don’t Go”
3.1%
Chapter 5
[What the actual fuck is happening online right now?! These trolls are just making shit up! You need to call Sebastian and figure this out–you’ve been married for three years and they’re still giving him a girlfriend?!]
She’d sent me a screenshot of a post, that was a photo from last year–me delivering Sebastian’s birthday cake like some lovesick teenager. The comments underneath were brutal:
[Wait, I thought THIS girl was the real deal? Their families have been friends for decades.]
[LMAO I actually know her! Should I go to her office tomorrow and ask? This Sophia chick has been chasing Sebastian for years–has he ever even acknowledged her? Meanwhile Charlotte’s been back for like five minutes and he’s already running after her. Says everything you need to know!]
[Honestly, the hot couple should just get married already and put these desperate wannabes out of their misery!]
I didn’t reply to my friend. Just lay there staring at the IV drip, counting each drop. I was done thinking, done torturing myself. I hated what I’d become.
I got home at 5 PM to find Sebastian already back from his trip.
He had no clue I’d been in the hospital. His texts from earlier were still sitting on my phone: “Babe, why aren’t you picking up? Swamped at work?” and “Gonna crash for a bit–I’ll have my assistant pick you up from the office later.”
Right now he was dead to the world, hugging my pillow and snoring softly. Poor guy looked completely exhausted.
That’s when I accidentally caught sight of some paperwork sticking out of his briefcase. I pulled it out and my heart stopped–a property purchase agreement for an apartment in the exact same building where he and Charlotte had been photographed.
Game fucking over.
Everything clicked into place with brutal clarity. I held my breath, moving like a ghost as I quietly packed my things.
I’d never imagined it would end like this. After leaving the divorce papers on his nightstand, I completely broke down in the elevator, sobbing so hard I could barely breathe.
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23:00
