No Remedy for This Love

Connor Magder snapped his laptop shut.

"Ariana, what are you up to now?"

Connor glared at me with red-rimmed eyes, as if I were some kind of monster.

"Nothing. I was just offering my best wishes," I said calmly.

He let out a sudden, cold laugh. "Stop pretending to be so gracious. If you were really that big-hearted, you never would've gotten Carla cyberbullied and left her with severe depression!"

It was as if I only truly woke up in that moment.

The three years he'd spent with me had never been about saving me. They'd been about protecting Carla.

I swallowed the bitterness in my throat. "Think whatever you want. If you want a divorce, I'll agree right now."

After all, three years ago, I'd walked in on my ex-fiancé, Bradley Bigham, lying in our marriage bed with my best friend.

I'd punished them both like a madwoman, wishing I could take them down with me.

I'd fallen apart. I'd been hysterical.

And in the end, all I got for it was another three years of betrayal.

At my words, a flicker of shock crossed Connor's eyes, and his face darkened. "Don't try to provoke me. We've been married for three years now. As long as you leave Carla alone, I'll stay married to you for the rest of my life."

During the hardest three years of my life, Connor had sat by my bed feeding me my medicine and pulled me into his arms whenever I had nightmares.

Now, just thinking about those three years left me chilled to the bone.

Seeing me red-eyed and silent, he softened his tone and gestured at the third-anniversary gift sitting on the coffee table. "Open it. It's the diamond necklace you've always wanted."

He'd been so good to me all these years.

So good that I'd forgotten that someone like me was only ever meant to be betrayed, again and again.

I gave a self-mocking smile and tossed the box straight into the trash can.

The housekeepers around us gasped.

Connor stared at the trash can, his expression thunderous. "Ariana, haven't you made enough of a scene? I knew you'd never change!"

But what he didn't see was the pregnancy test that had gone into the trash along with it.

Just as Connor was about to explode, his phone rang out of nowhere.

Carla's bright, sweet voice came through the line. "Connor, what about the wedding dress you were getting ready for me? You didn't forget, did you?"

His tone instantly turned gentle. "How could I? I had it ready ages ago. I'll bring it right over."

As I watched him leave, practically bouncing out the door, the last thread holding me together finally snapped.

I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes and called my lawyer. "In three days, deliver the divorce papers to Connor Magder."