Chapter1

To surprise her I ended my business trip early only to catch my fiancee entangled with my best friend of ten years in our marital bed

The next day at an elite gala she publicly announced the engagement was over then drove me out into the freezing downpour like a drowned dog mocking me in front of everyone as a worthless castoff

She did not know that the Wall Street financial predator who had hidden his edge for love had finally had his shackles cut off by their own hands

Back in New York I struck back by shorting the Roland family empire watching coldly as that sanctimonious friend devoured her family fortune piece by piece then tossed her into a dungeon on a remote island overseas to torment her at will

Months later when she crawled out of a dark cell on the verge of a breakdown clutching my dress shoe in the stinking mud and sobbing as she begged humbly that she would do anything if only she could stay by my side

I merely wiped the mud she had smeared on my trousers and let a filthy wet wipe drift onto her face

Some trash once you throw it out you never pick it up again

——

The M and A meetings that were supposed to last a full week in London were forced down to the absolute limit by forty eight hours of nonstop work

I wanted to give her a surprise

The roar of the private jet engines still seemed to vibrate in my ears when I pushed open the door of the Beverly Hills villa The night was deep and the main lights were off with only the corridor sconces casting a dim halo

I took off my suit jacket carrying the chill of the transpacific night and draped it over a chair in the foyer It was so quiet I could hear the second hand of the grandfather clock ticking as I went upstairs toward the master bedroom

A thin irregular sound leaked through the half closed door

Rapid breathing The faint rocking of the bed And a womans soft restrained moan she could not hold back

My steps stopped on the hallway carpet In that instant my blood seemed to freeze then surge far faster than usual pounding at the vessels in my temples I knew that voice too well It was my fiancee Elena the woman I had poured seven years into the woman I wanted to place the whole world in front of

I did not think Instinct made me shove open the heavy double oak doors

The hallway light cut into the room like a blade splitting the darkness

On the wide custom made bed two bodies were tangled together

The air was thick with a suffocating smell The man stopped and turned his head The light caught the side of his face

Victor My closest friend of ten years The brother I had personally pulled into the world of power and money sharing connections and resources without holding anything back

A vast humiliation like icy seawater flooded over my head at once My mind went blank for a second and my chest felt as if a blunt knife with barbs was twisting inside I watched the woman I loved most and the man I trusted most complete the deadliest betrayal on the bed that was meant to be mine

Looks like the flight from London was faster than expected Victor narrowed his eyes He was not panicked at all Instead he calmly lifted the blanket and got out of bed

He picked up his shirt from the carpet and put it on buttoning it one by one as if he were in his own dressing room When he passed me he stopped raised a hand and patted my shoulder

Dont be too upset Arthur he murmured close to my ear Then with the posture of a victor he walked out without looking back

His footsteps faded down the corridor followed by the sound of the front door closing

The entire master bedroom was left with only Elena and me

She did not rush to get up She lounged against the headboard and pulled a thin silk quilt to cover her chest She looked at me with an expression so calm there was not a ripple not even the intention to explain

By any normal rule I should have smashed everything in the room I should have poured out all the anger In that moment my reason screamed that I should throw this traitor out immediately

But I did not

Looking at Elenas still beautiful face a pain like poison flaring up destroyed my principles completely Seven years of giving of love of compromise day after day had turned her into an obsession my subconscious could not cut away

I heard my own footsteps one two as I walked toward the messy bed my legs heavy as if filled with lead

At the bedside I bent down slowly and reached out to grasp her wrist where it lay outside the quilt

Elena I spoke and my voice was so hoarse it sounded unfamiliar even to me My eyes stung and a nameless abasement ground my dignity into dust

Why I stared at her my fingertips trembling slightly Have I been too busy lately and neglected you Or did Victor feed you some lie

Elena let me hold her wrist The corner of her mouth lifted in a mocking curve She said nothing

Reason howled but like an addict I kept pleading Make him go Cut him off completely We can pretend tonight never happened The wedding can go on next month as planned

I tightened my grip as if clinging to the last lifeline You can have anything you want Company shares The estate in the south of France Even if you dont want me traveling anymore I can hand over management Just stay

The room was terrifyingly quiet I could even hear my own frantic humiliated heartbeat

I thought my retreat would buy her guilt even a trace

Instead the way Elena looked at me was like she was looking at a cheap disgusting piece of trash

She suddenly yanked her hand free without mercy The silk cover made a faint rasping sound She rubbed her wrist on the edge of the quilt as if she had touched something filthy

Arthur look at you right now Elenas voice was clear but it sliced across my eardrums like a blade

She raised her chin and the superior posture pierced the last line of my defense

Your woman is in another mans arms You catch it with your own eyes and you dont even get angry Youre standing here with red eyes begging me to stay Elena let out a light laugh full of undisguised contempt

She got up put on her silk nightdress in front of me and went to the vanity to pick up her jewelry

I thought once it was exposed you would act like a real man and flip the bed or at least slap me She turned back and stared at me coldly delivering the final verdict word by word Instead you dont even have the guts to be angry

You are useless to the bone Arthur

The words hit like a sledgehammer shattering the last piece of illusion I tried to assemble

Elena did not look at me again She stepped into her heels and the taps on the floor sounded crisp as she brushed past me and went straight to the door

No hesitation No pause

Bang

The master bedroom door slammed The frame trembled and a few invisible flecks of dust fell

I stood alone in the center of the vast room in front of the ruined bed The air still carried the overlapping scent of two bodies

Outside the night rain had started at some point Raindrops struck the floor to ceiling glass in a dense relentless rhythm

I lowered my head slowly and looked at the hand that had just held her

The love that had poisoned and tormented me for seven years in the dead silence of these three minutes with the mockery she left in the air began to congeal to dry out until it became a heap of cold ash

I straightened walked to the window and watched Elenas car drive out through the villa gate and vanish into the rainy night

My reflection appeared in the glass

The redness at the corners of my eyes was fading fast replaced by a clarity that could make anyone shiver