Sterling pressed his lips together. His voice was low and steady. “It’s not safe for a woman to go drinking alone. Your family would worry.”
I gave a faint, bitter smile. “I don’t really have a family that worries about me.”
My mother only came around when she needed money for my little brother. When I was empty, she sold me off like an object, draining every last ounce of value I had.
After she handed me over to a man in his sixties and walked away, there was nothing left between us.
Maybe it was the sadness in my eyes that made Sterling’s face flicker with guilt.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
I waved it off. “It’s fine. Being alone isn’t the worst thing. Take care, Mr. Gray.”
If it hadn’t been for Piper and Micah’s little drama, Sterling and I probably would’ve stayed strangers forever.
“Goodbye,” he said.
Once in the car, I drove straight to the club Micah and I used to hit up when meeting clients.
The male hosts there were top–tier. After just breaking up with a jerk like Micah, skipping a few drinks with good company felt like a crime.
I wasn’t blind. At the events Micah never bothered to bring me to, women were always draped all over him.
But Micah kept up appearances. He’d let them pour his drinks, but that was as far as it went.
I thought he was level–headed enough not to betray me, so I didn’t pay it much mind.
Still, I never would’ve guessed he’d get caught up in something like this.
Right at the entrance, I bumped into Jared.
Wasn’t he just at the wedding? I didn’t think he’d be meeting clients so soon after.
He seemed busy.
met his client a few times. Even though I planned to leave this world behind, it felt wrong not to say hello.
I greeted them and was about to step inside when Jared gestured for the client to go ahead.
Tabitha,” he called out: “A jerk like him isn’t worth holding on to. You’ll find someone better someday.”
His voice was steady and almost comforting. I smiled. “Don’t worry. If I still cared, I wouldn’t have sold all my shares to you.”
Once Micah found out I’d handed everything over to Jared, his hatred for me would only grow. There was no chance things could ever go back to the way
they were.
Jared chuckled. “I guess I was overthinking things.”
“Yeah, you better get back to work.”
He gave a nod and turned away without another word.
I kept drinking until after 9:00 pm. Feeling a little tipsy, I finally stood up to leave.
As soon as I stepped outside, a sharp, cold wind hit me, making my head spin.
While leaning against a pillar, I pulled out my phone to call an Uber. My stomach dropped when I saw dozens of missed calls. Almost all of them were from my best friend, Greta McRae.
As I rubbed my throbbing temples, I quickly called her back.
“What’s going on? Why did you call so many times?”
“Where have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you all day!”
After deciding to cause a scene at the wedding, I told Greta there was no reason for her to come.
I didn’t tell any of my own family, so only Micah’s friends and relatives were at the venue.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Haven’t you seen the trending news? Micah and Piper are claiming you ruined their relationship. Now that they’re back together, a bunch trolls are piling on and attacking you. It’s insane!”
I clenched the phone in my hand. I was ready to move on, but I never expected those two cheaters to sink so low and smear my name like this.
“Alright. I’ll take a look and call you back.”
After hanging up, I ordered an Uber.
of clueless
When I opened Instagram, Piper’s long–winded post was the first thing that popped up. Micah had even shared it on his story. The sheer audacity of it all felt surreal.
Micah and I had only gotten together after graduation. But according to Piper, they’d been a couple since college. She twisted every detail, painting me as a scheming homewrecker who deliberately flirted with a taken man.
I logged into my account. I was prepared to share the detailed timeline I’d carefully put together–from the moment Micah and I started dating to his proposal. But to my disbelief, my account had been hacked.
A bitter laugh escaped me.
How could I have been so foolish to fall for something like this?
After taking a deep breath to steady myself, I dialed Micah’s number.
“You need to take down all those posts you and Piper put up and apologize to me publicly. If you don’t, I swear I’ll expose every disgusting thing you two did before the wedding. Let’s see who ends up more humiliated.”
Micah chuckled. His voice was dripping with contempt.
“Tabitha, what you pulled at the hotel today only happened because I wasn’t paying attention. Do you really think you still have any power to threaten me?”
His tone dripped with mockery and disdain. It was as if he were certain I was utterly powerless.
“Spending all those years on a shameless scumbag like you was my biggest regret,” I retorted. “Because you refuse to let me go, my lawyer’s letter is on its way.”
I slammed the phone down in frustration and took a deep breath. Getting worked up over a jerk like him wasn’t worth it.
