Breaking Bad with my Cold and Arrogant HusbandChapter 1: Our Love is Out of Tune
A viral clip.
A successful man.
A concert crowd.
And one very public moment of betrayal.
I heard his car before I saw him—engine too desperate, like it was trying to outrun the damage already done. I didn’t move from the couch. I sat there, spine straight, heart hollow, folding Liam’s blanket over and over in my lap like it could stop my hands from shaking. The door creaked open, revealing him.
“Arianne,” Zach said, breathless. He closed the door behind him like this was still his home.
I looked up slowly, meeting his eyes. My husband. In the flesh. Still wearing the shirt from the night before—creased and tainted by the ghost of another woman’s perfume. His assistant. His alibi. His filthy mistress.
“You lied,” I said.
He flinched at how even my voice was. He probably expected fire. Instead, he got ice.
“Please, let me explain,” he said, stepping forward.
I held up a hand, stopping him at once. “Explain what? That you weren’t in Maldives? That the camera angle was misleading? That the arm around her wasn’t yours? Or that you somehow tripped and landed in her embrace while the crowd cheered?”
His lips parted. Nothing came out.
“You knew Liam wanted you there,” I said. “He asked if we could save a seat for you. He looked up at the screen and said, ‘Mom, that’s Dad!’—with pride, Zach. Pride.”
He winced at the coldness in my voice. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like that.”
“But it did.” I stood now, slower than I wanted to, because grief weighs more than rage. “And what do I tell our son, huh? That his father skipped his favorite night to kiss his secretary under stadium lights?”
“You’re exaggerating. It wasn’t a kiss,” he roared, clenching his fist.
“You kissed her shoulder.” My voice cracked. “You smiled, Zach. You were proud of what you did.”
“I made a mistake, yes. But I am unfairly judged there.”
“No, Zach,” I whispered. “Your choices are made the moment you flirt with that woman.”
He stepped closer. “Ari—please. You know how hard this industry is. The pressure. The image. The partnerships. Sometimes it gets blurry—”
“I bore your son while you were building your empire,” I snapped. “There’s nothing blurry about betrayal.”