Watching her husband and his first love disappear down the road, Charlene instructed the driver to follow them.
She wanted to make a scene—to snatch back her husband.
But the driver hesitated. “Miss Charlene, it’s getting late. Ma’am Delores and the others are waiting for you back at the estate.”
Of course, he’d seen it too—Jagger walking off with the woman everyone knew had once been the love of his life.
Everyone in Lancaster knew the story. Jagger, only son of the Sulzbergers, had dated that woman all through college—four years. Then, under pressure from his mother, the relationship was cut off, and he married someone else instead. It was a rushed wedding to the heiress of the Rosenthals in San Francisco.
People loved to whisper that the one who wasn’t loved was the real homewrecker. If she chased after him now, she’d only become more of a joke than she already was.
If she didn’t acknowledge it, then it wouldn’t be the truth.
Instead, she laid a hand on her small but undeniable baby bump, let out a long breath, and told the driver to take her back to the Sulzbergers family estate.
As soon as she stepped out of the car, Delores, Jagger’s mother, came rushing toward her. The old woman’s voice was warm, asking how her daughter-in-law was.
Inside, it was Peggy, Jagger’s grandmother, who lit up the room, almost giddy to see Charlene.
The three women sat together, chatting warmly. But Charlene knew the truth. They were all waiting for the same thing: Jagger’s arrival.
When the clock struck eight, Delores couldn’t sit still any longer. She excused herself, saying, “I’ll just check if dinner’s ready.” But instead, she went straight to the hallway to make the tenth call to her son.
“Mom?”
“Jagger! You said you were on your way. Where the hell are you? Charlene’s pregnant and hasn’t eaten a bite! If you have even a shred of decency, get your ass over here!”
On the other end, he sounded bored. “I’m busy. I’m at work. I didn’t tell you to wait for me.”
“You keep saying you’re busy! What, you think the company’s going to collapse if you take a break to eat dinner? You stubborn child!”
Though Delores kept her voice low, her anger was impossible to hide.
Charlene knew exactly what Jagger was doing. He wasn’t at the office. He was still with his other woman.
“Just tell him I’m dying!” Peggy shouted, loud enough that the phone didn’t need a speaker. “I want to see him one last time before I go!”
Even without being relayed, Jagger must have heard it loud and clear.
There were two seconds of silence… until the line went dead.
Charlene gave a small smile. “Grandma, you’ll live a long, healthy life. Don’t worry.”
She said it gently, but the truth stung. She had no one in this city. No friends. No family. That rushed wedding made her the butt of every joke in both Lancaster and San Francisco.
Rumors had it that she was a gold digger and a third party who “slept her way into the Sulzbergers.”
Only these two women, who—despite everything—treated her with kindness.
She endured the daily humiliations of being Jagger’s wife thanks to her unwavering love for him and the heartfelt kindness of two older women.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m still strong as a horse. Let’s eat. No need to wait for him,” Peggy said as Delores helped her to the dining table.
Halfway through dinner, Jagger walked in, the cold clinging to his coat. Still, it was the chill in his presence—not the winter air—that froze the room.
“She seems perfectly fine to me,” he muttered, eyes scanning Charlene with a scorn so sharp she flinched.
It wasn’t just contempt. It was cruelty. Nothing like the warm smile he’d given that other woman earlier.
For a while, Charlene had believed time would soften him. That love could grow, could be earned. But she was wrong.
The gentleness she saw he was capable of? That was never hers to receive. It had always belonged to his first love.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Peggy slammed her knife down, making a loud clunk.
Jagger didn’t blink. “Grandma, you look perfectly fine. I’ve seen you now. I’m leaving.”
He turned, already heading for the door.
“If you walk out now, you’re no son of mine anymore!”
His mother’s voice cracked as she stood, the force of her words tipping her chair over.
That got his attention. He paused and looked over his shoulder.
“Happy now?” he said, eyes locking on Charlene like she was the one who’d lit the fire.
Of course. It was her fault, somehow. She wasn’t just the one who got between him and his “true love.” She was also the one who turned his family against him.
“You call yourself a man?” his mother snapped. “Blaming everything on her so you don’t have to own your own mess? Coward. I can’t believe I raised a goddamn coward!”
It was the first time she’d exploded like this in front of everyone. But no one looked surprised. They all knew. His old flame was back. They just didn’t dare say it out loud.
“Calm down, Mom,” Charlene said quickly, trying to ease the tension. She stood, helping her mother-in-law right the chair.
“Jagger… stay. Eat something.”
“Oh, don’t bother pretending to care,” he replied. Although reluctant, he still sat with the three women.
Throughout the dinner, Charlene chewed her food like it was ash.
She’d made her decision already—to leave, to end it—but seeing him being a gentleman to another woman, she felt a fresh wave of nausea.
Charlene had been bullied in school. That woman had made her life hell. And now Jagger called her the love of his life.
Later, when dinner was over, his mother asked him to stay the night. To go home—to their home.
He didn’t answer. He just walked out, not even glancing back.
“Sweetheart, maybe stay here for a while,” Delores said gently. “You’re pregnant, but your husband’s not taking care of you. You shouldn’t be alone.”
But since she had already decided to leave, it was best to cut ties with that family and Lancaster as soon as possible.
But she shook her head. “Thank you, Mom. I just signed a new contract, the company needs me, and I’ve gotten used to living on my own. I’ll be alright.”
In the end, she too used “work” as a cover—to deceive both herself and others.
She hated him. She hated how easily he lied.
She hated herself for being that hopelessly naive—for buying into the lie that his feelings for his first love were just a phase.
Charlene loved him for six years like a fool.
But now she knew better.
He never loved her, and that made leaving the easiest thing in the world.
