His First Crush Ruined Our Third Anniversary

Synopsis

When I pushed open the door to the private room, Vivian Shaw was standing in front of my husband, Andrew Reed, fixing his tie. She was wearing the champagne-colored dress I'd bought last week, sitting in my seat, with the cake I'd ordered for our third wedding anniversary sitting right next to her. Andrew's mother, Margaret Reed, was waving at the waiter, signaling him to take the cake away. "Don't put it out yet. Vivian just got back tonight. Andrew needs to take care of her feelings first." My hand froze in mid-air, holding the cake box, and it felt like I'd missed a step on the stairs. Andrew looked up and saw me, his expression faltering for a moment, like he hadn't expected me to show up so early. Vivian turned around and gave me a smile. "Tanya, don't get the wrong idea. My dress zipper broke, and Andrew was helping me out." As she spoke, her hand was still resting on Andrew's sleeve, her fingertips not moving an inch. I stared at the dress on her and asked, "So, was lending her this dress another helpful gesture?" The room suddenly fell silent. Margaret frowned. "It's a dress. It's no big deal. Vivian wasn't prepared tonight, so what's the harm in letting her borrow yours? Tanya, don't start any drama today." Today was my third wedding anniversary with Andrew. It was also the day of the company's celebration party, after I'd pulled three all-nighters to secure Riverpoint Health's overseas partnership. But now, the words scrolling across the big screen were not "Happy Third Anniversary" but "Welcome Back, Ms. Shaw". I stood at the door, feeling like an outsider who'd walked into the wrong room.