Chapter 1
Jayden Carter's mistress was acting up again.
He slapped the divorce papers down on the table and jerked his chin at me.
"Sign it," he said. "Just for show. Gotta keep Sophie happy."
I kept my head down, my fingers twisting the hem of my dress.
I signed my name quietly: Anna Sinclair.
Every stroke was crisp and tidy.
He glanced over the agreement, satisfied, then slipped it into his pocket.
"Come with me to the courthouse this afternoon," he said.
I nodded.
He turned and walked out.
Laughter and chatter drifted through the door from the living room, crystal clear.
Charlie Mason's voice boomed above the rest. "Anna's too easy, huh? You tell her to sign, and she signs? If you told her to go to the courthouse, would she do it without a peep?"
Jayden's voice was light, with a lazy, amused tone. "Wanna bet?"
"Bet on what?"
"In a month, even if she cries her heart out, she'll obediently head to the courthouse to divorce me."
The room erupted in laughter and teasing.
"Alright," Charlie said. "If Anna's really that obedient, I'll buy everyone drinks next month."
Jayden laughed, "Three months."
"Deal!"
The clink of glasses rang out.
I stood in the study, my phone screen glowing.
An unread message rested quietly on the screen. [Will you marry me?]
I stared at those words for what felt like ages.
I tapped out a single word and hit send. [Okay.]
The reply came back in a heartbeat. [Are you serious?]
I turned off my phone.
Outside, Charlie shouted, "Three months it is! When the time comes, I'll buy everyone the most expensive drinks."
I slowly walked out of the study and slipped out through the side door of the living room.
No one noticed me.
As I stepped out of the apartment complex, the August sun beat down mercilessly.
Tears streamed down my face.
Jayden was chasing after a young girl.
She was Sophie Grant, twenty-one, a junior in the acting department at a media college.
He bought her an apartment in the west district, and her walk-in closet was stuffed full of limited-edition pieces.
But Sophie didn't let him touch her.
Living in a 2,000-square-foot luxury apartment, dressed in clothes worth tens of thousands, she lifted her chin and said, "I'm not going to be the other woman."
Jayden found it fascinating.
This was the third time he'd used me as part of his act.
The first time, he acted all sweet with me in front of everyone.
Back then, I had no idea Sophie existed.
Jayden suddenly got all soft, pulled me into his arms, and took a ton of pictures with me.
I was over the moon. When I saw he'd posted it on Instagram, that was the cherry on top.
I kept scrolling and scrolling, but I couldn't find that post anywhere.
Turned out, he'd set it so only Sophie could see it.
The second time, he started a fight with me.
He left me stranded on the street and drove off.
I stood there alone, lost and shaking all over.
He snapped a photo from across the street and sent it to Sophie. [See? She can't let me go. What can I do?]
And now, this was the third time. He wanted a divorce.
My phone buzzed again. [Anna, are you serious?]
I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand and replied: [Yeah.]
*****
That afternoon, Jayden took me to the courthouse, like he said he would.
He was in a fantastic mood the whole drive.
Steering with one hand, he asked if I wanted to hit up Corol Bay this weekend.
"We've been married for three years, right?" he said, glancing over at me. "How about we do something for our anniversary this year?"
I didn't say anything.
He pulled into the underground garage, got out, and opened the car door for me.
Then he frowned, "Crying again?"
He impatiently brushed away my tears at the corner of my eye. "How many times do I have to tell you? The divorce is for show. Is it worth getting this worked up over?"
As he adjusted his cuffs, a box of condoms slipped out of his pocket.
He bent down, picked it up, and tucked it back in, his face devoid of emotion.
I followed him into the lobby.
We were the only couple at the divorce desk.
"Is this a mutual divorce?" the clerk asked.
"Yeah," Jayden answered for me.
The clerk turned to me. "Do you confirm as well?"
I nodded silently.
I had selective mutism. Whenever I was around strangers or under pressure, it felt like my throat was blocked; I couldn't say a word.
The clerk said, "There's a one-month waiting period. You'll both have to come back in a month to finish the divorce."
Jayden took the receipt, snapped a photo before stepping out of the lobby, and bowed his head to type a message.
My phone buzzed at the same time.
It wasn't from him; it was from Sophie.
She somehow found me on WhatsApp and kept hitting me up every so often.
This time, she sent a screenshot.
Jayden sent her a pic of the receipt, along with a line: [Happy now? Come over tonight.]
I exited the chat.
Another message showed up underneath: [Got the tickets. See you at Miranland one month later.]
The sender was saved as "Gavin Reed."
I put my phone away.
Jayden was already several steps ahead.
"Anna, can you walk a little faster?" he said impatiently.
I hurried to catch up.
Jayden suddenly turned back, as if he'd remembered something.
"Oh, and can you stop leaving all your bottles and jars in the living room?" he said. "Last time Sophie came over, she asked all sorts of questions."
Those bottles and jars? They were my perfume-blending supplies.
"Yeah?"
"Move them to the storage room."
"Okay."