Chapter Five

Serena

It is two in the morning when I arrive home. My night with Conall turned out to be a lot of fun. We drank, talked, laughed and went to the diner for some burgers before he dropped me off at home. It was nice to get out. It has been a long time since I have had a night out. My plan is in motion, and I’m eager to see it unfold.

Tonight, it couldn’t have gone any better. Henry’s face when he saw me getting cosy with his brother was the best part of the night. He wasn’t expecting me to come back. That is why I chose the element of surprise and never told a soul of my return.

I lock up and get ready for bed, climbing in to settle down for the night. Yes, things went well this evening, but seeing Henry again and being in that world was enough to bring back the bad memories. I try not to think about the day my life changed forever, much less recently, but sometimes it creeps up without warning. I sigh, staring at the ceiling, and everything comes to mind. My memories from a year ago dance around, as if they are happening in real time.

                                                                                 ~~~~~~

I rushed into my husband’s office building and headed to the top floor where his office space is situated. I practically skipped with happiness, smiling from ear to ear. I was anxious as the elevator went up to the top floor. The second it pinged, I got out and headed to his assistant’s desk. I had never been so eager to share news with him.

“Hey, Candice, is Henry free?” I asked, trying to maintain my composure in case I let my excitement slip out before speaking to my husband.

A guilty look took over her face. “Um, yeah, but maybe you should wait.” She said softly.

I tilted my head to the side and looked at her, confused. “Why? Is he in a meeting or something?”

“Serena, please, go and wait for him in the break room. I will tell him you are here.”

“Candice, what is going on? Why are you trying to stop me from seeing my husband?”

She broke eye contact with me. Her behaviour is off. Something is wrong. I didn’t say another word and rushed straight to his office. I don’t knock, instead, I barged in. I froze at the sight in front of me.

My husband was in his office chair, a blonde straddled him, both with no shirts on. In that moment, my heart felt like someone put a knife into it, pushed it deep and twisted it. My world shattered, and a deep whimper escaped from my lips.

“H-H-Henry.” I sobbed.

Whoever the woman was jumped, not expecting his wife to walk in. Does she know he is a married man? The stranger turned her head. She wasn’t a stranger after all. The woman straddling my husband is none other than my best friend of twenty years!

                                                                                      ~~~~~~

My cell ringing brings me out of my memories. What I didn’t know back then is that moments after, my life would change in a way I could never have imagined, worse than discovering my husband with my best friend.

Taking a deep breath, I reach for my cell to see who is calling me at this hour. Conall’s name flashes on my screen. Why is he calling? I told him I would reach out to him when I need him. I am torn between answering it and ignoring his call. The second option would be rude after everything he has done for me tonight.

“Hello.” I greet sweetly.

“Hey, gorgeous. I wasn’t sure if you would answer my call or if you were already sleeping.”

“I will be going to sleep soon. Is there a reason for your call?”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay and tell you I am looking forward to working with you.”

“And I, you. Thank you for tonight. I will be in touch soon. Goodnight, Conall.”

I hang up before he has a chance to say anything else. I am too exhausted to discuss anything else. Conall won’t care about me hanging up. I made it clear other than our plan, we don’t need to socialise or even be friends. I am not looking for a friend. All I need for now is someone to help me get my revenge. I stopped allowing people to get close to me after everything that happened. I have no trust in anyone, including Conall. It is business, nothing more.

I silence my cell and settle down on the bed for the night. Staring at the ceiling, the next step of my plan runs through my head. Henry and Conall work in the same office space two days a week, a condition imposed by their father. An idea neither of them liked. Their father doesn’t care about how they feel. His priority is to keep his reputation intact after his infidelity scandal.

Anyway, my plan is to show up on one of those days and bring Conall lunch. It’s a simple and slow process that will be taken, but it will be enough to get what I need and make my ex-husband squirm. I talked myself out of doing this to start with. It should have begun a few months ago, but I wasn’t as ready as I thought. Now, I have no doubts! Everything I plan on doing to him, he deserves. I was broken for too long, but no longer. I am not the scared, sad or timid woman they all knew.

I toss and turn, not quite used to my new apartment yet. I haven’t been here long. I am still in the middle of organising, but it has been the last thing on my mind since I returned. I will fix it in time.

I reach for my cell to scroll through social media. I ignore the articles about my return. I expected them. You would think the media has better things to talk about than some billionaire’s ex-wife’s return, but it was part of my plan. His family are back in the spotlight, and I am familiar enough with the press to know it won’t all be good. Yes, I will get dragged through the mud, but so will they. The last time I hid away and never said a word. I let him, his family, society, and the media destroy me. It is only fair they have their turn too. It would look good since they have tried to be on their best behaviour for years. Karma is a bitch, and it comes in the form of me.

I put my cell aside once again and smirk at the thought of my plan before I try to allow sleep to take over me, hoping it will work this time around.