My husband Derek has been sleeping with my best friend Jade. This time, I called her husband, Shane. Shane almost killed a man over her once. Did eighteen months for it. Later he carries a blade everywhere he goes. And right now, he’s on his way here. Ten minutes ago, I was standing outside Venom Lounge, shaking, listening to a room full of people place bets on whether I’d file for divorce. “Avery would never leave him. Derek makes too much money.” “Honestly, it’s her own fault. If she weren’t so pathetic, Derek wouldn’t have cheated.” “Hey, Derek, tell us. Is your wife gonna make a scene about this or what?” Through the crack in the door, I watch Jade sitting on my husband’s lap. She kisses him, slow and deliberate, like she’s performing. “Avery won’t leave him.” She pulls back with a grin. “She’s a parasite. She wouldn’t dare.” Derek stubs out his cigarette, grabs the back of her neck, and pulls her into a deep kiss. The whole room cheers. They told me to come here on purpose. They want to watch me break. And I’m even more pathetic than they think. I can’t even walk in. That’s when I pulled out my phone. Not to call my mom. Not to call a lawyer. I called Jade’s husband. “Jade’s been drinking too much. She’s at Venom Lounge. You should come get her.” “Who’s she drinking with?” Shane’s voice was already cold. “A bunch of guys. They’re getting handsy. You should hurry.” “On my way.” I hung up and walked away from the door. Now, I’m standing at the front entrance when my phone buzzes. Derek. His voice is lazy, almost amused. “Ave, you’re already here, right?” I don’t answer. “The waitress said you were standing outside for a while. You heard everything?” His voice is soft. Gentle, even. Which makes it so much worse. I manage a quiet “Mm.” Derek laughs. “Pathetic.” Yeah. Everyone knows that’s what I am. I’ve been following Derek around since high school. If he hadn’t protected me back then, I probably wouldn’t have made it to college. “Wait, you didn’t even come inside? You just stood there?” He sounds entertained. “Burying your head in the sand is boring, babe.” I hear people laughing in the background. Loud. Shameless. Then Jade grabs the phone. I can hear the smile in her voice. “If I knew you were this scared of losing him, we wouldn’t have bothered hiding it. But honestly? Sneaking around behind your back was half the fun.” She pauses. Then says again, “Your husband is great in bed, by the way. I’ve been test-driving him for you. Every department checks out. So thanks. I’ll be keeping him.” Someone in the background whistles. “Careful, Jade. She’s gonna cry.” “Yeah Derek, you gonna go comfort her or what?” Derek’s voice cuts through the noise. Serious for once. “Enough. If she starts crying again, I’ll have to deal with it.” A pause. “Ave’s not like you. She’s way easier to handle. Don’t mess with her.” Then he takes the phone back. His voice is clear now, close. “Where are you? I’ll come find you. This place is a nightmare for cabs.” I look down the hallway and see him step out, phone still pressed to his ear. He spots me and hangs up. The look on his face makes my stomach turn. He’s satisfied. Almost entertained, like this whole thing is a game and he just won a round. He walks over and ruffles my hair like I’m a kid. “She’s not you. You’re Mrs. Mercer. The real deal. So why are you crying?” He tilts my chin up. “Relax. I’m not gonna divorce you.” He says it like he’s tossing me a treat. Like I should be grateful. Then Jade stumbles out of the room, clutching her head. She staggers forward and crashes right into Derek. Right in front of me. His hands go straight to her waist. His palms press against the bare skin where her top rides up. She tilts her head onto his chest and peeks at me through half-closed eyes. “Baby, my head is killing me. They kept forcing drinks on me.” She pouts up at him. “Take me home? Avery already knows now anyway. No point hiding it.” She turns to me. “She won’t mind… right, Ave?” Her eyes are pure challenge. My phone buzzes. Shane. [Where’s the bar?] I send him the location.
I look up at Derek after I send the location. “What if I do mind?” Something flickers across Derek’s face. Guilt, maybe. He tries to push Jade off, but she melts into him like she’s boneless. “Oh, come on,” Jade laughs, slapping his chest. “You’ve been sleeping with me how many times now? Don’t play the good husband.” She turns to look at me. “Didn’t you tell me yourself? That Avery just lies there in bed like a dead fish? Zero effort, zero fun?” She’s talking to Derek. But she’s looking straight at me. Derek glances at me nervously. “That was just a joke. I was messing around with her.” My nails dig into my palms. I keep my voice flat. “Oh.” Then I say, “I’ll go with you to drop her off.” “What?” Jade stares at me. I look at both of them. “You said your head hurts, right? Derek and I will take you home together.” I grab Jade’s arm and pull her off him. She has no choice but to lean on me. Derek blinks, then lets out a surprised laugh. He reaches over and taps the tip of my nose. “Well. Finally jealous, huh? Look at you, showing some teeth. I like it.” His voice is warm. Playful. Like nothing happened. My stomach turns. But my face gives away nothing. I’ve had practice. In high school, the school bully’s girlfriend cornered me in the bathroom and shredded my clothes with scissors. I had the same face then. Blank. Calm. Nothing. Derek was the one who found me. He stared at me for a long time, then pulled off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. “You should have some fight in you,” he said. That girl never came back to school. Derek thought it was because of him. Because he’d warned her. He didn’t know it was because her dad caught her making out with her boyfriend behind the bleachers. And I’m the one who made sure her dad was there to see it. She got pulled out of school. She never bothered me again. I was happy to let Derek play the hero. So I never told him the truth. “But I booked a hotel room,” Jade’s voice breaks through my thoughts. She bats her eyes, looking smug. “Who said anything about going home?” She looks at Derek. “You want to come, right, baby? But bringing Avery along would be a little awkward.” Derek’s eyes bounce between us. Before he can answer, I speak first. “Derek. Come home with me.” I stare at him and let my voice go soft. Jade wraps her leg around his right there in front of me. Her eyes lock onto him. “That outfit you wanted me to wear? I already sent it to the hotel. If you skip tonight, I’m never putting it on.” Something shifts in his eyes. His jaw tightens, and I can see it. He wants to go. “Ave, go home first.” That’s what he says to me. I stare at him, eyes burning. “You sure?” He nods. Then frowns. “Be good. Unless you want a divorce.” I take a breath. The air feels like a blade going down. Jade scoffs. “What, you want to stay and watch? That’s a little cruel, even for you.”
I don’t respond. But Jade steps closer and whispers in my ear. “You want to know when it started? The first time?” Her breath is warm against my skin. “It was when you had your miscarriage. When you were stuck in the hospital. We did it right there. In your bed.” My whole body goes cold. That was my first baby. Derek’s and mine. I wanted that baby so badly. I was so careful. Did everything right. And I still lost it. When I was in the hospital, Derek said he was swamped with a project. Said he couldn’t be there. I went through the whole thing alone. The bleeding. The silence after. The empty room. And the whole time, he was with her. In my bed. I stare at Jade. “Why? Why would you do that?” She doesn’t even blink. “Derek’s rich, hot, and he knows what he’s doing. Men like him don’t come around twice. You were gonna lose him eventually. I just got there first.” She shrugs. “Besides, Shane? I’ve been wanting to dump him for years.” I check the time. Shane should be about ten minutes out. “You think he’ll just let you leave?” I ask. “You told me yourself he’s got a temper. That he almost killed someone. Doesn’t that scare you?” She waves her hand. “Shane is a dumbass with muscles and no brain. All I have to do is snap my fingers and he’ll do whatever I want. When the time comes, I’ll just trick him into signing the papers. He’s as easy to fool as you are.” She doesn’t care about Shane at all. Not even a little. “What if he finds out you’re cheating?” Fear flashes across her face. Just for a second. Then it’s gone. “He won’t. He’s probably out doing deliveries right now.” She smirks. “I’ve got him trained like a dog. You wouldn’t understand.” I laugh inside. Cold. Quiet. I glance at my phone. Shane’s text: Almost there. Something clicks in my head. I don’t want to let them off easy. I want to watch what happens when the dog slips its leash. So I look up at Derek with the saddest eyes I can manage. “I’ll wait for you in the hotel lobby. When you’re done, come home with me. Okay?” I make myself as small and desperate as I can. Derek stares at me, surprised. “You’re really that… you just can’t live without me?” Jade jumps in right away. “God, Avery. How are you this pathetic? After everything, you’re still begging for scraps. What the hell is wrong with you?” I don’t react. I look at her like she just doesn’t get it. “Derek paid for everything when I was in college. Every single bill. All four years. And after we got married, he’s the one who kept me afloat.” I pause. “Jade, I can’t survive without him. I never could.” And that’s the truth, at least on the surface. Derek is insanely good at making money. He had six figures by twenty. By the time he graduated, he was pulling in millions. Because of him, I never had to worry about rent, tuition, or anything else. I got my master’s. Then my Ph.D. All because I never had to work a day. Jade opens her mouth and nothing comes out. Her face goes dark. Derek shoots Jade a look, irritated. “Don’t talk to her like that.” “I told you from the start. What we have stays between us. It doesn’t touch Avery. And I’m never going to divorce her to marry you.” His eyes narrow. “Unless that’s what you’ve been counting on?” Jade’s expression shifts instantly. She softens her voice, reaches for his arm. “That’s not what I meant, baby. I just didn’t want her to ruin the mood.” I glance at my phone one more time. Shane is two minutes away.
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