Chapter 1
After Eric Grant ditched me for his first love again,
I found the scenic area tickets on his desk.
Eric said casually, "Since you found the tickets early, let's meet this weekend so you can't say I never spend time with you."
That night, I waited in the rain at the scenic spot, but he never came.
When I got home, soaked and miserable, I saw a post from Allison Hayes, his first love.
She wrote, [Even though he lost the tickets, since he took me to the Verona, I'll let it slide.]
Before, I would've called him immediately, crying and yelling for answers.
But this time, I was too tired.
*****
I dropped my phone on the coffee table and went to the bathroom alone.
As expected, Eric hadn't bothered to come home again.
I gave bitter laughs, thinking about the photo Allison just posted on Twitter for me.
Their little show was happening before me. If I didn't let them win, I'd seem petty.
I dug out the long-forgotten marriage certificate from my room and took a screenshot of the happy couple's photo on Twitter.
I posted it all online, grabbed my bags, and walked out. One more glance at that house and I'd be sick.
"You two love showing off? Fine, do it on Twitter's trending page."
I laughed, sharp and bitter with spite.
As the laughter faded, a sour ache grew inside me.
Eric, if you never loved me, why keep making empty promises?
Even a dog eventually learns to stop coming back.
No sooner had I entered the hotel than Eric flooded my phone with calls.
His nonstop calls annoyed me, but I answered since we'd been married so long.
Eric was yelling hysterically on the other end.
"Mia, is this how you get my attention? Your stunt is ruining Allison's career. She's suicidal and hospitalized. Post on Twitter that it's fake, or I'll burn your family's business to the ground."
"What if I want to see you both crash and burn?" I laughed coldly.
Eric panicked. His tone did a complete one-eighty, dropping to a pleading whisper. "Mia, I know I stood you up—that's on me. Allison is innocent. I chose to be here with her. You can't blame her for this.
"Allison just entered entertainment and was already facing online hate. I hate seeing her suffer."
"What about me? I'm your wife—what did I do wrong?" I shouted at him.
"I've been with you for ten years! Every time she gets sick, you rush to her like she's the only one that matters.
"Why did you marry me? Answer me." I shouted at Eric, but he stayed silent.
He added, "It's not like that... Mia... please delete the Twitter post. We'll talk at home, okay?"
Even now, he only wanted to clear Allison's name and save her from scandal. If so, let them be bound for life.
I hung up without a second thought and silenced my phone.
"Eric, I don't want a piece of trash like you anymore."
News of Grant Group's married CEO cheating broke Twitter.
Eric couldn't remove the trending topic; he had no way to do it.
I graduated from the top computer science school. Even with the best hackers, I could still make that post go viral again.