Chapter 2

The cab cut through the city lights, neon streaming past my window. I felt oddly light, like I could finally breathe again.

Five years were gone in an instant. But instead of loss, all I felt was freedom from a massive lie.

My phone was buzzing nonstop. There were calls and texts from everyone at the party. I just turned it off, letting myself sink into the quiet for once.

When I got home, I peeled off the perfect dress I had spent weeks picking out, slipped into my comfiest pajamas, and made a cup of coffee.

I sat on the balcony, watching the distant mountains fade into the night sky, and started thinking about what I wanted my life to look like now.

Thirty wasn't too late. I could start over.

The next morning, my phone jolted me awake.

I squinted at the caller ID. It was my mother, Miranda Thompson.

"Hey, Mom," I mumbled.

"Joy, what on earth happened yesterday? Your Aunt Susan called me first thing and said you called out Max for cheating right in the middle of the engagement party!"

Miranda sounded frantic.

"Yeah, Mom. It's true," I said, keeping my voice steady.

"Are you okay? Do you need me to come over? I can be there in an hour."

Hearing the worry in her voice made my eyes sting. "I'm fine, Mom. Really. You don't have to worry."

"What do you mean you're fine? You were about to get engaged! How can you possibly be fine?"

"I am, Mom. Honestly. If anything, I'm glad I found out now instead of after the wedding, or worse, years into marriage."

Silence hummed on the line before she finally said, "Joy, I'm on your side. You're right. You don't need a man like that.

"So, what's your plan now?"

I thought for a beat. "I'm not sure yet. I'll figure it out."

"Come home for a few days," she said more softly. "I'll cook your favorite dishes."

"Okay. I'll come back in a couple of days."

After we hung up, I felt lighter. When your mom's got your back, you can face just about anything.

I washed up and turned my phone back on, finding dozens of missed calls and unread messages.

Most were friends checking on me. Some were just people watching the drama. I answered the ones that mattered and told them I was fine.

But the most surprising were the messages from unknown numbers. Apparently, the video from the party had gone viral. I was an internet sensation.

I jumped online. Sure enough, clips from the engagement party were all over social media. The comments were on fire.

Most people were on my side.

[Queen! Cheating trash deserved that public roasting!]

[Absolute queen! If I had her guts, my ex would've been toast ages ago.]

[Girl, you're my hero! How do I get that kind of courage?]

Not everyone agreed, though.

[Did she really have to blow it up at the engagement party? That's brutal.]

[Couldn't you have talked about this in private? Why make it so ugly?]

But those comments were quickly shut down.

[Defending a cheater? Seriously? Rebuild your entire value system!]

I laughed and cried at once. Somehow, my very public implosion had turned into the internet's favorite revenge fantasy.

Just as I was scrolling through the comments, the doorbell rang.

I peeked through the peephole. It was Max.

He was holding a huge bouquet of roses, looking like he hadn't slept, with dark circles under his eyes.

I didn't open the door. "What do you want?"

"Joy, I'm here to apologize. I was wrong yesterday. I shouldn't have hidden it from you. I regret everything. Can you please give me another chance?"

"A chance? You really think cheating is something you get a second chance for?"

"I swear, I'll never betray you again. I'll handle things with Belinda. I won't go through with the baby. All I want is you."

His words just made me angrier. "You'd abandon your own child? Why the hell would I ever believe you'd treat me any better?

"And you really think you can erase a betrayal by just saying 'it won't happen again'?"

Silence pressed against the door. "Joy," he said finally, "is this really it? Do our five years mean nothing?"

"Max, you're the one who destroyed those five years. The moment you cheated, we were already over."

"I don't believe you stopped loving me. If you didn't care, why were you so angry yesterday?"

I leaned against the door, closing my eyes. "I wasn't angry because of love. I was angry because I was lied to.

"Trust is the foundation of a relationship. You broke that. There's nothing left for us to talk about."

"Joy..." His voice sounded desperate.

"Go away. And don't come back," I said. "We're done."

"I'm not leaving. I'll wait right here until you open this door."

I snorted, "Whatever. Do what you want."

I went to my room, put on headphones, and lost myself in music.

Two hours later, I peeked through the peephole again. Max was still there, slumped on the floor, the roses wilting beside him.

I didn't feel a shred of pity.

Just then, my neighbor, Kelly Whitman, came home and saw him camped out. "Young man, what are you doing out here?"

"I'm waiting for my girlfriend to open the door," Max said, scrambling to his feet.

Kelly recognized him. "Max, did you and Joy have a fight?"

"I messed up, Kelly. Can you please talk to her for me?"

She glanced at my door and then back at him. "What did you do?"

Max mumbled, too embarrassed to answer.

Kelly had seen it all before. She cut straight to it. "You cheated, didn't you?"

His face went red.

"Look," she said, shaking her head. "This isn't something you solve by camping in a hallway. The most important thing for a man is loyalty. You did her wrong. If she won't forgive you, that's on you."

"I know I was wrong..." Max stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Her tone sharpened. "If you really knew better, you wouldn't have done it. Go home. You're disturbing the neighbors."

She went into her apartment without another word.

A little while later, I heard footsteps, then the elevator doors closing.

I checked the peephole. Max was finally gone. All that was left was the wilting bouquet on the floor.

I opened the door and threw the flowers in the trash.

Back inside, I started making a real plan.

First, I needed to move. This was the apartment Max and I shared. Now that we were over, there was no way I was staying.

Second, I needed to rethink my career. I'd stayed in this city because I thought I was getting married. With nothing tying me down anymore, I could go anywhere.

And last, I needed to find myself again. For five years, my life had revolved around Max. It was time to remember who I was without him.

With that, I opened my laptop and started sending out my resume.