The Wife He Used Became the Queen He Can’t TouchChapter 1
On our fifth wedding anniversary, the first thing I got wasn’t a gift. It was a video.
My husband, Hudson Hayes, was in some expensive hotel room, laughing and sleeping with another woman like I didn’t even exist. And it wasn’t just any woman. It was Amber Fenwick, his first love.
I watched the whole thing without blinking while waiting for him at the restaurant. I just sat there, ate my food, and smiled.
When I got home, I didn’t cry either. I picked up my phone and called my lawyer.
“Attorney, I sent you the divorce papers. The one Hudson and I signed on our wedding day five years ago. Did you see anything wrong with it?”
I stood by the window when I said it, staring at my own reflection instead of the city outside. My fingers kept rubbing the edge of my phone like I was trying to peel something off it. Maybe I was just trying to feel something.
“Ms. Hereford, I’ve reviewed everything,” the lawyer said, calm and distant. “There’s no issue. You’ve got one month left before the five year term ends. Once it’s up, the agreement takes effect automatically. You can go down to the county clerk’s office and file for the divorce.”
One month.
Just one more month.
“…Okay. Thank you.”
I hung up and didn’t move for a while.
Then my eyes drifted up.
The wedding photo was still hanging there, right where it had always been. Like nothing had changed. Like everything hadn’t already rotted from the inside.
I walked closer without thinking.
In the picture, I was smiling so brightly. God, I looked stupid. My dress was pure white, my eyes curved like I believed in forever.
And Hudson…
He stood beside me in that perfect suit, tall and untouchable. Handsome like something carved out of stone. But his face was cold. No smile. Not even a fake one.
Anyone could see it.
He never loved me.
“…It’s almost over,” I whispered, my fingers brushing against his face in the photo. Cold glass. That was all he’d ever been to me. “You must be happy, huh?”
Or was that just me trying to convince myself?
The sound of the door unlocking snapped me out of it.
I pulled my hand back like I’d been caught doing something wrong and turned around quickly.
“You’re back.”
My voice came out softer than I wanted.