Eliza POV:
I stayed at Jamie' s place for a few days. My phone buzzed constantly with Gavin' s calls and texts, but I ignored them all. He tried sending flowers, food, even a handwritten letter. I sent them all back.
I needed to see her. I needed to face the woman who had lived my life.
I drove to Chanelle Bryant's office. It was a sleek, modern building, glass and steel reflecting the morning sun. I parked across the street, watching the entrance. My heart hammered in my chest.
I waited for what felt like an eternity. People came and went, busy and important. Then I saw her.
Chanelle Bryant. Stepping out of a luxury car, her dark hair perfectly coiffed, her tailored suit exuding power. She looked exactly like she did in the photos. Confident. Impeccable.
She was everything I wasn't. Everything Gavin wanted.
I took a deep breath, the anger and pain coiling in my gut. I pushed open my car door and walked towards her.
"Chanelle Bryant?" I called out, my voice clear and steady.
She stopped. Her head snapped up, her eyes narrowing as she looked at me. A flicker of recognition, then confusion.
I walked closer, stopping a few feet in front of her. "Hello, Chanelle," I said, my voice unwavering. "My name is Eliza Mathews. I'm Gavin Petty's wife."
Her perfectly composed face faltered. Her eyes widened, a momentary shock passing through them, before she quickly regained her composure. Her features hardened, a cool mask descending.
"Eliza," she said, her voice smooth, almost condescending. "Yes, Gavin has mentioned you. Many times."
"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow, a bitter smile playing on my lips. "And what exactly has he mentioned?"
"That you're a lovely graphic designer," she said, her tone dismissive. "A wonderful mother. Very dedicated to your home and family."
I felt a cold rage spread through me. That was my role to him. The quiet, domestic wife. The one he could safely leave at home while he paraded his real wife around.
"Did he also mention that we're married?" I asked, cutting through her patronizing tone. "That we've been married for eight years?"
She smiled, a cold, practiced smile. "Of course. He's always been very open about his domestic arrangements. Congratulations on your marriage, Eliza."
The audacity. The sheer arrogance. "And did he also mention that for the past eight years, you've been publicly posing as his wife?" I asked, my voice rising slightly. "That you've been attending every corporate event, every dinner, every trip, as Mrs. Gavin Petty?"
She shrugged, a subtle, dismissive gesture. "Gavin introduced me that way. It was his decision. I'm merely a business partner, Eliza. You know how these things are in the corporate world. Appearances. Professional optics."
"So you're saying you're completely innocent in all of this?" I challenged, my voice shaking with barely suppressed fury. "You just went along with it? You didn't know you were destroying a family?"
She scoffed, a hint of disdain in her eyes. "I didn't force Gavin to do anything. He's a grown man. And frankly, my relationship with him is purely professional. We've never crossed any lines."
"Purely professional?" I repeated, my laugh harsh and humorless. "Is that what you call it when you send him intimate messages? When you take lavish trips together, staying in hotel suites as a married couple? When you're listed as his emergency contact, as his spouse?"
I pulled out my phone, flashing the screenshots of their messages, the hotel bookings, the HR document. Her face went pale, her eyes widening in genuine surprise this time. The mask cracked.
But only for a second. She quickly recovered, a tight, saccharine smile returning. "Those can all be explained, Eliza. You're just being emotional. You're clearly distraught."
She stepped closer, her voice dripping with false pity. "Honestly, Eliza, you should just let this go. Men like Gavin... they need a certain kind of partner for their public life. A woman who understands their world. A woman who can keep up. You should just be thankful he still comes home to you. Just close your eyes to it. It' s what most wives do."
I looked at her. Really looked at her. And then, a strange, bitter laugh escaped my lips. I laughed until tears streamed down my face.
"You know what, Chanelle?" I said, wiping my eyes, my voice suddenly calm and steady. "You're absolutely right."
She frowned, confusion clouding her features. "I am?"
"Yes," I said, my smile genuine now, but laced with a chilling resolve. "I will close my eyes to it. And I'm going to make sure Gavin and everyone else involved closes their eyes to everything they thought they knew about you two as well."
I turned on my heel and walked away, not looking back.
"Eliza! Wait!" she called out behind me, her voice now laced with a hint of panic.
I didn't stop. I just kept walking.
