Chapter 2
Chapter 2
I sat in the study, that voice echoing in my head.
I remembered visiting the winery with Jasper and never meeting anyone named Lila.
My hands were shaking as I pulled up my best friend, Emma’s chat.
[Girl, need you to dig up everything on Sunset Winery and Jasper.]
My heart was pounding as I kept typing.
[All of Jasper’s financial records and recent whereabouts. I need to know everything.]
Tears were welling up, but I refused to let them fall, forcing myself to stay rational.
[I think Jasper’s cheating.]
Just as I hit send, I heard Jasper’s voice behind me.
“Babe.”
He walked over, looking genuinely apologetic.
“Something came up with a project at work.” His expression was conflicted. “I know I promised we’d spend the evening together, but they really need me to handle this crisis. I hate to bail, but I have to go sort this
out.”
He ran his hand over my hair.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.” His phone was in his other hand, screen lit up, and I could see he was in the middle of typing a message.
I grabbed his hand and asked, “Can’t you skip it?”
Normally, Jasper would’ve picked up on the desperation in my voice, would’ve noticed the vulnerability in my eyes and my phone screen still glowing with that damning conversation.
But not tonight.
He was completely focused on leaving and whatever he was texting, just barely managing to be patient with
“I’ll be super quick.”
19:08
Walgreens Notific
Chapter 2
Feeling the tugging force from my hand, his tone carried a hint of anxiety: “Come on babe, you’re always so understanding. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
I felt like a deflated balloon, just sitting there watching Jasper rush out without even saying a proper goodbye.
The tears finally started falling, and I realized that maybe there really was no such thing as a faithful man.
Emma called with the intel: “Sunset has a project that Jasper personally funded and promoted. That’s sketchy as hell right off the bat.”
She sent me the files.
“Everyone at Sunset’s talking about how Jasper’s throwing money around to promote some chick, and nobody dares mess with her because of him.”
Her voice went cold. “Word is Sunset’s throwing a celebration party at the Meridian Hotel.”
“Jasper’s not there, right?”
That last bit of hope I’d been clinging to shattered completely.
I stared at the dinner Jasper had prepared-perfectly peeled shrimp, my favorite soup, roses on the side.
Then I remembered what he’d said earlier: “Babe! Don’t tell me you forgot-today’s our anniversary.”
Our wedding anniversary….
He knew clearly.
But he still chose someone else.
He still left me here alone, even after I’d begged him not to go, even after I’d tried to make him stay. He’d still walked toward whoever had a stronger hold on his heart.
“I’m going to the Meridian,” I told Emma.
“Even if this marriage is over, I need to see what kind of woman I lost to.”
I’d actually wondered what this girl named Lila was like-
Sunny, lively, young.
I’d even imagined what she looked like… until this very moment when I actually saw her sitting next to Jasper.
19:08
Walgreens Notified Me About His ‘Plan B’ Purchase… So I Upgraded Him to ‘Plan Bankruptcy
28.1%
Chapter 2
She was so… ordinary.
Her looks were so plain that I wouldn’t recognize her if we met again-no class whatsoever, dressed ordinarily, even her hair was carelessly tied up, wearing no makeup at all, yet there she was clinging to Jasper’s arm and laughing as she called him:
“Babe.”
“They’re trying to make me drink.”
She was totally playing up the helpless act, pointing at the table full of executives.
“I told them my babe’s like a knight in shining armor who’d protect me, but they didn’t believe me. They want you to come set them straight.”
Everyone was laughing and sucking up: “Gotta hand it to Lila-when she finally picks a guy, she goes for the jackpot.”
