Chapter 2
What a joke.
Sophie once said she'd forever be in my debt. Instead, she repaid me by crawling into my husband's bed.
Chester had promised he'd always protect me. Three years later, he fell for Sophie like Richard did.
The snow wasn't heavy, but it felt colder than that night.
I wiped away my tears, grabbed my phone, and walked away without looking back.
I planned to stay in the guest room for the night.
"Wait," Sophie suddenly called out. Right in front of me, she wrapped her arms around Chester's neck.
"Chester said I could have the south-facing bedroom. And doing it by the window makes things more thrilling," she drawled, her gaze fixed on me.
Chester chuckled. Holding my gaze, he carried her inside.
That was the room Chester and I shared after our wedding.
The room featured an open-air ceiling. Chester said he wanted to hold me and watch the stars while we slept.
Later, we turned it into a nursery. He said he wanted our baby to wake up to sunlight every morning.
The room once overflowed with our love. But now, before our baby arrived, it was about to become their playground.
They'd have sex on the carpet, the couch, and the balcony.
Chester would be on top of her, like Richard once was.
They'd gasp. They'd moan.
I closed my eyes.
The slam of the door was like a knife, cutting through my heart.
I leaned against the wall, barely standing.
The tears finally broke loose.
In the suffocating silence, my phone suddenly buzzed.
It was a text from an unknown number: [Elsie, do you want to know why Chester cheated on you with Sophie? Meet me at Azure Bistro tomorrow at nine.]
Obviously, the text was from my ex-husband, Richard.
Azure Bistro was where we first met.
When my mom's last keepsake failed to sell at auction, I cried so hard my eyes burned.
The next day, he showed up at my door with that item in his hand.
For the next six months, gifts poured into my house like a mountain.
My dad was looking to marry me off for a good price.
Learning that Richard was the richest man in Harbority, he turned down the Foster family and said yes to Richard.
Being the Moore family's heiress, I'd seen enough wealth and lies.
I never expected anything from an arranged marriage.
But Richard, with those clumsy love letters, managed to crack the ice I'd built up around my heart.
At a yacht party, I fell into the ocean. He jumped in after me without hesitation.
I came out of it without a scratch, but his legs were chewed up by the fish, down to the bone.
When my period cramps left me rolling in bed, he skipped a billion-dollar deal and burned his fingers in the kitchen just to make me ginger tea.
I was overjoyed, believing I'd met my perfect match.
Later, I brought Sophie, the poor student I was sponsoring, to Harbority.
But in the end, they betrayed me and tossed me out.
Thinking about all that didn't hurt anymore.
Seeing Richard again didn't make me sad either.
His gaze was heavy and profound. He remained as striking as ever, only a little thinner than before.
As I sat down, he slid his phone across the table toward me. "There's something I should tell you."
"What is it?" I asked.
Richard hesitated, then unlocked the screen.
I glanced over and couldn't stop shaking.
In the video, Chester had a cigarette dangling from his lips, passing out bills to a crowd of beggars.
Richard saw me stunned and adjusted his glasses. "Chester's way colder than me. Sure, I threw you out that night. But he was the one who paid those men to hurt you."
My mind went blank.
"He'd do anything to get you, even if it meant ruining you," Richard said.
That night came rushing back: those twisted faces, the yelling, the laughter, the tearing pain, and my baby ripped away.
"Enough!" I screamed, jumping to my feet, gasping for air.
Tears streamed down my face. I didn't know if it was from the pain of that night, or because Richard had destroyed the three years of love between Chester and me with one single video.
"Do you think you're any better?" I glared at Richard, teeth clenched.
My voice cracked. "You're only telling me the truth to prove that the man I risked everything to go back to in Petrico wasn't worth it compared to you.
"You want to show I'll never be happy without you, that you're still the best choice. But how are you any different from him?"
Richard went quiet for a moment before saying, "I'm a jerk. I hurt you. Yet I never thought about replacing you. But I heard Mrs. Foster's getting swapped out.
"Chester kept you in the dark while he was taking Sophie off in public, bringing her to the Foster Estate, and even..."
He paused, his sharp eyes locked on me. "He even went and made it official with her at City Hall.
"I only kicked you out of the house, but he cut you out of the marriage for good. Elsie, come with me."
Suddenly, I felt numb all over, like I'd been hurt too badly to feel pain.
I opened my mouth, about to say no.
Suddenly, someone grabbed me by the neck, jerking me up as a furious voice roared in my ear, "Richard, dream on!"
It was Chester. His grip was so tight, it felt like he might break my neck.
"Aren't you pathetic, Elsie? You get upset with me, so you run to your ex?" he spat.
I didn't say a word or fight, merely staring at him.
Richard shot to his feet. "Let her go!"
The next second, a bunch of bodyguards closed in on him.