Chapter 3
Dylan never loved me.
He only liked my face because it looked a bit like his precious Eliza.
I was just a stand in. A cheap replacement he could use and throw away.
A cheap replacement he could summon at will and toss aside whenever he felt like it.
During our first year of marriage, Eliza was out of the country.
Dylan treated me well enough. He remembered our anniversaries and bought me gifts.
Sure, they were always Eliza's favorite brands and styles. But I convinced myself it was just a coincidence.
That changed the night he got drunk.
He held me tight, mumbling her name over and over. "Eliza, don't go. Eliza, I miss you so much."
My blood ran cold. All his tenderness and affection were never meant for me.
I was just a shadow. A vessel for his heartbreak.
When he woke up the next morning, I asked him who Eliza was.
He stayed quiet for a long time before admitting she was his ex. They had broken up over a misunderstanding.
He apologized and pulled me into his arms. "Sierra, it's in the past. You're the one I love now. I'll forget her, and we'll build a good life together."
Like a fool, I believed him.
I deleted all of Eliza's photos and contact info from his phone.
I naively thought our lives would get back on track as long as she stayed away.
But I was wrong. Some things were hardwired into a person. They couldn't be erased.
The day Eliza flew back home was our third wedding anniversary.
I cooked all his favorite dishes, lit the candles, and waited for him.
I waited from dusk until midnight.
I reheated the food over and over. He never showed up. He didn't even call.
It wasn't until three in the morning that I saw him on the front page of a celebrity gossip site.
He had taken Eliza straight from the airport to their favorite restaurant.
The look in his eyes in those paparazzi photos was filled with a tender devotion I had never received.
In that instant, my entire marriage became a massive joke. My heart completely died that night.
*****
Charles's voice pulled me out of my memories. "Miss, Trevor Reed is on the line."
He handed me a new phone. I took it and hit the speaker button.
On the other end, Trevor's voice lacked its usual arrogance. Instead, he sounded panicked and desperate to please. "Is this Ms. Jennings?"
"Mr. Reed, what can I do for you?" I picked up my cup and blew on it gently.
"Ms. Jennings, is there some sort of misunderstanding? Did my idiot son Dylan do something to upset you? Just tell me. I'll make him apologize to you personally."
"A misunderstanding?" I chuckled. "Mr. Reed, do you really think there are any misunderstandings between us?"
Trevor fell silent. Of course, he knew the truth.
Years ago, the Reed Group was on the verge of bankruptcy. My father, the CEO of the Jennings Group, stepped in to save them out of respect for our families' old friendship.
By injecting capital, the Jennings family became the true majority shareholders of the Reed Group.
The Reed family was just a figurehead running the daily operations on our behalf.
Over the years, the Reeds used our money to throw their weight around, completely forgetting their place.
When my father passed away unexpectedly, they assumed the Jennings family was finished. They thought they could simply swallow up the company for themselves.
That was why they dared to treat me so poorly. To them, a powerless orphan girl was nothing.
Trevor practically sobbed over the phone. "Ms. Jennings, please think about the friendship between our fathers.
"Give the Reed family one more chance! We know we messed up. We are truly sorry."
"A chance?" I set down my cup, my voice turning icy. "I gave you a chance three years ago when I married Dylan.
"I gave you a chance when your wife slapped me in public and said I wasn't good enough for your family.
"I even gave you a chance when I was pregnant and Eliza pushed me down the stairs. Dylan called me a liar and forced me to drop the charges.
"I gave you plenty of chances. It's a pity you didn't value a single one."
With every word I spoke, his breathing grew heavier.
When I mentioned the baby, Trvor completely broke down. "The baby... about the baby..."
That was the child I had wanted for so long. The baby who was taken from me before I could even hear a heartbeat.
It was my deepest scar.