1 - Shitty Anniversary

"I had totally forgotten about my coffee. Again," Diane sighed to her assistant as she grabbed the white coffee cup off the table reluctantly, making her way out of her office and to the shoot room.

Her assistant fell a step behind her hurriedly following her out, a tab in her hand, scrolling away. When suddenly her finger stopped on the screen of her tab, making her pause in her tracks.

"Ma'am... your husband just made the headlines."

Diane paused and turned around, a thin line suddenly appearing between her eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

Her assistant slowly gave her the tab and Diane's eyes rested on the headlines, "MICHAEL BELMONT APPEARS IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA WITH HIS FIRST LOVE".

Her eyes lingered further to the pictures attached to it. She saw her husband, Michael, dressed like a handsome temptation tailored in a black tux, holding his first love, Tiffany- who was supposed to be out of the country. Tiffany was grinning widely and proudly at the camera but Michael was just…there.

Diane could bet a million bucks that it was a recent picture because that was the same black tux that Michael had worn that morning, when he had dressed up for work, ignoring her and not sparing her half a glance even though she had purposely woken up earlier than usual, dolled herself up and had worn a provocative mini dress in his favorite color to try and seduce him a bit.

She didn't know how it was possible that the man she was currently still married to – well, secretly but yeah, currently- somehow dared to show another woman to the media?

Diane felt the weakness in her feet and her legs shuddered, almost failing to hold her weight. She placed a hand on the wall beside her at the hallway in an attempt to hold herself steady.

Her phone rang, stealing her attention for a second and she slid the red icon, holding it to her ear. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. “What is the problem now?”

“Miss Lauren is throwing another fit. She refused the shoes.” Came the female voice from the other end.

Diane sighed again, cursing her luck for the day and cursing herself for ever agreeing to this model. “I’m almost there, give me a sec.”

She straightened up, handing her assistant her coffee cup and knowing that if she ever wanted to get an explanation from Michael as soon as possible, she needed to end the shoot quickly.

She headed quickly into the shoot room, a fake smile sitting on her lips while trying to hide how disrupt she felt inside. There was a little crowd there already who all seemed to be trying to get ‘Miss childish tantrums’ to wear her shoes.

“Are we starting this shoot or what?” Lauren called out as soon as she saw Diane coming towards her, her cherry shaped mouth wrinkled in irritation and boredom. "I'm leaving here right now if this isn't going to be happening bro. Like y'all are so unserious.”

"Then grant us a favor and do just that because I have your replacement right here." A male voice answered instead, his tone low, commanding and stoic.

Diane turned to the familiar voice which she recognized to be Michael. And she was right, Michael was standing right there. He was towering over everyone, his handsome face staring rudely at Lauren while he had his hands in his pockets, dressed in the same black tux as he was in the headlines.

Except there was one more surprise.

Tiffany was right beside him.

While their presence made her stomach drop, the women around squealed for him. To them, he was the hot celebrity CEO who hardly made an appearance somewhere as trivial as a shoot. But yet, here he was. For some unknown reason.

"Uh-replacement?” Lauren’s voice quivered, losing its initial rudeness immediately. “What...what do you mean replacement. You can't replace me."

Michael scoffed dryly. "I apologize for bursting your little celebrity bubble but yes, we very much can. So leave us before we throw you out."

Diane hurried over to where Michael was. She stood in front of him, barely reaching his neck as she watched his eyes fall to her. This same eyes that held the most piercing gaze that she had fallen in love with.

“Hi Dianeey boo.” Tiffany drawled with a fake sweet smile and a little finger wave.

“Can we talk in the hallway?” Diane asked Michael instead, eyeing Tiffany first and then ignoring her.

Michael watched her for a bit, his jaw tight like he was deciding if she was worth any minute of his golden attention. Then he rolled his eyes, exhaling sharply as quiet irritation flashed in his eyes.

He turned to Tiffany. “One second, Darling.”

Diane’s heart skipped a beat as Michael walked out and she felt her hands fidgeting beside her. It was just one word – Darling- which Michael had said, to another woman, yet the effect it had on her was piercing through her, harshly.

“Of course, Mikey,” Tiffany squirmed while low whispers came from the crowd, which Diane ignored.

Diane followed him, stretching her hand to catch the door to the entrance before it shut in her face and walked into the hallway.

“What?” Michael questioned immediately before she even caught her breathe.”

“Michael what is going on?” She asked back. “You and Tiffany? I-I don’t understand. What are those media pictures? Were they a mistake?”

“They are real.” Michael answered evenly, his tone flat, almost bored. He watched the little flicker of pain in Diane’s eyes appear. But he didn’t look away. His eyes just lingered on her, watching her every reaction, her movements.

Diane chewed at the inside of her cheek, holding back the shattering pain in her chest and pushed further instead. “Why do you treat me this way? We are married-“

“Secretly,” Michael finished for her.

He stepped closer to her, “Secretly.” He repeated.

He closed the space between them as Diane stepped backwards until her back touched the entrance door, her breath hitching in her throat, suppressing her hurt with it. “But that does not permit you the right to act however you want, Diane.”

His body was rubbing against hers now and his face was only inches in front of hers. Diane could not remember the last time he was even this close to her, so she found her heart racing, banging in her ears ready to deafen her. The warmth from the contact tingled her insides sending hotness down in between her legs and she battled the shame that came with the thoughts that people were just in the next room.

She swallowed hard, “What do you mean? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t you dare lie to me, Diane.” He threatened in a low voice, pressing a hand firmly on the door, slightly above her.

“Michael I-“

“I cannot stand to look at you Diane. I am disgusted.” He spat out.

Diane ignored the way her body reacted to him as she struggled with hurt in her chest, “You wouldn’t look at me no matter how much I tried. We don’t even sleep in the same bed any longer. You said you loved me, acted the perfect man until a month after we got married. Yet here you are, with Tiffany. The same woman you swore you were over. And I don’t understand a thing you’re talking about".

Michael’s locked jaws tightened, anger flashing in his eyes.

“Do not get cocky with me.”

“What did I ever do to you?”

Michael pressed his thigh in between her, parting her legs through the short suit dress she wore. He rubbed against her throbbing flesh, watching his effect on her as she looked away from him, biting her lips, in a struggle to fight back a moan. “Was this what you wanted? Huh?” He asked, pushing his chest to hers, causing a sweet vibration to graze her swollen nipples beneath. “Or this?”

“Michael, please stop.” Diane pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes. As much as her body reacted this way, it was still like torture. She saw the anger in his eyes. She knew he was angry at her and he was doing this all out of anger and not the kind of love she had for him. And to top it all, her body reacted like she was enjoying it instead.

“Your body says otherwise though. Did it not please you when you let other men near you?”

Diane’s eyes widened in surprise, “What?!”

He scoffed, “Did you not think I would find out?” He asked, as he grabbed her face with his hand.

She shook her head in dismay, confusion and shock still holding her voice captive.

“Short of words?” He asked.

She didn’t respond.

“I’ve got eyes all around you Diane.” He continued. “I always know what you are up to. And I will tell you, this was disappointing.” With that he let go of her face and pulled away from her, straightening up and adjusting his tux.

“Michael…” Diane said suddenly finding her voice after being free from the partially barricaded torture.

“You better be at the house by four and get the divorce papers signed.” He told her, stepping aside and going into the shoot room.

And in the whole scenarios that she had pictured for her one year wedding anniversary, getting divorced wasn’t in any of themselves.