Chapter 2No Old Love on the Other Side

?

The reply was almost instantaneous.

I switched off my phone screen. The sound of laughter still spilled from the office.

“Alright, it’s a deal! If she’s really that obedient, drinks for the next month are on me!”

“Make it three months,” Wyatt said.

“Done, done!”

A chorus of laughter and jeers.

I fled, stumbling out of the office building and into the sharp, blinding sunlight. Only then did the tears begin to stream down my face.

Wyatt had his eyes on a college girl. He bought her a sprawling condo in Seabrook City, filling it with a king’s ransom in luxury goods. But the girl wouldn’t let him kiss her, wouldn’t let him hold her. She lived in a 4,000-square-foot penthouse, draped in haute couture that cost more than a car, and yet she’d jut out her chin and declare, “I will not be a homewrecker!”

Wyatt found it endlessly amusing.

This was the third time he’d put on a show for her.

The first time, he’d staged a grand display of affection with me. I didn’t know about Sadie then. I’d wrapped my arms around him, giddy with joy as we took dozens of photos. When he posted a whole carousel on Instagram, my heart swelled with a mixture of surprise and anticipation. But no matter how many times I refreshed my feed, I couldn't see it. I found out later he’d set the post’s privacy to ‘Visible only to Sadie.’

The second time, he picked a fight with me. He left me stranded on a street corner and sent Sadie a picture of me crying alone in the rain.

See? I’m stuck. She can’t live without me.

And the third time, he was divorcing me.

My phone buzzed. I pulled it out.

Are you serious?

You really mean it?

Josephine.

I wiped away my tears and managed a small, bitter smile.

“I’m serious.”