Chapter 1

Sandra's pov 

 The first picture was that of my husband, Lucas Hudson, CEO of Hudson's fashion line, holding the door open for another woman. Her long legs sticking out of the car, accentuated by nine-inch blood red heels.

  Time stopped, my phone felt unbearably hot against the flush of cold that brushed up from the tip of my fingers and spread across my entire body like a hot fever. 

  There were more pictures, each one was like the slash of a poisoned dagger to my heart. I placed my weight on the king-size bed, the one I had shared with Lucas for the past 3 years, as I scrolled over to the last picture, which was him in the hotel lobby with that woman next to him. 

  I recognized her, it was Olivia Rose, my self-proclaimed rival in the modeling biz. I might have even found her amusing if her copycat behavior wasn't so extreme.

  

 If I wore a shade of lipstick to work you can bet your bottom dollar that Olivia was going to scorch the ends of the earth looking for that exact shade and wearing it the next day, I tested how far her addiction would go and wore a bald cap to work guess who came the next day transitioning from a shoulder length hair to a head that was as smooth as a baby's bottom. 

  I enjoyed tearing off the bald cup and watching her face pale with horror.

  But from the looks of things she hadn't learnt her lesson.

 Now she was after my husband.

  My phone rang, it was a call from George, my foster sibling.

  He sounded…distressed.

 “Sandy,” He said my nickname like I was ready to shatter, “I'm so sorry, I wish I hadn't even seen this,” 

  I got up, running my fingers through my hair as I paced my breathing.

 “I think this is a misunderstanding,” I said and his gasp was audible over the line.

 “A misunderstanding? What reason would he have to be with another woman at this time of the night?” 

 I sunk my fingers into my palm, nearly ripping through that layer of skin.

“That's what I'm about to find out, Send me the address of the hotel,” 

 It was a ten-minute drive, and George was waiting for me in the lobby. His pea green eyes lit up when he saw me and his cashmere sweater itched when he swallowed me in his arms.

 “Sandra, no matter what you see when you go up there just know that like always, I'm here for you,” He whispered into my ear.

 I choked out a forced laugh as he slowly released me, my eyes tilted up to meet his. 

 To think this guy could hardly touch my shoulders when we were kids, then I'd tease him, and ruffle his brown hair affectionately.

  How fast time flies.

  It almost feels like yesterday when my father threw the white flag on parenting and dropped me into the first run-down orphanage. 

  That was my first heartbreak.

  I was thrown headfirst into the system, and the Hales were my second foster family. 

  For a brief period in my life, I felt something akin to happiness, but it didn't last. Mr Hale was a closet drunk; he was alright sober, but you could tell something bad was about to happen when his eyes got glossy and his speech slurred. 

 Mrs Hale wanted to adopt me, but for obvious reasons, that never worked out.

 Years in the system, coupled with my father's betrayal, made me cold. 

  I vowed to open my heart to no one.

 That was until Lucas.

 From the moment we met looked at me like I was the only person that existed, and courted me like his life depended on it. It reeked of love bombing and I told him off. He finally slowed down, and took his time chipping away at my defenses before I knew it I was shopping for wedding gowns.

 But in the crevice of my heart where the bud of love had managed to blossom, there were also weeds of doubt.

  

 Would he always love me?

 My dad pretended to love me too. On the day he abandoned me, he told me that he was taking me to an amusement park. With the biggest smile I had ever seen on his face he left me at the gates of the orphanage and promised

 To come back.

  I hadn't felt that sinking in my chest in years until I stepped into the room where George had watched Lucas go in with Olivia.

  She was naked, hair messy, and make-up smeared, while he was dozing off next to her, with the only piece of clothing on him being the duvet draped over his chest.

 She saw me at the door and, imitating something that almost looked like shame, gasped. 

 “I'm sorry, you shouldn't have found out like this,” She said hardly even trying to hide her snake grin, She had been trying to one-up me from the moment we met, and now–

 Lucas groaned, interrupted my train of thought, and when his eyelids peeled open, revealing those deep blue eyes, I staggered into George's arms, struggling to breathe.

 “My love?” He said while still on the same bed with the woman he'd desecrated our marriage vows for.

 “Sandy, we should leave,” George said, trying to pull me away, but I remained there with a blank look on my face as I watched my greatest fear play out. Realization rolled into Lucas’ eyes, sleepiness left, and his jaw fell.

 “My love, this is not what it looks like…” He shot daggers at Olivia with his eyes when she touched him, shoving her off like she was yesterday's trash.

 How vile, I guess he didn't love her either. Looks like both of us were just pawns to him.

 I couldn't bear to look at him anymore, turning around to leave.

 Three years of endless dedication and overwhelming affection, as

Mall part of what was supposed to be our forever.

 Gone in a single night.