Chapter 3 Chapter 3 I sat in the room directly across from theirs, watching the couple through those massive floor to ceiling windows My mind kept pulling me back to two weeks ago, when Derek had dropped the bomb That deal we've been working on for months just went to shit. Babe, I don't think I can make it." Derek-who never wanted to spend a night apart-had looked absolutely crushed. I've never missed any of your work trips. This is killing me." At the time nd totally bought that he felt bad about it. I'd kissed him and told him it was fine. "Don't worry about it. We've got forever, right?" We can hit up Charleston anytime. The fireworks aren't going anywhere." The hotel room I'd canceled. And now Derek and his side piece were in there, going at it in that exact bathtub he'd been fantasizing about-the one that was supposed to be for us. When Maddie walked over with a folder, she literally grabbed my face and turned it away from the window. Stop torturing yourself." Seriously, there's nothing worth watching over there." e slapped the file down on the table in front of me. Look at thas instead Trust me, it's wild." * girl's headshot was right on top Grad student. She'd met Derek at some networking event. She's the one who made the first move," Maddie said, tapping the papers. "But wait till you see this video. It's fucking insane." shoved plame into my hands. Jessed play. The timestamp showed last year my larthday, actually la night our power mysteriously went out and Derek said he needed to go thy the breaker lut our security cambers had captured something completely different Derek and this guri hooking up in our backyard. Their ragged wreathing filled the audio, laken up by her vice Derek I'm getting my master's degree I'm not some bimbo you picked up at a bar. She was wrapped around lam, then sank her teeth into his shoulder. 16:19 Dear Hubby, Your Biggest Mistake? Thinking I'd Beg Instead of Burn 1.5% Chapter 3 "I'm not some trashy girl you can just throw cash at when you're done. I'm here because I actually love you." The video ended there. I thought back to that night-when Derek finally came back inside after "fixing the breaker," looking completely wiped out. I'd been so concerned, asking if everything was okay. He'd just pushed me back onto the bed and gone at it again and again, even whispering for me to bite his shoulder in the dark. Then the next morning. When I saw those marks, I felt horrible. Like I'd actually hurt him. But Derek had just grinned and stroked my cheek. "My girl marked me up. Wouldn't want it any other way, babe." Turns out, he'd been playing me that whole time. All year, when Derek suddenly got "slammed at work"-he was with her. And all that extra sweetness, those thoughtful gestures? Just him trying to smooth over his guilt. Something fundamental inside me broke apart. I watched the marriage I'd poured everything into decay right in front of me, watched the relationship I'd been so damn proud of turn into the most basic, trashy stereotype. My entire life suddenly felt like the world's saddest punchline. I couldn't stop picturing it either. All those nights lying next to him in bed. Was Derek looking at my clueless face and laughing inside? Thinking about what a complete moron I was? How pathetically easy it was to fool me? Now I stared at the writhing shadows behind that window across from us, barely registering Maddie's voice breaking through. Say the word. I'll go over there right now and fuck them both up!" I met her eyes and saw my own shattered reflection staring back-but somewhere in all that wreckage, I caught a flicker of something else. Clarity, maybe. It pulled me back from the edge. "No," I said, my voice surprisingly steady. "This isn't gonna be some trashy drama scene." "I want them to actually PAY for what they did." That night, Maddie and I positioned ourselves by our window with their hotel perfectly visible in the background. 16:19 Dear Hubby. Your Biggest Mistake? Thinking I'd Beg Instead of Burn 1.8% Chapter 3 I snapped a photo and posted it to Instagram. [A decade later and you're still the one who shows up. Love you forever] The second Maddie liked it, my phone went absolutely insane. Derek was calling-rapid-fire, desperate. I ignored it at first. Through the window, I watched him pace like a caged animal, phone plastered to his ear. When he tried again, I finally let it ring a few times before casually swiping to answer. 16:19