Chapter 2

I remained silent for quite a while, and Nathan's patience was running out. He shot me an annoyed look and sneered, "Don't be so petty. With how much weight you've put on, you wouldn't be able to wear it even if you wanted to..."

I interrupted him before he could finish his usual rant. "Fine. Just take it."

I was set on divorcing him anyway. The things I used to hold dear weren't important to me anymore.

Nathan blinked in surprise, obviously not expecting me to agree so readily.

That night, he actually helped me out with Abby for once, acting all sweet and attentive.

But I knew the game—kick me in the teeth, then toss me a crumb and call it kindness.

After making sure Abby was settled, I sent my agent Alex Anderson a message about wanting to get back to work. She got back to me almost right away, asking me to drop by the office tomorrow.

The next morning, I got up early, but Nathan had already disappeared. Once I'd fed Abby, I left her with my mom and planned to swing by home to change before heading to the office.

But when I got to my door, it hit me—I'd forgotten my keys. I had no choice but to call Nathan.

I called him over and over—still, no answer.

I opened our WhatsApp messages, and realized the last thing I'd texted him was two months ago, asking him to bring Abby some medicine.

Staring at those cold WhatsApp messages—"please" and "thank you"—I felt like Nathan and I were just two strangers.

Back when we were dating, Nathan was so clingy. He'd call me multiple times a day and flood my phone with texts.

I scoffed at myself. Nathan had changed so much, and somehow I'd never even noticed it before.

I was done waiting. I just called a locksmith to pop the door open. I quickly swapped into something clean and rushed out to the office.

When I met with Alex, she was blunt with me. She said flat out that with the shape I was in, modeling was off the table. If I wanted to get back in the game, I'd have to drop at least 20 pounds.

I promised her I'd make it happen in three months.

After we wrapped up our talk, I wandered around the office and eventually found myself at the filming set.

Olivia had my jewelry on and stood in front of the set in a killer dress, while Nathan kept the camera trained on her, filming without pause.

His gaze was glued to Olivia the whole time, sticky and relentless.

Olivia spotted me first. She flashed me a winner's grin.

When the crew called for a break, she swayed over, looking like she'd just stepped out of a fashion spread. "Claire, aren't you supposed to be home with your kid? What are you doing here at the office?"

"I'm getting ready to make a comeback," I answered coolly.

Olivia's eyes narrowed as she looked me up and down, then snorted out a laugh. "Seriously, Claire? You're not actually planning to come back as a model, are you?

"Have you looked in the mirror lately? You're as heavy as a cow, dressed like my grandma, and you still think you could model? And your face looks like it lost a fight with a cactus."

Then she pulled a bottle of fancy serum from her bag and fake-sweetened her voice. "They say a woman's face is her ticket in life. Nathan gave me this for Valentine's Day, but I think you need it more than I do."

I met her smug, taunting gaze and took my time. "So you know Nathan is married and still take Valentine gifts from him? Is being a homewrecker your hobby or your job?"

Nathan's shout cracked across the room. "Claire, when did you get so mean?"

"Olivia and I are just coworkers. She's my muse." He stomped over, clearly livid. "Apologize. Now."

Muse. The word rocked me. Nathan used to swear I was his only muse—just looking at me gave him magic shots, every frame art.

I glanced at Olivia. The jewelry, the clothes—Nathan had obviously styled her from head to toe.

The love and admiration that had once been mine alone had been transferred to another woman long ago.

"I told the truth," I said nonchalantly, tossing aside all that bitter feeling. Then I turned and walked away.

Once I was out of the company, I called up a lawyer friend and told him to get started on the divorce papers.

*****

That night, Nathan came home early unlike usual, clutching a huge bouquet of roses.

"Babe, this is for you," he said.

He flashed me a gentle smile, but I sneezed three times in a row. I snatched the roses from his hands and tossed them straight out the door.

Nathan's face instantly turned frosty. He gritted his teeth, barely holding back his fury. "Even if you don't like them, did you really have to trash my gesture like that?"

I looked at him carelessly. "Abby and I are both allergic to roses. What, trying to wipe out your wife and kid in one go?"