stepped aside to let him in, pointing to my
laptop on the table. News of his new project
was trending, his popularity skyrocketing. “I’m a
businesswoman,” I said simply.
<
Alex’s lips tightened. Suddenly, rapid footsteps
echoed in the hallway. I hadn’t closed the door
completely. A figure burst in, and the next
second, a fist slammed into Alex’s face.
Alex, stunned, quickly retaliated. The two men.
grappled, a whirlwind of fists and fury. I finally
recognized the attacker.
“Ethan!” I yelled, rushing to intervene. Alex
seized the opportunity, landing a punch on
Ethan’s face. Ethan lunged again, but I pulled
Alex behind me, my anger boiling over. “Ethan,
stop it! I’ll call the police!”
Ethan was livid. “You’re protecting him?!” He
pointed at me, his voice shaking. “Do you even
know who you are? You’re my wife!”
I glanced back at Alex. His eye was bruised, his
lip bleeding. He wouldn’t be able to film for at
least a week. This was a big–budget movie,
filming in Paris, where every day cost a fortune.
A
- 4.
<
A week of delays would cost at least six figures.
I laughed, a harsh, bitter sound. “Mr. Big Shot,
huh? Not enough to cheat on me back home, you have to come to Paris and assault my client.”
Ethan looked around wildly, his eyes bloodshot. “Did you sleep with him?”
“Five hundred thousand dollars,” I said, holding out my hand. “Wire it to my company account. I refuse to share the cost of your personal
vendetta in the divorce settlement.”
Ethan clenched his fists. “You’re divorcing me… for him?”
Before I could answer, he grabbed my arm, his
eyes filled with rage. “Did you sleep with him? Sarah?”
SLAP
12:21
<
794
The sound cracked through the air. Ethan’s
head snapped to the side. He looked back at me, dazed.
“Only a dog like you would think about screwing around on their wife,” I spat.
He flinched, his gaze flickering before his rigid posture relaxed. “You’re still hung up on Chloe, aren’t you? It’s not what you think. I’ll stay away from her. Isn’t this enough revenge? We can go back to how things were…”
I’d heard this all before. Disappointment had long since curdled into despair. “Ethan, five hundred thousand. Pay up.”
I got the money. Alex conceded that I was a ruthless businesswoman. He wasn’t wrong.
Relying on a man was risky. Money wasn’t. As
long as I wasn’t spending it, it wouldn’t
disappear.
12:21
794
Now that Ethan was conveniently in Paris, I had
a property appraiser back home assess our marital assets. I had the agreement drawn up and sent to him.
Ethan was incredulous. “Sarah, does it have to
be like this? I admit I wasn’t careful with Chloe, but you and Alex…”
“Babe, let’s not do this.”
“You mean the rehearsal video?” I asked.
Ethan didn’t answer, but his expression said it all. I pulled out the viral video of him and Chloe under the Northern Lights and handed it to him. I would divorce him, but I wouldn’t be the one
at fault.
The video showed them embracing, their breath
mingling. The timestamp was clear: less than a
week ago. The comments were full of well-
wishes. “The internet is really rooting for you
12:21
<
two,” I said. “It’d be a shame not to get
married.”
Ethan froze. “Babe, it’s not like that… Chloe
was just upset…” He trailed off.
794
I waited, amused. When he remained silent, I
finished his sentence for him. “Chloe was
upset, so you ditched your wife and took her to
the very place your wife was dreaming of going,
just to cheer her up?”
Ethan’s face paled. “That’s not how it was!”
I watched him, curious to see what lie he would
concoct. After a moment, he deflated. “Sarah,
I’ll take you too, okay? Just the two of us. We’ll
go see the Northern Lights. I’ll make it up to
you. We can start over… Maybe you don’t
believe me now, but Sarah, I’ve never stopped
loving you. You’re the only one for me. Give me
a chance to fix this…” His eyes were red-
rimmed, his lips trembling.
く
I asked him one question. “Ethan, could you
accept me doing this with another man?“
