God, this couldn’t be happening.
Why was it happening?
What did I do to deserve this?
I tried to search my memories for answers, but the longer I tried, the more my head ached. It was no use. Somewhere, somehow, I had fucked up and now Mason wanted a divorce.
Oh god.
Divorce.
The vile word echoed through my mind, growing louder and louder. Soon enough, it would drive me insane.
Penny returned with a steaming cup of Earl Grey.
I looked up at her, eyes puffy, tears rolling down my cheeks. A long time ago, I vowed that I would never let myself cry this hard over a guy. But back then, I didn’t know Mason Evercore.
“Laney…,” my friend whispered, sitting down beside me, wrapping her arm around my shoulder.
Limply, my body fell into hers, head settling on her chest.
Slowly, she rubbed my arm, holding me tight.
“Just forget about him,” she soothed.
“I can’t,” was my sorrowful mumble.
“Of course you can, Laney. You’re a beautiful and capable young woman. You can do better.”
I shook my head, pulling away from her. “No. We were so happy together. He was the man of my dreams. Everything seemed so perfect. I don’t know what went wrong. It doesn’t make any sense.”
My sobs had stopped, but the tears kept coming, streaming down my cheeks. I wiped them off, frustrated that I was breaking down so easily.
Goddamnit.
If I could only think straight, then maybe I could figure this out.
But all I could think about was him.
Those alluring eyes. His broad shoulders. The timbre of his voice. Everything that made me fall in love with the alpha clouded my perception.
What went wrong?
Penny took my hands in hers and squeezed them. “Don’t beat yourself up over this. Guys are just weird. You know that.”
“But there has to be a reason.” I insisted. “Something I did. Something I didn’t do … just something. He wouldn’t divorce me for no good reason.”
“Laney, it’s not your fault.” Penny picked up the tea and placed the mug in my hands. The ceramic was warm to the touch, the aroma relaxing, but even that wasn’t enough to console me.
Shaking my head, I got up, pacing around the room. There had to be a reason. There just had to be.
“My husband wants to divorce me,” were my slot, shattered words. “The minute he’s a free man, and he wants to divorce me.” I stopped, running my fingers through my hair, trying to find a logical explanation. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
Penny looked at me with a reluctant expression on her face. “Laney, don’t beat yourself up trying to figure this out.”
I ignored her, continuing to pace around her living room like a mad woman. One way or another, I had to get to the bottom of this.
“Laney.”
Again, I ignored her.
“Laney.” This time, she raised her voice.
I stopped, looking at her. Penny never raised her voice, so this was new.
“What?” I asked in a surly voice.
“I think I know why he asked for a divorce. Don’t you see it?” Her voice was softer now, treading slowly over every word. The woman’s fingers wrung together. She was nervous, and afraid to tell me something.
Quickly, I sat beside her, looking into her eyes, desperate for the truth, no matter how painful. “Please, Penny, if you know, you have to tell me.”
She bit her lip before finally taking a deep breath, words spilling out of her mouth. “It’s because he has freedom now. Before, when Mason was locked up, he didn’t have any other choice. You were his only option. You were the best he could have while in prison, but now that he’s out, he has the whole world at his fingertips. He can have any girl in the world. He doesn’t need you anymore,” she said slowly. “Don’t you see that?”
The pain struck my heart like an iron brand. Could her words be true?
But Penny nodded, continuing.
“All those models and actresses that used to flock to him before the scandal? They’re back. And they want him. Why not? He’s still rich and powerful. The CEO of an international conglomerate. He can abuse that power in any way he wants, including dumping you for someone else if that’s what floats his boat.”
I had to stop her. “Penny… please…” I begged, looking up at her, face still stained with tears. “I can’t listen to this. It can’t be true. Mason didn’t want me just because I was the only one available. He loved me. He said so countless times. We got married.” I protested, but even as I tried to defend our relationship, the cogs inside my head were working, piecing everything together. I wanted to believe that our love was pure and eternal but it wasn’t adding up.
How many times did he look at me like I was the only girl in the world?
How many times did the billionaire’s smile make my heart flutter?