Chapter 4

Bruce lay on the couch, looking smug as he said, "Thanks for this, Evan. I had a little fall just now, and Janice felt so bad for me that she asked you to come clean up instead."

I stared at the mess on the bed and felt a wave of nausea. I couldn't stop myself from punching Bruce squarely in the face. "You're disgusting. Do you really enjoy being the other man that much? Don't you have any shame?"

He covered his cheek and looked pitifully over at Janice. "Janice, am I the other man here?"

"How dare you hit Bruce, you lunatic!" Janice kicked me hard in the back.

I stumbled, my foot catching on their clothes strewn across the floor, and crashed to the floor. My forehead slammed into the corner of the bed, splitting the skin open.

I reached up and touched the spot. My fingers came away bright red with blood. The sting of pain brought tears to my eyes.

There was a flicker of guilt in Janice's eyes when she saw the blood and my tears, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. She said icily, "The only extra person in a relationship is the one who isn't loved. You used Mom and Dad to guilt-trip me into marrying you. I accepted that, but don't you dare ask for anything more.

"Bruce and I will be having our wedding in a month. Get as far away from us as possible if you know what's good for you. If you don't, then don't blame me for what happens next."

I pressed my hand to the wound on my forehead as I listened to her threats. Then, I walked out without a word. Behind me, I heard Janice's voice soften as she started comforting Bruce.

I didn't even bother to bandage the cut. I just grabbed Millie and left. The rooms I'd once decorated so carefully were already almost empty. I'd cleared out everything that had ever held my stupid, romantic fantasies about my so-called relationship with Janice and tossed it all in the trash.

After settling into a hotel room with Millie, I made a phone call. "Is everything I asked for ready? Janice wants a grand, unforgettable wedding with Bruce, and that's exactly what she'll get. I want her name all over the city on her wedding day!"

Back in the day, the main reason Phil had asked me to marry into the Grant family was that Janice was incompetent and nowhere near capable of running their massive company.

He'd known very well that if she took over, she would burn through the family fortune in just a few years. That was why he'd picked me—an intelligent, highly educated man.

Before the wedding, he'd told me that once Janice and I had a child, all of the family's shares would be transferred to our child. So, after he passed away, his lawyer had come to me with the paperwork for the transfer. There was a special clause written in black and white that stated Janice would walk away with nothing.

Once everything was in place, I took Millie to an island to rest and recover.

Initially, Janice didn't take my departure seriously at all. She thought I was just throwing a tantrum. It wasn't until her wedding was right around the corner that she realized she hadn't seen me in ages. She suddenly started to panic as the sense that she was losing something vital crept up on her.

She called me over and over, but every time, all she heard was an automated message saying the number didn't exist. She furiously hurled her phone to the floor, her face blotchy with rage as she muttered, "There's no way you won't show up on my wedding day."

Time flew by. Before anyone realized it, the wedding day arrived.

Janice stood there in an exquisite wedding gown, looking stunning. But her eyes were distant and unfocused, like her mind was somewhere else entirely.

Suddenly, her best friend burst into the bridal suite, out of breath and frantic. "Janice, there's trouble! You need to get out here. Now!"