My Ex-husband’s Final Straw

Bella's POV

On the night of our first wedding anniversary, I received a notification from an unknown number—a video of my husband and his female best friend kissing.

My heart shattered into a million pieces as I watched it over and over again. No matter how many times I replayed it, the scene remained the same. The man in the video was my husband, Luke Graham, and the woman in his arms was Serena. The same Serena he had spent years assuring me was nothing more than a best friend.

He was supposed to be here with me, celebrating our first anniversary. Instead, he was wrapped around another woman, kissing her like she was the one who owned his heart.

I didn't even know how to process the pain. How was I supposed to convince myself that the same man who promised me the world was now in another woman's arms? The same man who vowed to love only me had betrayed me with the one person he constantly told me not to worry about.

Luke Graham and I had been together for three years before we finally decided to settle down. I never supported his friendship with Serena, but every time I brought it up, he would remind me that they had known each other since childhood and that he couldn't simply cut her off. Eventually, I stopped arguing because he treated me right. I trusted him. I never imagined that trust would lead to this.

Even after we got married, Serena never stopped visiting. She always wanted to see him, always wanted his attention, always found an excuse to spend time with him. I tried to put boundaries in place more than once, but Luke always defended her. His excuse never changed. They had been together since childhood. Looking back now, I feel foolish for believing him.

Tears rolled down my cheeks when another notification appeared on my screen. The sudden sound made me flinch. It was another message from the same unknown number.

"Didn't I show you from the start that he'd be mine? He's married to you, but his heart belongs to me."

I stared at the message for several seconds before dropping the phone onto the bed. Slowly, I sat down beside it, tears filling my eyes. I felt numb. Completely numb. I couldn't believe Luke would betray me like this. I couldn't believe he would cheat.

He never gave me any signs. He was always reassuring me that cheating would never happen in our marriage. He constantly told me Serena was only his best friend and that he would never cross that line.

But look what happened.

He cheated.

More tears slipped down my cheeks as memories began flooding back. I remembered a year ago when Luke and I were preparing to get married. He had been just as excited as I was, maybe even more.

"I promise to love you forever, and I won't make you regret this."

We woke up before six that morning so we could queue at the courthouse. Luke could barely contain his excitement. He couldn't wait to marry me.

After we exchanged our vows, he held my hands and looked at me with so much love in his eyes.

"You don't know how lucky I feel to have you as my wife, my perfect lady. I promise to treat you the best and never love someone else. You'll be the only woman in my life."

"No more Serena?" I had asked teasingly, and he immediately shook his head.

"Serena is my best friend, but you're my first priority. You alone."

Where were all those promises now? They were gone, faded into thin air like they had never existed. The video kept replaying in my mind, making me feel sick. I loved Luke so much, and never once did I imagine he would cheat on me.

Before we got married, people were always jealous of our relationship. To our friends, we were the perfect couple. Everyone believed we had the perfect marriage. The worst part was that I believed it too.

My phone rang, pulling me out of my thoughts. I turned my head and looked at the screen.

Fiona.

With trembling fingers, I reached for the phone and answered the call.

"Happy first anniversary! Hope I'm not disturbing?" Fiona said cheerfully. She was probably thinking I was spending the night with Luke.

The moment I heard her voice, I burst into tears.

"Bella? What happened?" she asked immediately, concern filling her voice.

"Luke is having an affair... with Serena," I cried.

"Fuck," Fiona whispered.

"I don't know how to process this pain. I don't know what to feel. I don't know how to convince myself that it's real. If someone else had told me, I never would've believed it. But Serena herself sent me a video of them kissing."

"Take a deep breath..."

"How am I supposed to breathe? How?" I asked through my tears.

"You have to. It's not the end of the world. Bella, you're strong. It happened, and crying won't change it."

Was it really that easy? If it was so easy for Luke to betray me, then maybe I was the fool for believing in us. Maybe he had always loved Serena.

I sniffled and wiped my face with the back of my hand.

"Why did you call?"

"I called to tell you that I've helped you secure a position at Sexy Designs. It's a modeling job."

Right.

I had asked Fiona to help me find work. Luke never wanted me working in his company, and he never helped me find a job elsewhere either. Stupid me. I thought he was being protective or insecure. I stayed at home, gave up my career to be a good wife to him. Meanwhile, he was busy kissing his best friend behind my back.

"Bella, it's an amazing opportunity, but the choice is yours," Fiona said.

"I'm interested," I replied without hesitation. It wasn't too late to leave. And even if it was, I would still walk away from a man who cheated on me. And I really need to be financially stable if I’m going to leave him, he has been the one paying for my needs, my mother’s hospital bills ever since she became sick two years ago, leaving him might cost me financially if I don’t have a job

"Your work starts on Monday. You have two days to prepare yourself. And please don't cry too much, Bella. You're strong, and you're going to be okay."

After ending the call, the pain eased just enough for me to stand up and walk toward my closet.

I dragged out my suitcase and began packing the clothes I would need. Only the things I bought for myself. I was letting Luke go, and I didn't want anything that would remind me of him, whether intentionally or not.

While packing, I came across our marriage certificate. The sight of it made my chest tighten painfully. I wasn't strong enough to look at it for more than a second, so I shoved it into Luke's drawer and continued packing.

Just as I zipped up my suitcase, I heard footsteps approaching the room. My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly lowered the suitcase.

I stepped out of the closet only to see Luke standing there, still dressed in a perfectly tailored suit—the same suit he had been wearing in the video while kissing Serena.

One of his hands was hidden behind his back.

"Honey," he called softly.

I stared at him, disgust crawling through my chest.

"Where were you?" I asked.

"I was busy working. I'm sorry I came back late," he said before bringing his hand forward and revealing a bouquet of flowers.

“I brought this for you, your favorite rose. Happy Anniversary to the best wife in the world.” He say to me with a smile on his lips.

I simply stared at them.

He was having an affair, yet he was still standing here pretending to be the sweet, loving husband I knew.

How pathetic.

"I'm sorry," he said gently as he stepped closer.

He almost touched me, but before he could, I turned around and walked back into the closet, leaving him standing there alone.