Chapter 4

But when I pulled three consecutive all-nighters chasing a difficult high-value client and brought in tens of millions in profit for the company, all Andrew gave me was a pat on the back.

What kind of "performance bonus" costs half a million dollars?

I was finally done with Andrew. I'd wanted to end things amicably, use the trip to tell him face to face that I was leaving, and give our eight-year marriage a proper ending.

Instead...

I laughed at myself.

On the other end of the phone, the man was thrilled to hear I'd accepted. He sent the contract over immediately and even wanted me to fly out that day so I could start the next morning.

They weren't shy about their enthusiasm. "Our CEO has tried to recruit you over a dozen times. He's very serious about bringing you on board."

I thanked him but pushed the start date to after my vacation.

I loved traveling, loved mountains and open water. Andrew used to love going with me. But after Chloe came along, we never went anywhere again. Every plan fell through.

Andrew broke his promise. But I wasn't going to break mine to myself. The trip would go on, with or without him.

Right after I hung up, a message came in from Chloe.

"Sorry to bother you, Wendy. I know you and Andrew are about to finalize the divorce, so I probably shouldn't be getting in the middle of things. But he's the one who suggested this trip, and I didn't want to let him down.

"Oh, by the way, your divorce papers should be ready soon, right? Andrew's birthday is coming up. You could give him the decree as a gift. I'm sure he'd love that, since he never really loved you anyway."

Then she sent a photo. Andrew and her on a beach, posing in wedding outfits. He was lifting her into the air, smiling wider than the sun behind them.

I knew what Chloe was doing. She was trying to get a rise out of me.

She knew about the divorce. In fact, she was the one who'd handed Andrew the papers to sign.

She'd found the agreement on my desk and came to me with that smug look on her face. "Wendy, you're really going through with the divorce? Want me to take these to Andrew for you? I'd hate for you to have to watch him sign them and start crying right there."

She'd meant it as a taunt, hoping I'd snap.

I just nodded. "Sure. Go ahead."

Andrew didn't trust me. He'd scrutinize every document I put in front of him like he was looking for a trap.

But Chloe was different. He trusted her completely. When she handed him the papers, he signed without even reading them.

The divorce went smoother than our marriage ever did.

I didn't know whether Andrew had ever loved me. But Chloe had been needling me for months, marking her territory right in front of my face, and I was sure he knew exactly what was going on.

If that was how things were, then this marriage had no reason to exist anymore.

I didn't reply to her message. I called the county clerk's office instead and found out the decree would be ready in a week. That was right when my vacation ended.

I went home and tore down the photo wall. I threw out everything that had anything to do with us. Then I grabbed my suitcase, booked a flight, and left on my own.

On my first day, I went to Clearwater Bay.

This was the trip Andrew and I had planned three years ago, back when Chloe had just started and the company was booming. Andrew said we couldn't afford to take our foot off the gas, so we shelved it. We never brought it up again.