Chapter 3

I spent almost eight hours stuck in the hospital: getting IV drips, shots, and being checked on nonstop. By the time I finally dragged myself home, it was already way past midnight.

When I pushed open the door, Amy was coming down the stairs, wearing my silk nightgown.

But what really made my blood boil was the ring on her finger. It was the engagement ring Steven gave me when he proposed.

"Nina, you're back," Amy said, leaning against the banister. "This ring looks pretty good on me, doesn't it? Mind if I borrow it for a bit?"

"Can't get enough of other people's cast-offs, can you?"

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?"

"The clothes are mine; the ring is mine. Do you own anything you're wearing?

"Wearing what others left behind, using what they didn't want—if that's not scavenging, what is?"

"Nina, if you had any self-respect, you'd leave. Steven doesn't want you anymore. Isn't it pathetic clinging on like this?"

I ignored her and went upstairs.

When I walked into the bedroom, I immediately spotted two pieces of lingerie tossed carelessly on the bed.

Steven was lounging in the armchair, scrolling through his phone. He didn't bother to look up. "You're back?"

I pointed at the lingerie on the bed. "What the hell is this?"

"Lingerie. Amy was scared last night, so she hung out with me here. She ended up crashing and left them behind."

"So you two were chatting in my bed, and somehow her underwear came off?"

"Nina, what's that supposed to mean?"

I snatched up the lingerie and tossed it right at him. "Steven, you let her into my bed, and you still have the guts to ask what I mean?"

"Must you be so filthy-minded? We were only having a chat. Why do you always twist things around? Can't you trust me at all?"

A cold, sarcastic laugh slipped out. "Let's get divorced."

"You think you can call it quits whenever you feel like it?" Steven reached out to grab me.

"What, you want me to stick around until you have a bastard with her?" I shot back.

"Goddammit, I only want you to stop acting out and quit going against me all the damn time."

"Steven, let go of me," I yelled, struggling desperately to pull my hand free.

A sharp, piercing pain shot through my wrist. That allergic reaction from last night was still nowhere near gone. His grip landed right on the worst of the swollen area.

I bit my lower lip, my eyes reddening beyond my control.

Steven stared at my red-rimmed eyes. His grip seemed to loosen slightly.

"Are you crying?" His voice softened.

I stayed silent, pulled my hand back, and shielded it with my other hand.

Just then, the door swung open.

Amy stood in the doorway, gripping her phone, her face full of hesitation. "Steven, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"What is it?" Steven asked.

Amy walked over and handed Steven the phone. "While I was cleaning up a couple of days ago, I noticed Nina's phone screen light up."

Steven took the phone, and a photo was displayed on the screen.

The backdrop was a hotel bed with crisp white sheets. In the photo, I was entangled with a stranger, both of us completely naked, caught in an intimate and compromising pose.

"Nina, you seriously have the guts to talk about divorce after this?" Steven exploded, slamming the phone right in front of me.

I looked down. It was definitely my face in the photo, but it was obviously edited in. There was a clear color discrepancy where the neck met the face. "That's not me."

"Not you? Then whose face is staring back at me?" Steven shot back.

"It's fake. Someone photoshopped it."

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

"You're proving you are. Only an idiot would actually fall for a photo like that."

"Doesn't matter if I buy it or not. The point is, you've got someone else."

"I don't."

"Then why are you so quick to want a divorce?"

I opened my mouth, but suddenly, I didn't feel like explaining anymore.

Steven had shared my bed for three years. When I was stuck in the hospital with an allergic reaction, he could leave me there and go take her to school.

And now, all it took was one crappy photoshopped picture, and he was convinced I was cheating.

"Steven, you never trusted me," I said.

I jerked my hand away, but Steven twisted my arm and gripped even harder, dragging me toward the walk-in closet.

I struggled desperately, my nails digging into the back of his hand. "Steven, what the hell are you doing? Let me go."

Steven shoved me into the walk-in closet, spun around, and locked the door from the outside.

I threw myself at the door, pounding on it. "Steven, open the door."

"Stay in there. The family dinner is in two days, and you're coming with me. Use this time to figure out how you're going to break things off with that guy," Steven said, his voice icy.