“What is going on with him?” I muttered, my voice thick with exhaustion and annoyance. I had been trying to reach him for hours now, and every attempt was met with silence. The weight of the situation bore down on me, sinking me into frustration.
With a weary sigh, I gave up. I glanced around the bustling street, feeling utterly drained. Spotting an approaching cab, I raised my hand and flagged it down. The car came to a smooth stop beside me, and the driver, a middle-aged man with a friendly face, leaned over to roll down the passenger window.
“Where to, miss?” he asked, his voice kind but businesslike.
I hesitated, still feeling dazed from everything that had happened. “Silver Heights estate,” I finally replied, my voice barely above a whisper.
The driver nodded and unlocked the door for me. “Hop in,” he said.
I opened the door and sank into the back seat, my mind already wandering. "I hope he’s okay," I muttered under my breath.
When the cab finally pulled up in front of the estate, I handed the driver the fare with a quiet, “Thank you.”
He nodded, pocketing the money as he responded with a simple, “You’re welcome. Have a good day.”
As I walked up to the grand entrance of our mansion, the keys in my hand jingled softly. I unlocked the door and stepped inside, greeted by a heavy silence. Unease washed over me; something just didn’t feel right.
My eyes scanned the living room. Scattered across the couch and floor were items that didn’t belong to me—lace underwear, a tube of lipstick, a pair of panties, and a dress, all tossed carelessly around the room. Confusion clouded my thoughts, and my heart stopped for a moment.
“Whose are these?” I wondered aloud, my voice barely above a whisper. My mind raced to make sense of what I was seeing.
I bent down, picking up the foreign items one by one, inspecting them closely. None of these things were mine. But if they weren’t mine, then who did they belong to?
“Zane?” I whispered, my heart racing as a sickening feeling crept into my stomach. A sudden thought gripped me, and before I could stop myself, I was marching toward the master bedroom.
With trembling hands, I pushed open the bedroom door, my heart racing. What I saw shattered my world into pieces. Zane was there, lying in our bed with another woman—both of them lost in each other, completely unaware of the hurt they were causing.
The woman had long, dark hair that flowed down her shoulders, looking relaxed as if she belonged there. A cold wave of sickness washed over me. Zane looked up at me without any sign of guilt. He didn’t flinch or apologize. Instead, he stood up slowly, his expression calm, and walked over to me.
“Hey, Natalie,” he said, as if nothing was wrong, his voice steady.
I felt my heart sink. How could he be so calm? The betrayal hit me hard, making me feel like I might drown in my own emotions. I wanted to shout, to demand answers, but the words stuck in my throat, trapped between disbelief and anger.
I watched as Zane leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Jennifer’s lips right in front of me. A chilling realization washed over me. This was why he hadn’t been answering my calls—he had been busy cheating on me with another woman.
A wave of nausea hit me as I struggled to comprehend the scene before me. The laughter and joy we had shared just days ago felt like a cruel joke. Zane’s lips were on another woman’s while I stood there, frozen, heartbroken.
“Natalie,” he began, his tone indifferent, almost casual. “This is Jennifer Smith.” He gestured to the woman in bed. “Jennifer was my first love. If she hadn’t left the country all those years ago, I never would have married you.” His voice was chillingly emotionless, as if this confession was something he’d been holding onto for years.
"She’s a Smith? Zane actually cheated on me with a Smith?" I thought, my mind racing. "Her father works for me. My grandmother has always favored him and his family. I can’t believe this."
I closed my eyes briefly, trying to compose myself.
"Too bad you came back early and walked in on this," Zane said, his voice laced with sarcasm.
“What is this, Zane?” I managed to choke out, my voice trembling with shock. “How can you do this to me?”
Zane’s expression shifted to one of cruel amusement. “Oh, Natalie,” he said, his tone dripping with condescension. “All you’ve ever done is make me spend money on you. You’ve been nothing but a burden.” His words cut deep, slicing through me like a knife. “Jennifer, on the other hand, has been helping me secure multi-billion-dollar contracts. She’s been a real partner, not some useless piece of furniture.”
I felt a wave of disbelief wash over me. This was the man I had trusted completely, the one I had sacrificed everything for. And now, here he was, standing in front of me, calling me a burden, a piece of furniture, stripping me of my worth.
In that moment, I wished desperately that this was all just a dream or a figment of my imagination. But it wasn’t. Reality stood before me, unyielding and harsh. Zane, the man I had loved so deeply, was cheating on me with another woman, and he didn’t even feel a hint of regret.
Zane had once been sweet and loving, a devoted husband who made me feel cherished. What had caused this betrayal? What had turned him into someone so different, so unrecognizable?
"You didn’t answer my calls yesterday, and you didn’t pick up this morning, either. You didn’t respond to any of my text messages. Didn’t anyone tell you I was in the hospital, or do you just not care?" I cried out, my voice trembling with anger.
Zane shrugged casually, his expression indifferent. "Isn’t it obvious, Natalie? I don’t give a damn."
I gasped in shock, my eyes wide with disbelief. I couldn’t believe the words that had just come out of his mouth.
