2

My gaze landed on the pink bracelet wrapped around her wrist. The same one from the picture.

And just like that, everything made sense to me.

Jewel is the one woman Jayson has always loved.The one I could never replace. The one who existed in his life long before I ever did.

I thought he had moved on.

I thought he had forgotten her. I was so stupid.

She walked past me, didn’t even glance in my direction.

My chest tightened painfully as I watched her until she's out of my sight.

“Betty, you’re here?”The voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I turned slowly, my jaw dropped in shock.

His parents are here too. The popular Thalia Williams and Franklin Blackwood.

Thalia owns the hotel but Franklin beside her means she's not here for work. Because Thalia and Franklin are not married to each other anymore, they both have their partners and you'll barely see Franklin beside her.

"We're here to celebrate Jay's birthday with his one true love." she say confidently to me, as if she was telling one random girl not his wife.

“I guess I was the last person to find out,” I say, my voice trembling slightly despite my effort to calm it.

Thalia smiled, she reached for my hand, holding it like she cared.

“My dear,” she says softly, “I’ve always told you to leave my son a very long time ago.”

Her words hit harder than I expected.

“But you chose to stay with him,” she continued smoothly, “good for our business.”

I swallowed hard. Yes, she did tell me many times, to leave, to walk away.

But I didn’t, because of the contract, because of my father, because I love Jayson.

“Because I stayed…” I began, my voice shaking now, “you didn’t think I at least deserved to be respected?”

She dropped my hand softly and smiled.

"I respected you enough to tell you to leave him." she muttered.

"Would you have left your marriage? When you knew your son was so much in love with someone else, why did you accept my father's offer? And you don’t think your son cheating on me is wrong?”

“Betty...” Franklin started, his voice hesitant.

“Franklin, please,” Thalia cut him off sharply, her expression hardening.

“Don’t tell me you’re feeling sad for her.” Her eyes shifted back to me. "She doesn’t even deserve pity.”

I laughed bitterly.

“You’re right,” I said quietly. “I don’t deserve pity not even from someone like you.”

“Betty, you're a woman, have some shame. Don't tell me you're in love with someone that loves another woman?” Thalia smirks. “It's not too late, tell your father that you don't love my son, like that the contract won't end and you'll find someone better.”

"Thalia, why are you talking like this?" Franklin asked but Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Has Jayson ever touched you? No, right. That's enough to tell you that he'll never love you!" her voice turned sharper.

"But I'm married to him, couldn't he respect that?!" I yelled.

“Betty, have you seen your reflection in front of the mirror before? I'm sure you haven’t, if you've really seen yourself you'd have known that you're just a woman who became a housewife for a man who doesn’t give a fuck about her. Have you seen Jewel? She's one of the top 5 model here in Paris.”

Franklin stare at me with guilt, he looks like someone that has a lot to say but couldn't.

"Let him go and stop forcing yourself on him." she tapped my shoulder.

"You're right." I nodded, with that I turn and walk away, tears filled my eyes.

She's right, absolutely right. I was just forcing myself on him.

***

When I stepped into the mansion, everything was exactly as I left it.

The lights, the decorations, the cake, all waiting for someone who was never coming.

I stood there for a long time.

And whispered softly to the empty dining room.

“How delusional I can be, I was thinking he would choose me, thinking he would care, thinking I was enough."

I walk over to the table, my fingers brushing lightly against the decorations. I stare at my self delusion, my one sided love, my one sided effort. The cake I made with so much love, all of it is gone anyway.

Jayson walked inside, he paused when he saw me sitting in the living room.

“Why are the lights off?” he asked as he walked closer to me.

“Jayson,” I said calmly. “We need to talk.”

He loosened his tie, something I would have offered to do for him before and he'd push me off.

It's about to stop anyway.

“Make it quick,” he said flatly.

I stood up slowly, met his gaze before saying;

“Let’s get a divorce.”