Chapter 3
“Don’t mess with me, man. My wife is off–limits,” Sean would always say to him. “I’m serious, Michelle is my world.”
But, of course, that was just a one–time drunk joke.
After that, we never brought it up again. Over time, Sean stopped reacting to Grayson‘ s jabs–he just brushed them off like it didn’t even matter. But I didn’t
expect Grayson to take it even further.
One afternoon, I was out shopping, doing my thing, when my phone buzzed. I looked at the screen, and sure enough, it was a message from Grayson.
“Michelle, wanna watch a little office movie?” it said.
The video popped up before I could figure out what he was talking about.
I chuckled at first, thinking it was just
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another one of his dumb jokes. But when I saw the cover of the video, my smile froze.
It was Sean.
My husband, Sean, looked like a beast, kissing some woman’s neck in an office, holding her close like they were the only ones in the world.
I felt the blood drain from my face. That‘ s when it hit me–Sean had been cheating on me for who knows how long.
During all those nights, he told me he was working late.
He wasn’t working. He was with his secretary, Veronica. All those late nights? Lies. All of them.
I stood there, shaking, staring at the screen, feeling like the floor was about to drop from under me. I barely had time to process it when I realized I wasn’t alone.
Now, I was sitting in a hotel room. Grayson was standing there, looking way too
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relaxed for the situation. But when he saw
me sitting on the couch, his usual cocky grin faded. His face went red, and he shifted uncomfortably.
“Michelle, you didn’t come here to… mess around with me, did you?” he asked, trying to cover up the tension with a joke. “I mean, you‘ re so proper, right? You wouldn’t use me like that to get back at your husband. Let me guess… what’s the real reason you came here?”
Before he could finish, I stood up, walked right up to him, and shoved him back against the wall.
His face reddened as he’d just been
caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
“Michelle, you-”
“Help me get a divorce,” I cut him off, my voice cold and flat.
Grayson blinked, clearly thrown off.
“What?”
“I want Sean to lose everything,” I said,
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my words coming out sharper. “I want his money, his assets, everything. I want it all. Help me with this, and I’ll be your girlfriend.”
Grayson stared at me, and for the first time, I saw something other than his usual teasing grin. Something serious.
“Michelle, you‘ re… serious?” His voice. dropped low, and I could see the excitement flicker in his eyes.
I’d always known Grayson had feelings. for me. There was that one time during a game of Truth or Dare when he was drunk out of his mind, and the guys pushed him to say who he liked. He barely mumbled anything, but I could tell he had a thing for me. I always knew.
And now, here he was, practically glowing. He reached out, and without thinking, he linked his pinky finger with mine.
“It’s a deal,” he said, that goofy grin back on his face.
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I couldn’t help but glance down at his sharp collarbones. Rationality was screaming at me to stop, but something else was pulling me in.
Before I could even pull my hand back, Grayson grabbed it and placed it on his collarbone.
“You wanna touch it?” he teased. “Don’t be shy. I don‘ t mind.”
I felt my face go red. This wasn‘ t why I came here; I hated how my body reacted.
“I didn’t come here to have an affair with you,” I said, trying to push the heat out of my system. “I’m not doing
anything until after I divorce my husband.”
Grayson smirked, his eyes twinkling with
amusement.
“Of course, Michelle,” he said, still smiling. “I’ll wait for you.”
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After leaving the hotel, I wandered the city, not knowing where I was going. I ended up at a bar, trying to drown my thoughts with a few drinks. By the time I made it back home, it was well past midnight.
I expected the house to be empty and quiet. But when I opened the door, I found Sean. standing there, looking like he’d been pacing.
The second he saw me, he rushed and pulled me into his arms.
“Michelle, where the hell have you been?” His voice cracked, sounding desperate. “I’ve been lookin‘
everywhere for you! Why are you so late? I was freakin‘ out!”
I stood there, stiff as a board, in his arms. His eyes were red, his face frantic, like he thought something bad had happened to
me.
He held me like I was some fragile thing like I was precious.
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I almost laughed in his face. The man who’d been sleepin‘ with God knows how many women were now acting like I was his one true love.
It was almost funny… if it wasn’t so damn sad.
For all these years, Sean had played the part of the perfect husband. He cooked dinner and did the little things to keep up appearances for his family, friends, and coworkers–hell, for everyone but me.
To the world, he was the perfect man. The CEO. The doting husband. But behind
closed doors? He was a stranger.
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