Chapter 7%
1
I slowly lifted my head, staring at Tyler with a blank expression. “Alright, I’ll back off.“W
Then, the smile that had just appeared on his face quickly faded when I added, “Afterwards, Jessica can have you. Let’s move forward with the divorce. Of course, I’ll be taking all my investments with me, including the profits I rightfully earned.”
For a brief moment, a flicker of panic crossed his face. It was gone in an instant, as he straightened up, trying to smooth things over like nothing had happened.”
“Zoey, I know you’re angry. But really, how can you just discard a decade of marriage? How could anyone replace that?” He paused, looking at me like he expected me to change my mind. “How about this? I’ll bring Jessica here right now. You can teach her a lesson, get it off your chest, and we can move on.”
Before I could even respond, he stood up and walked out of the room.}
A few moments later, Tyler returned with Jessica right behind him.
“Zoey,” Tyler said in a stern tone, “Jessica’s going to explain why she misused company funds. You do realize there could be legal consequences for this, right? She should be begging you for forgiveness.“}
Without waiting for my reply, Jessica dropped to her knees with a loud thud, eyes wide and teary like a drama queen trying to win an Oscar. She looked up at me with those exaggeratedly innocent eyes.
“Zoey, I’m so sorry,” she sobbed, feigning to be remorseful. “I shouldn’t have misused the company’s money, but I… I really had no choice.”
She covered her face, and I almost had to roll my eyes at the performance.
“Please forgive me,” she whispered through the sobs, still playing the part.
Tyler gently nudged her. “Stop crying. Just tell us what happened. Why did you misuse the company’s money?“>
Wiping her eyes, Jessica looked at me with a flash of something not quite regretful, and then quickly shifted her gaze to Tyler. “Last month, my brother got really sick and ended up in the ICU. My dad needed money fast, so he called me. I thought I could just borrow it from the company, and I promised I’d pay it back once my dad sold the house.“}
She paused, wiping her eyes again for good measure. “But then my brother’s condition stabilized, and my dad couldn’t sell the house in time.”
Jessica sighed dramatically as she pleaded, “Zoey, I know I was wrong. I’ll pay the money back. And next time, even if my brother dies, I won’t misuse company funds again. Please forgive me.”
She bowed her head so many times, banging it lightly against the floor like she was in a soap opera.}
Before I could stop her, she suddenly grabbed her stomach and curled up on the floor, wailing, “Tyler, my stomach… it hurts so much.“} Tyler rushed over to her, shouting, “Doctor! Doc, get in here, quick!“}
The doctor and nurse appeared in moments, ushering Jessica out to the emergency room.>
The door slammed shut behind them, and the room fell silent, leaving only the sound of my shallow breathing.”
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
So this is what it feels like when love is gone–when love becomes so one–sided, so blatantly biased.}
And here I was, exhausted, already done with the tears and drama.}
Lucky for me, I had already given up on him. Or else, I would’ve wasted more of my time and emotions.
…E
Later that evening, Tyler came back.
He looked utterly drained, like he’d been through a hurricane. He sat at the edge of my bed, holding my hand with this helpless, almost pleading expression.
“Zoey, let’s stop fighting, please?” he asked softly, pleading. “Why don’t we talk this through?”
“I know I messed up,” he said, “but honestly, I had no choice. I’m almost forty, and most men my age have their kids in college. Meanwhile, I don’t even have a child of my own. Our family lacks an heir, and the burden falls on me. I’m genuinely anxious about this.“> Then Tyler let out a heavy sigh as he ran his hand through his hair. “And yeah, I know Jessica’s been playing games to get my money, but she’s young. She’s lively, and she’s been with me for a while. She has to want something, right?“}
I stared at him, completely stunned. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve sworn someone had swapped him out for a completely different person &
There was no way he was saying these things to me.”
I thought for a moment, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to break through, and then I did something I hadn’t planned. I secretly pressed the record button on my phone.%
My voice came out shaky, but I did my best to sound as helpless as possible. “Tyler, I was just angry earlier. We’ve known each other for so long, and after everything we’ve been through, how could I really divorce you? But you’ve really gone too far this time.”