Out of Your Mind

“You’re unbelievable.” A bitter, broken laugh escaped my chest as hot tears finally spilled over my lashes, blurring the sight of him. “Are you even listening to yourself? The great billionaire Nathan Hayes wants an open marriage just so he can parade his escorts without consequences.”

My lips curled into a disdainful smile, though my hands trembled so violently at my sides that my nails bit deep into my palms, the sharp bite of pain doing nothing to ground the sickening spin of the room.

“Audrey!” Nathan roared. His jaw clenched, a thick muscle pulsing dangerously under his smooth skin as his dark eyes flashed with warning. The sheer volume of his voice vibrated in my sternum, making my throat tighten so hard I could barely draw air.

“Don’t you dare raise your voice at me!” I shot back, pointing a trembling, accuseful finger straight at his chest. Blood rushed to my face, and my eyes watered, while the rest of my body felt utterly numb. “You lost the right to speak my name the second you dragged another woman into our bed.”

My chest heaved violently under my silk blouse, every ragged breath burning like acid in my lungs. My stomach churned, I couldn’t believe what was happening, I had to anchor my weight against the edge of the mahogany table just to keep from collapsing right there. For a heavy, suffocating moment, absolute silence descended on the room, thick enough to choke on.

Nathan merely adjusted the platinum cufflink on his left sleeve, his fingers steady, completely unbothered. His expression instantly smoothed back into total apathy, his features hardening like cooling wax as if our three-year marriage hadn’t just shattered at his feet.

“Do whatever you want, my dear wife,” he said with a dismissive shrug, stepping smoothly around me. The slight scent of his expensive cologne mixed with the faint, suffocating trace of another woman's perfume caught in the back of my throat, making me gag softly. “I certainly will.”

A cold, arrogant smile touched his lips before he turned his back on me. The heavy mahogany door clicked shut behind him, the sharp, final sound echoing through the vast, quiet suite like a gunshot.

The second he was gone, the strength drained completely from my body. The tension keeping my muscles tight snapped all at once; my knees buckled, and I collapsed heavily onto the cold hardwood floor. A harsh, ragged sob ripped from the bottom of my lungs, tearing through my throat as I curled into a tight ball. I pressed my forehead directly against the freezing wood, my teeth chattering as tears soaked into the floorboards beneath my face. Tremors ran down my spine in relentless waves, leaving me gasping, clutching at my own arms just to feel something solid.

The man I had given my youth to, the man I had loved past the point of reason. He had gutted me without a single trace of regret, leaving my chest feeling utterly hollowed out.

After what felt like hours, when my body finally ran out of tears and my throat was too raw to make another sound, I dragged the back of my bruised, scraped hand across my wet cheeks. Stumbling to my feet, my legs felt like lead, shaking with every tiny step. I grabbed my handbag, threw open the door with numb fingers, and walked out of the silent, hollow mansion. I didn't look back once.

Twenty minutes later, my sports car screeched into the underground parking complex of Vivian’s downtown high-rise. My vision swam behind hot, swollen eyelids as I dragged myself into the elevator, the quiet hum of the lift making my head throb in rhythm with my racing pulse. I pressed the doorbell, leaning my shoulder heavily against the doorframe as a cold, terrifying shock settled deep into my bones.

The door swung open, and Vivian stood there in her silk robe, a warm greeting already shaping on her lips. It died the exact second her eyes hit my swollen face, red-rimmed eyes, and torn composure.

"Babe? What happened?" she gasped, her hands flying to her mouth before she stepped forward, reaching out and pulling me firmly into her arms.

The warmth of her touch shattered whatever fragile control I was holding onto. My knees threatened to give out again, and I buried my face deep into her shoulder, my arms wrapping around her waist so tightly my knuckles turned white. Fresh, uncontrolled sobs shook my entire frame, my shoulders trembling violently against her.

"I..." My voice cracked, raw, raspy, and barely audible above a whisper. "I... found him, Viv. He brought a woman... into our bedroom. Our bed."

Vivian went completely rigid beneath my touch. I felt the sharp intake of her breath against my cheek. She pulled back slightly, her hands gripping my upper arms tightly, her wide eyes searching mine in sheer disbelief as a dark flush of shock crept up her neck. "What? Nathan did what?"

"He brought an escort home," I choked out, my jaw trembling so violently that my teeth clicked together. I tried to swallow the bitter, metallic taste resting on the back of my tongue. "And when I told him I wanted a divorce... he just laughed in my face."

Vivian’s face contorted into pure rage, her eyes narrowing to sharp slits. "He laughed?"

"He brought up the prenuptial agreement," I whispered, lowering my head as a heavy, humiliating shame weighed down my shoulders, making my spine curve inward. "He knows I signed away every right to his family's estate. And then... then he asked for an open marriage. He told me I could sleep with whoever I wanted as long as I kept up appearances for the press."

"That ruthless bastard!" Vivian snarled. She dropped her hands, her fists clenching so hard her short nails dug into her palms as she began pacing wildly across her living room floor. "I knew his snobbish family was poison from day one! He thinks because he controls billions, he owns your soul, too!"

She stopped abruptly, whirling around to face me, her breath coming in fast, angry huffs. "Who does he think he is? You gave up your entire life, your own career ambitions, to help him manage his grandfather’s company, and he treats you like an inconvenient accessory!"

"I thought I could fix us," I whispered, wrapping my arms tightly around my middle to stop the persistent shaking in my stomach. "I thought if I just worked harder, if I gave him enough space, he’d look at me the way he used to."

"Listen to me, Audrey," Vivian said firmly, stepping back over to grab my cold, limp hands, squeezing them with white-knuckled intensity until heat returned to my skin. "There is nothing left to fix. You are brilliant, stunning, and far too good for that arrogant coward. He just threw away the best thing in his life."

"He doesn't care," I murmured, staring down at our joined hands as a tear slipped silently down the side of my nose. "He looked at me like I was nothing. Like I was completely invisible."

"Then stop letting him treat you like nothing!" Vivian urged, her eyes burning with fierce determination as she gave my hands a hard shake. "If he wants an open marriage so badly, play the game. Go out, spend his money, find someone who makes him look like a total amateur, and break his damn pride!"

"No," I said, pulling my hands back and shaking my head firmly, trying to clear the haze in my brain. "I'm not going to turn myself into someone I hate just to spite him. I have more important things to focus on right now. The company is heading into a massive quarterly audit."

Vivian groaned loudly, throwing her hands in the air with frustration. "The company belongs to the Hayes empire, Audrey! Let it burn to the ground!"

"I can't," I said, setting my jaw as a cold, sharp resolve began to form over the agonizing pain in my chest. My heart rate finally began to settle, shifting from panic to a rigid, icy focus. "I made a promise to old Mr. Hayes on his deathbed that I would protect his legacy from Nathan's reckless spending. I won't let Nathan ruin that, too."

Vivian stared at me for a long, silent moment, watching the shift in my posture. She let out a heavy sigh, tossing herself back onto her velvet couch. "Fine. But you're staying here tonight. And tomorrow, you go into that office and act like the boss you are."

I walked over, collapsing heavily onto the sofa beside her. I leaned my aching head back against the cushions, staring up at the high, recessed ceilings of the apartment.

Was loyalty a flaw? Was being faithful just a weakness he exploited to tear me down?

The unanswered questions weighed heavily on my chest, a physical pressure making every breath slow and shallow, until absolute physical exhaustion finally pulled me under into a dark, dreamless sleep.