Chloe
As I stood hidden in Jake's office bathroom, pressed against the cold tile, I felt my stomach twist with jealousy. I'd thought he would turn Laura away once he realized I was here, but no, he pushed me into the bathroom and locked me in like a secret he wanted to bury. And why? Because of her. Laura. His "perfect" fiancée.
Being locked in there while he was with her was like a slap in the face. They had started making out almost immediately after she entered. I couldn't see them from where I was but I could hear every soft moan, every whispered, word every sigh, every movement, every affectionate word he said to her. The way Jake kissed her, the way he let her melt into him… it made me ache. I hit my lip, fighting back tears as I listened to them. They were so oblivious, so wrapped up in each other. Jake hadn't even spared me a second thought once he saw her. It was infuriating and deeply painful. My heart burned with anger, pain, and, yes, envy. He'd never held me like that.
I pressed my palms against the cold tile, fighting the storm of emotions surging within me. How could he have brushed me aside so easily? And for what? For her? I deserved better than this. Jake and I… we had history, real chemistry. But he'd forgotten all of it, and now here I was, forced to listen to him tell her the very words I'd once dreamed he'd say to me.
How had I gotten here?
My thoughts drifted to my husband, the man I'd married without a single flicker of love. When he'd started accusing me of cheating, I'd almost laughed. If only he knew… I was long past caring about what he thought or felt. I'd married him because he was rich, gullible, and willing to give me everything I wanted, but his possessiveness quickly grew tiresome. The truth was, he was only a placeholder until I could finally be with Jake.
I remembered our last confrontation clearly. He'd come home one evening from his usual long trips, his face twisted with anger and hurt. "Chloe, we need to talk. I know something's going on with you. Who is he?"
"Who is he, Chloe?" he'd demanded, voice rough with hurt. "I know you're seeing someone else." He cornered me, eyes narrowed with suspicion.
I'd just looked at him, amused by his desperation. "And if there were someone else, what would you do about it?"
He'd clenched his fists, his voice trembling. "Chloe, you're my wife. I love you! Can't you see that?"
"You love the idea of me," I'd sneered. "But you don't know a single thing about what I want."
"What do you want then?" He asked.
"A divorce! I'm tired of all this. I need to be with someone who won't f*ck me for ten seconds and snore away for ten hours!! I'm just a young girl starting her life, I need to be with a man! A f*cking man who can satisfy all my needs!" I slammed at him.
That had hit him hard. His shoulders slumped, and I could see the desperation in his eyes. "Chloe, we can work through this. Whatever it is. I love you. I can't lose you." He asked.
I scoffed at the memory. "You never had me," I muttered under my breath.
No, I'd never loved my husband. I'd married him for his money, for the security. And at first, it was thrilling, having him fawn over me, buy me anything I wanted. But then it got… boring. He'd become possessive, constantly accusing me of affairs I hadn't even started yet. Little did he know, there was only one man I wanted, and it wasn't him. It was Jake.
When my husband had confronted me, I'd already made up my mind. I'd told him I wanted a divorce. Of course, he'd begged, tried to change my mind, showered me with gifts, money, trips… but I didn't want any of it. I had already gotten enough from him and Jake was a billionaire too, so money was the least of my worries. All I wanted was freedom, from him and for Jake…
When I'd heard about Jake's engagement to Laura, it had felt like a punch to the gut. I'd thought he was just having fun with her, another little fling. But no, he'd proposed. Still, I wasn't going to lose hope. That ring meant nothing if I could tear them apart before the wedding.
I had followed Laura to the wedding gown store, watching her from a distance as she fawned over the dresses, looking so innocent and oblivious. When her friend Arlene left, I knew it was my chance. I'd gone in, pretending to "accidentally" bump into her, sweet-talking my way into her trust. She was so easy to manipulate, so eager to believe that I was there to help. Little did she know…
Hearing them now, the way Jake was so lost in her, made my blood boil. But I didn't have to wait much longer. Finally, I heard Laura's voice, soft and satisfied, as she said goodbye and left.
The moment the door clicked shut, I stepped out, watching as Jake turned, startled.
"Chloe," he began, looking slightly embarrassed. "I… I'm sorry about that. I didn't expect her to drop by."
I forced a smile, swallowing the anger that bubbled up. "It's fine, Jake. Really. I… I finally understand now."
He looked at me, surprised. "You… you do?"
"Yes," I said, doing my best to sound genuine. "I get it. Your heart belongs to Laura. I should have respected that from the start."
His face softened, and I could tell he believed me. "Thank you, Chloe. I really appreciate that. I know it's… complicated."
I gave him a tight smile. "You don't have to explain. I just… I want you to be happy."
He looked genuinely grateful. "Thanks. That means a lot." He hesitated for a second, then added, "Do you… do you want a hug?"
I quickly shook my head, forcing a laugh. "No, no, I think it's best if we keep our boundaries clear, right?"
He nodded, relieved. "Right. Good idea. Thanks for understanding."
I offered him a soft smile, feeling a surge of satisfaction. "Of course. Take care, Jake."
I walked out of the office, my mind racing with plans. He actually thought I was backing down? That I was "understanding"? Perfect. Jake would never see it coming. I'd play along, let him think I was backing off, and then… well, I had a few tricks up my sleeve.
As I stepped outside, I grabbed my phone, dialing Laura's number. She picked up after a couple of rings, sounding cheerful.
"Chloe! Hi!" she greeted. "What's up?"
"Oh, Laura!" I replied, injecting as much warmth into my voice as I could. "I was just thinking, would you like to meet for lunch today? We can go over some of the wedding plans I was thinking about."
"That sounds perfect!" she chirped. "Where should we meet?"
"There's this amazing new restaurant downtown," I suggested, naming an expensive spot. "I'll text you the address."
"Great! I'll see you there, Chloe."
"Looking forward to it!" I said sweetly, hanging up.
As I slid into my car, a smug grin crept onto my face. Laura had no idea what was coming for her. Jake belonged to me, not some lowlife assistant who'd stumbled into his life and seduced him. I'd waited too long, endured too much, to let someone like her take him away from me.
Just as I pulled out of the parking lot, my phone buzzed. I glanced down to see my husband's name flashing on the screen. I sighed, reluctantly answering.
"What do you want?" I snapped.
"Chloe, please," he began, his voice sounding weary. "Come home. We can work through this. I… I promise, no more accusations, no more fights. I just want us to be happy again."
I rolled my eyes. "You're kidding, right? You think you can just make everything go away with empty promises?"
"Chloe, I'm serious," he insisted, desperation lacing his voice. "I'll do anything. I'll even buy you that villa in Tuscany. Or… or the new car you wanted. Just… please, come back."
I stifled a laugh. Pathetic. "No. I've told you before. I'm done. This isn't about a villa or a car. I want a divorce."
There was a long pause. Then, in a defeated voice, he murmured, "You're really leaving me?"
"Yes," I replied firmly. "And if you don't stop calling me, I'll have my lawyer deal with you directly."
I hung up, tossing the phone onto the passenger seat. A moment later, it buzzed again. I glanced over, and my eyes widened as I saw the notification: a huge credit alert from my husband. Well, he wasn't going down without a fight, apparently.
With a wicked grin, I called him back. "Thank you for the deposit. It'll cover the divorce papers nicely. I'll send them over first thing tomorrow morning, and you're going to sign them without delay. Got it?"
"Chloe, wait—" he started, but I didn't care to listen. I hung up, feeling a surge of satisfaction. That part of my life was almost over, and I was finally free to focus on what really mattered.
As I pulled up in front of the restaurant, I spotted Laura through the glass door, already waiting for me with that naive, trusting smile. I plastered on my best friendly expression, fixing my hair and smoothing my blouse before stepping out of the car.
"Game on," I whispered to myself with a smirk, striding confidently towards the entrance.