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That’d been the worst part. Her fiancé didn’t have enough imagination to cheat with someone original. He’d chosen the most cliché woman in his life to fuck. His secretary.
There was no way in hell Olivia would put up with that. Neither would her doting father. He’d rip Lance a new one, complete with cutting all business ties. The man would burn down a forest if she got a papercut.
She’d been heartbroken as hell but ready to dance on Lance’s unfaithful grave.
That was the day she learned what her father really thought of her. He’d patted her hand and told her she had two choices—look the other way or do a better job satisfying her fiancé. He reminded her how she loved Lance but also how intertwined they were due to her father and Lance’s business dealings. Their careers were too important and lucrative to sever over wounded pride. He’d told her to finish throwing her fit, go home, accept whatever gift Lance purchased to appease her, and give him a reason to be faithful.
She’d stood there, jaw on the floor, as her father rolled his eyes. “Come on, princess, you’re not a child anymore. What the hell did you think I’d say? Lance has the youth, money, and popularity to practically buy me a Senate seat.” He’d patted her shoulder like she was the child he’d claimed she wasn’t.
“We all need to do our part. You included. So go home and make up, okay, princess?”
She’d left in a daze and arrived home to find gaudy rose bouquets taking over the house, a bubble bath in their oversized jacuzzi tub, and a naked Lance waiting to make up.
With a whole host of sorrowful words and renewed promises of loyalty and love, he’d slid her engagement ring back in place and presented her with a tennis bracelet even more sparkly than the ring.
She’d let him back in, telling herself everyone made mistakes. She really did love him. And no relationship was perfect. He’d promised it wouldn’t happen again, and if she loved him, shouldn’t she believe him?
With Lance’s convincing apology and her father’s prompting, she’d forgiven him.
But she hadn’t forgotten, and a small part of her wondered if there’d been other women she hadn’t known about. Or if he really did love her as much as he said. As much as she’d loved him.
They quickly fell back into their routine and to the outside world, looked as happy as they ever had, but something had changed inside Olivia. She found herself unable to give him the trust she’d so blindly handed over before knowing about his cheating. Though she kept her concerns to herself, she began to wonder if he was lying when he claimed to be golfing, or at the gym, or staying late for a meeting. She’d tried to push the doubts away. They’d only destroy her relationship, but they lingered. And they began to poison her love for her fiancé.
Olivia found herself pulling away emotionally and physically. For years, she’d been happy to be the smiling woman at his side, meet up with her friends for lunch, hit the gym at ten in the morning, plan parties, and play the glamorous hostess. She’d done those things because she loved her fiancé, and he wanted her home instead of working. But it meant giving up on her dream of becoming a veterinarian. After the cheating episode, she signed up for online classes to finish her veterinarian school prerequisites.
Lance had no idea, and she couldn’t imagine him agreeing to her applying for veterinarian school in a year or so, but it felt so good to have something for herself. So good to have a purpose. A goal to strive for.
She’d considered ending the relationship but clung to the hope that with time and Lance’s continued faithfulness, she’d return to the love she’d had for him not long ago. He’d given her no concrete reason to suspect continued cheating.
Until last week.
She’d been gathering clothes for the dry cleaners and found a receipt from his favorite restaurant. It’d been from the previous night when he claimed to be at the gym. When she slyly inquired what he’d been up to the night before, he’d laughed at her poor memory. “You already forgot I had a session with my trainer last night? We talked about it this morning.” He’d shaken his head and kissed her cheek on his way out the door.
Her heart had dropped, but she didn’t feel the same crushing pain she’d experienced the first time she discovered his cheating but more of a resigned disappointment and embarrassment. Did that mean she’d fallen out of love with him?
“One more try tonight,” she mumbled.
On impulse, she opened the center drawer on the desk. Lance didn’t keep much in his home office. A few Montblanc pens, a pack of cigarettes he claimed to have quit, and, oh look, some Trojans.
