Chapter 3

I kept going. "Is it because you knew Justin needed my family's support, so you agreed to keep this whole affair under wraps for him? Or did you two plan it all from the start, just waiting to take what you wanted and then fall out with me?"

"Thera, how could you even think that of us?" Sharon cried even harder.

Beverly glared at me, her tone strict. "Thera, you've gone too far. Sharon is pregnant. You can't say things like that to her."

I stared at the two women—my future mother-in-law and my former best friend. They were standing side by side, and somehow I, the victim, ended up looking like the villain.

"Fine, I've gone too far." I nodded. "But what exactly do you want from me? You want me out of the picture? You want me to step aside and just let you have your happy ending?"

Sharon looked up, tears streaming down her face. "Thera, if you're willing to let us be together, I'll owe you for the rest of my life."

I finally saw it for what it was. To them, I was just a disposable pawn—something to be used and tossed away when convenient.

"Get out," I snapped, pointing at the door. "Both of you, get out."

After Beverly and Sharon left, I slumped down on the couch, feeling completely lost. My world had just shattered, and now I didn't even know what to do next.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, my phone buzzed. It was my dad.

"Thera, I heard you and Justin had a fight. What happened?" His voice sounded worried on the other end.

I took a deep breath and forced the words out. "Dad, Justin cheated on me. With Sharon. She's already two months pregnant."

There was a long silence on the other end.

"Dad?" I called out, my voice trembling.

"Alright," he said calmly after a pause. "Thera, are you at home right now? I'm coming over."

An hour later, both my mom and dad arrived.

Mom rushed in and pulled me into a tight hug. "Honey, are you alright?"

I buried myself in her embrace, unable to hold back my tears anymore.

Dad sat down on the couch, his face thunderous with rage. "That bastard Justin. I had him all wrong."

"Don't get worked up, Henry," Mom said, trying to calm Dad down. Then she turned to me. "Thera, just tell us exactly what happened."

I told them everything. Nothing held back—the mess yesterday, and how Beverly and Sharon came over today. My voice shook, but I forced myself to get it all out.

When I finished, Dad slammed his hand on the table, his face red with anger. "The Hudson family has some nerve, thinking we'd still marry you to that bastard? Not a chance!"

Mom's eyes glistened with hurt before her anger took over. "After everything we've done for Sharon, this is how she repays us?"

"Mom, saying any more doesn't change things." I gave a bitter smile. "Justin already picked Sharon over me."

"He picked her?" Dad sneered. "Let him. If he thinks he can throw you away and still come out on top, he's got another thing coming."

"Dad, what are you going to do?" I asked.

"Thera, I didn't make my way in business for nothing. Justin's only where he is because we backed him. If he wants to burn that bridge, I'll show him what it really costs," Dad said, voice icy and resolute.

Mom nodded. "Your dad's right. Half the Hudson family's business runs on our connections. Justin made his choice. Now he has to deal with the fallout."

Honestly, I felt all kinds of things. Even after everything Justin did, the thought of falling out with him still hurt.

"Thera, don't let your heart soften," Mom said, seeing right through me. "A man like that doesn't deserve your sympathy."

Dad pulled out his phone. "I'm calling some of our business partners right now—let them know what Justin is really like."

"Dad, is that really necessary?" I hesitated.

"It is," Dad said, his voice firm. "People have to pay for their choices. Since Justin crossed the line, he'll just have to deal with what comes next."

Just then, the doorbell rang.

I opened the door. There stood Justin, his face dark and stormy, like he'd just gotten the worst news of his life.

"Thera, we need to talk," he said, his voice tense.

"There's nothing left to say," I shot back, pushing the door shut, but he shoved his hand out and blocked me.

"Thera, please, just give me a minute," he begged.

Dad strode over, his face dark with anger. "Justin, you've got some nerve showing up here."

Justin's face went even paler when he saw Dad. "Mr. Johnson, I just wanted to explain what happened yesterday."

"Explain?" Dad sneered. "And what exactly are you going to say? That you didn't cheat on my daughter? Or maybe you'll try to convince us that the baby Sharon's carrying isn't yours? Come on. Don't insult our intelligence."

Justin was left completely speechless.

I glared at Justin. "So what's your deal, Justin? You're here to beg for forgiveness, or you want to play tough guy and threaten me?"

"Thera, I'm not trying to beg or threaten you," Justin said, his tone clipped. "I just want you to chill out and not do anything that'll hurt all of us."

"Hurt all of us?" I scoffed, my laugh full of bitterness. "Did you ever think about how much you'd hurt me when you stabbed me in the back?"

"Yeah, I screwed up. I get it. But what's done is done. Let's just be sensible about this," Justin replied, trying to sound calm.

Dad's voice was sharp with anger. "Be sensible? So what, Justin? You think my daughter should just suck it up and pretend nothing happened?"

"Mr. Johnson, that's not what I meant," Justin replied, keeping his tone calm. "We've been business partners for years. There's no reason personal matters should interfere with that."

So that was what this was really about. Justin didn't come to apologize or try to win me back. He was just worried we'd mess up his precious business.

I finally saw him for who he really was.

"You can rest easy, Justin. I won't be meddling in your business," I said, my voice ice-cold. "Because from this moment on, my family will have nothing to do with you. No more business. Nothing at all."

Justin's expression changed instantly, panic flashing across his face. "Thera, you can't just cut us off like this. Our partnership affects a lot of people's interests."

"A lot of people's interests?" I shot back with a bitter laugh. "Did you ever consider what your betrayal would cost me?"

"Thera, can't you just stop being so unreasonable?" Justin's voice grew frantic. "What happened between me and Sharon is our personal matter. I shouldn't get in the way of business."

Dad shot to his feet, his voice booming. "Justin, get the hell out of here. You cheated on my daughter, and now you think you can still use our family's connections? Dream on!"

Mom stood up too, her tone icy. "Justin, you're not welcome here anymore. Just go, and don't ever come back."

Justin looked at me, then at my parents, his face turning even darker.

"Fine, if that's how you want to play it, don't blame me for what comes next," Justin said, his eyes cold as he glared at me. "Thera, you'll regret this."

He spun on his heel and stormed out.

Dad looked ready to chase after Justin, but Mom quickly stepped in and stopped him.

"Henry, don't waste your breath on trash like that," she said sharply.

As Justin's back disappeared out the door, my heart turned to ice.

So this was it. His feelings for me could never compete with his precious business deals.

As soon as Justin stormed out, Dad didn't waste a second. He started dialing up every contact he had.

I caught snippets of his conversation from across the room. "Mr. Langley, be careful with Justin. His morals are a nightmare. You might want to reconsider working with him. Oh, about my daughter? Yep, he cheated on her with her own best friend, no less. Disgusting, right? The guy's got zero shame..."

Mom sat beside me and gently pulled me close. "Thera, honey, don't let a jerk like that ruin your mood. He's not worth even a single tear."

"I'm okay, Mom." I lied with a shaky smile. "I just can't believe he could be so cold and ruthless."

"Cold? He's born to be that kind of person." Mom scoffed, her anger practically boiling over. "If he ever had a shred of real feeling for you, there's no way he'd do something like this."

After Dad wrapped up his calls, he sat down with me. "Thera, I've already talked to the main players. Trust me. Justin's going to get what's coming to him real soon."

"Dad, are you sure this won't mess with our own business?" I asked, the worry clear in my voice.

"It won't," Dad said, shaking his head. "Our company's solid. We never depended on Justin. But now that he's lost our support, he's in for a rude awakening."