2

Chapter 2

Tessa Ford

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Vanessa? He missed our daughter’s birthday dinner just to go out with that woman? My leg was still glued to that spot as I tried to process what was happening.

I still couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

Grayson was unbelievable.

My eyes burned with rage and I couldn’t even look at the screen anymore. His hands were on her fucking waist!

Different thoughts ran through my head and I needed a minute. I turned off the television and grabbed a glass of water.

The water didn’t even help to calm the storm that was brewing inside of me. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “Of course, it was about another woman. His ex-girlfriend, Vanessa.”

It felt like the walls were closing in on me and I pressed my palms against the kitchen counter, trying to steady my breathing.

Even if the image of them replayed in my head, a part of me wanted to believe that it was just a friendly meeting and it didn’t mean anything.

When we started dating, Grayson assured me that Vanessa didn’t mean anything to him and that the chapter was over.

I believed him.

Ever since we got married, he hadn’t even mentioned her name. It was as though she completely disappeared from his life — she actually did, she moved to another country.

And now that she was back, he wanted to abandon us?

He wanted to ruin our marriage because of someone from his past?

My heart twisted painfully as I thought about losing my husband. I honestly had no idea what to do.

I let out multiple deep breaths before heading over to Raven’s room. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say to her, but I just wanted to check if she was okay.

“Hey, don’t cry baby, he’s probably busy with work or something.” I lied just to make her feel better as I sat on the edge of the bed.

“But I told him about it this morning, he… he never forgets my birthday.” She replied in between quiet sobs.

I ruffled her hair, my chest heavy. “I’m sure he’ll come back with a present for you,” I muttered, trying to sound convincing. “Just stop crying, so you don’t get sick.”

Raven didn’t stop crying.

I had no choice but to sit there and give her a comforting pat until she fell asleep. After that, I made my way back to my room.

The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed. Even though Grayson had been acting distant, he always spent the night at home. But this time around, he didn’t come back home.

My eyes burned with unshed tears as I started to realize the gravity of the situation. Was my marriage really about to end?

I was lost in my thoughts when the door creaked open. I looked up and saw him walking into the room.

“Where have you been?” I stood up, confronting him immediately. “You missed Raven’s birthday dinner, she was waiting for you.”

I didn’t want to talk about what I had seen on the news yet, I wanted to see what excuse he had for missing his daughter’s birthday dinner.

Grayson let out a deep exhale, his expression unreadable. “Is that how you speak to your husband in the morning?” He asked as he loosened his tie.

I couldn’t hold back a scoff. “That’s all you can say?” I asked, my voice sharp with annoyance. “Where have you been?”

He didn’t respond immediately.

He moved closer to the bed and took off his shirt. “I was at a business meeting, I’m sorry I didn’t make it to Raven’s birthday dinner.” There was no hint of remorse in his voice.

Business meeting?

Didn’t he have any idea that their photos were all over the news?

I couldn’t believe the nerve of him to lie straight to my face.

“Grayson, I’m going to ask you one more time, where have you been?” I demanded, my voice low but venomous.

His brows knitted into a frown. “I was at a business meeting. Didn’t you hear me the first time?”

My throat went dry. “You were at a business meeting or you were with Vanessa?” I scoffed bitterly. “So this is what you’re doing now? You’ve started lying to me?”

His jaw hardened. “I was at a business meeting with Vanessa.” He replied, as if that explanation was enough to end the conversation.

I stared at him, stunned for a moment.

He actually said it with a straight face.

“Since when did you start working with her?” I couldn’t even mention her name again. “So you’re trying to say you had a business meeting overnight?”

“I can work with anybody. She needed my services and I was just doing my job.” He answered, his tone defensive. “And I didn’t have the business meeting overnight, it was late, so I had to crash at the hotel.”

It still felt so surreal.

This was his ex he was talking about. He knew how I was feeling about the situation and he still acted nonchalant about everything.

“Why couldn’t the meeting wait until this morning? Do you think I’m a fool, Grayson? You’ve been acting weird these past couple of weeks and all of a sudden you’re spotted with your ex.” I shook my head, my breathing heavy. “Now you expect me to believe that it was just a business meeting?”

He nodded casually. “Yes…it was a business meeting.” He muttered under his breath as he sat down on the bed. “Now, are you done interrogating me?”

My heart shattered into a million tiny pieces.

He didn’t even care to acknowledge the fact that he missed his daughter’s birthday dinner. I couldn’t recognize him anymore.

Grayson had turned into something else.

“Am I done interrogating you?” I repeated, my voice trembling with fury. “That’s what you think this is? An interrogation?”

He didn’t respond, he just pulled out his phone from his pocket and started scrolling through it like nothing I was saying mattered.

I couldn’t believe the level of disrespect.

“Grayson!” I snapped, my voice rising in anger. “You seriously expect me to believe that you missed Raven’s birthday because of a business meeting? Why are you lying to me even though you’ve been caught?”

Without hesitation, he snapped back. “The same way you’ve been lying to me for the past four weeks!”

My lips parted and I blinked.

What was he talking about?