Because even now, I was still crying.
I was a goddamn wreck, curled into a crumpled ball on the bed.
Thankfully, Harper was with Anita; otherwise, I know I would have been neglecting her.
Cameron’s words kept playing over and over in my mind. We had just come back from the gala, where he picked me up so we could go together, just for appearances. No one knew we weren’t living together anymore.
He was usually quiet, but something felt off. I could tell there was tension around him.
Cameron hesitated at first, then finally spoke.“I’m in a relationship with someone. It’s something real and deep between us. It’s getting serious.”
My entire world seemed to stop at that moment. I was stunned into silence by how brutally honest he was. Our marriage was struggling, and I wasn’t blind to that, but hearing that he had already moved on before we even ended things felt like a knife twisting deep inside me.
Then he said quietly,“I’m sorry. I know I hurt you, but this wasn’t planned. It just happened between me and her. She makes me happy again. And I’m going to see where it goes.”
I stayed silent, unable to respond. My mind kept replaying his words over and over, but they didn’t quite sink in. I didn’t understand why they felt so hard to accept. Every word was clear and harsh, and it should have hit me immediately. But it didn’t. I was still trying to believe it.
And I was too consumed with trying to manage the pain in my chest. It hurt so much. It felt like being hit by a car, but only my heart bore the impact. The pain was right there, real and physical. Not just a figure of speech like I once believed, but something aching so deep it echoed through the rest of me, twisting and tormenting every part it reached.
But somehow, I was still breathing, even though just barely.
Until we arrived home, I still hadn’t said a word. Not until we stepped into our bedroom.
Then he told me her name.
Evie Moore. That’s her name, the woman who now receives his smiles, his affections, the warmth of his body. When Cameron’s attention was on you, it was intoxicating, making you feel like the center of his world. I remember that feeling all too well. And I was the center of his world for the better part of our marriage, even though most of the time, I wasn’t sure I deserved it.
Now, he gave that place to someone else.
He had been with her for three months before he even moved out of our home. While I still believed his heart belonged to me.
He fucked her, then sneaked back into our bed in the middle of the night and lay beside me.
He spent time with her, happy and carefree, then came home with a frown and snapped at me.
He couldn’t wait to be with her, but couldn’t wait to get away from me.
Fuck you, Cameron.
Anger surged through me, swallowing my grief whole. I pushed myself up from the bed and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. I was already running late.
After I finished getting dressed, I checked my reflection, hoping the tears hadn’t left my face swollen. But they had. I dabbed on some concealer, trying to mask the damage, then gave up when it made no difference. There was only so much you could hide.
Then I hurried downstairs while ordering an Uber. We only had one car, and Cameron had taken it since I had the house. We worked the same shift, so he would usually pick me up and drive me home. But today, I assumed I’d have to manage on my own.
As I stepped outside, Cameron was already there, standing by the car, giving me a sad attempt at a smile.
I stared at him, confused. “Why are you here?”
“Coming to pick you up, like always,” he said simply.
“I already ordered an Uber. You don’t need to pick me up anymore.”
“I’m still going to pick you up, Sloane.” He sighed deeply. “I promised you.”
“Yeah,” I shrugged, “you’ve promised me a lot of things, Cam. Why not break one more?”
He drew back as if the words had struck him. “Don’t say that. It hurts me too.”
