Chapter 3
Adam suddenly went rigid, his whole body frozen in place.
Rachel looked up, saw me, and grumbled in annoyance, "Didn't we agree no wives tonight? Why is she here again?"
Then she turned to me. "Seriously, what's your deal? This is just the guys hanging out. Why are you crashing the party again?
"You always show up whenever Adam's around. Why don't you stick to him like glue? Stalker."
At that moment, Adam slowly lifted his head from Rachel's chest, his neck forming a tense, rigid line.
"Honey, let me explain," he said.
"Don't mind me. You two have fun. I brought some of my own buddies tonight anyway," I said.
I turned to leave.
But a strong hand grabbed me.
Adam's face went pale, then flushed, as he spotted the gorgeous male escorts I'd brought along.
"Elena, who are those pretty boys?" he demanded. "You get all jealous when I hang out with my friends, but you're the one messing around with a bunch of pretty boys."
I jerked my hand away from his, like I'd been shocked by electricity.
"They're just my buddies. What's your problem?" I shot back.
Adam tensed up, his jaw clenched.
"Elena, damn it, you're my wife!" he snapped. "All my best buddies are here tonight. If you keep this up, you're making me look bad in front of everyone."
I laughed, keeping my voice steady. "Wife? Relax, I won't be your wife much longer. You won't have to worry about me embarrassing you again.
"Adam, I'm divorcing you."
Adam's eyes went wide in shock.
"Elena, what did you say?" he blurted out. "Elena, are you out of your mind?"
I slowed my voice, enunciating each word. "I said, Adam, we're getting a divorce.
"What, you still haven't polished your technique yet?
"Don't you want to be joined at the hip with your girl buddy forever?"
Adam was left speechless, unable to respond.
I didn't waste another word on him and walked away.
But Adam rushed after me, blocking my path, his voice full of urgency.
"Honey, let me explain," Adam pleaded. "My buddies had a few too many drinks. Don't pay attention to their crap.
"Seriously, with all these people around, how could I mess around? I'm a grown man, I've got my reputation to think about, alright?"
I raised an eyebrow. "So, you'll mess around when there's nobody around, huh?"
Adam choked on his words.
"So that's what you really think, huh? There's no trust left between us at all?" he said, his voice tight.
I nodded. "Nope, there isn't.
"The moment you blindly took your so-called 'girl buddy's' side and let her ride up front with you, all the trust was gone."
Adam was stunned.
"No, honey, I can explain," he said.
I couldn't be bothered to argue with him anymore, so I turned and sat back down in my booth.
I pulled out a wet wipe and scrubbed the spot where Adam had grabbed me, like I could erase his touch.
But Adam wouldn't leave me alone, following me like a shadow.
He was about to say something when another voice cut him off.
Rachel said, "Adam, your wife's only got that attitude because you let her get away with everything.
"Look at her, getting all cozy with those guys. She's really having a good time, huh?
"A real man needs to have some backbone, you get me?
"You've embarrassed me in front of everyone. I can't believe my son is such a wimp.
"We've even slept in the same bed. If there was really something between us, she wouldn't even stand a chance."
Adam's face darkened.
"This has nothing to do with you. Get lost!" he snapped.
"What the hell, kid? Is that how you talk to your old man?" Rachel shot back.
"I said, go back!" Adam suddenly shouted.
Rachel froze, staring at Adam in disbelief, her eyes rimmed red like a startled bunny.
She clenched her fists, but in the end, she walked away obediently.
Turned out, the second he stopped spoiling her, all her drama disappeared.
From a nearby table, someone grumbled, clearly pissed off, "Dude gets a wife and suddenly forgets his buddies? I totally misjudged Adam."
I turned toward the noise. Rachel was about to say something when one of her friends clapped a hand over her mouth.
She pretended to struggle, but somehow ended up snuggled right into his arms.
She gave his chest a mock punch, all pouty and cute.
Was it any wonder all the guys want to be her buddy?
Adam fixed his gaze on me, his voice low.
"Alright, Elena, you've made your point. Let's go home. Stop making a scene," he said.
I asked curiously, "So, you won't be sending your buddy home tonight, huh?"
Adam raised his voice.
"Elena, seriously, are you ever gonna let this go? It's some dumb crap, but you won't drop it, will you?"
As I was about to fire back, the host's voice boomed over the speakers, drowning out everything else.
The host said, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, thanks for coming out tonight! It's time for the highlight of the evening.
"The spotlight will randomly pick one guy and one girl to hit the dance floor and show us what they've got.
"Where's the applause? Let's see who tonight's dance king and queen will be."
As the crowd cheered, the massive disco ball above us started spinning.
The white light swept slowly over everyone in the room.
It kept moving, pausing for a second, then spinning again just when everyone thought it was about to stop.
Finally, the light landed on me and the gorgeous male escort standing next to me.
The host hurried over and held the microphone up to my mouth.
"Hey there, gorgeous! Would you like to dance with this handsome guy next to you?" the host said.
"No—" He barely got a word out before I shut him down.
"Absolutely," I said, my voice even firmer than when I agreed to marry Adam.
Without missing a beat, I ignored Adam, who looked totally stunned, and walked right up to the stage with the male model.