Chapter 2

“Rose! Oh my God, your face is so pale. What happened?” Lila’s voice, her closest friend, rang out the moment Rosemary opened the door to her apartment.

Rosemary didn’t answer. Her body swayed, the rain-soaked coat nearly sliding off her shoulders. She walked past the living room with vacant eyes, as if her soul had been left behind in that hotel ballroom.

“Rosemary! Hey, answer me!” Lila rushed after her, grabbing her arm. “You’re scaring me.”

Rosemary suddenly stopped, her shoulders trembling. A broken whisper escaped her lips.

“He… divorced me. In front of everyone.”

Lila froze. “What?!”

Rosemary slowly turned, tears streaming down her face. “Adrian… my husband… he gave a diamond necklace to another woman. And then… he said, ‘from tonight, I divorce you.’ Everyone laughed at me, Lila. They laughed at me like I was some kind of clown!”

Her sobs erupted. She collapsed onto the floor, covering her face with both hands.

“Oh God…” Lila bent down, wrapping her arms around her trembling friend. “Rose… I can’t believe he’d do this to you.”

Rosemary shook her head violently, crying harder. “I gave him my whole life, Lila! I quit my job to help him build his business. I abandoned my dreams. I thought he would appreciate that, but instead—” her voice cracked, “he humiliated me in front of everyone!”

Lila stroked her hair, trying to soothe her. “Breathe, Rose. Calm down. You’re not alone, I’m here.”

Rosemary pushed her away, eyes red and swollen. “Why did he do this to me? Why, Lila? What did I do wrong?!”

Lila shook her head firmly. “You did nothing wrong. He’s the one at fault. He’s a bastard who doesn’t know how to be grateful.”

Rosemary suddenly stood, pacing back and forth across the living room. “That woman… the woman in the red dress… who is she really? Why did Adrian call her his first love? Why didn’t I ever know?”

“The woman in red?” Lila frowned. “Do you know her?”

Rosemary shook her head, her face filled with anguish. “No. But she smirked at me, Lila. As if she had already won Adrian’s heart.”

Lila clenched her fists. “If I ever meet that woman, I’ll slap her.”

Rosemary gave a bitter smile. “Slapping her won’t erase the shame I felt tonight. It won’t erase the disgusted looks people gave me while I stood there. It won’t erase their laughter, Lila. I… I was humiliated.”

Her body staggered again before she dropped onto the sofa. Covering her face with her hands, her muffled voice trembled. “I don’t even know what to do now.”

Lila sat beside her, gripping her hand tightly. “Rose… listen to me. You’re stronger than you think. Don’t let them break you.”

Rosemary looked up at her, eyes swollen. “How can I be strong after my husband discarded me like trash in front of everyone? Do you know what they did, Lila? They recorded it! I could feel the camera flashes on me as I fell apart… they’ll spread it everywhere. By tomorrow, everyone will have seen the video. I’ll be a laughingstock!”

Lila fell silent. She knew it was true. In the age of social media, that horrible moment could spread in hours.

Rosemary lowered her head, her voice trembling. “I gave Adrian my whole life. I thought… he would always be there for me.” She stifled a sob. “I even turned down my dream job abroad because he begged me to stay. I trusted him… and now he trampled me like this.”

Silence filled the room, broken only by Rosemary’s sobs.

Lila took a deep breath. “Rose… listen to me carefully. Adrian is not a man worth your tears. If he truly loved you, he wouldn’t have thrown you away for another woman. He wouldn’t have humiliated you in front of the world.”

Rosemary shook her head weakly. “I can’t accept it, Lila… I just can’t. Tonight… his face was so cold, as if I never meant anything to him. As if I was just… an obstacle.”

Lila gently wiped her tears. “Maybe he’s been with her for a long time. Maybe this was planned all along.”

Rosemary’s head snapped up, her face frozen. “For a long time?”

“Yes. This couldn’t have happened overnight. That woman must have been around, tempting him, manipulating him. And Adrian… was too weak to resist.”

Rosemary fell silent, tears glistening in her eyes—but deep inside, a new fire began to burn. “If that’s true… then I’ve been lied to all this time. All his sweet smiles, all his ‘I love you’s… were nothing but a mask.”

Lila nodded slowly. “Rose… I know this is hard. But stop asking what you did wrong. Start asking what you can do now.”

Rosemary’s breath hitched as she looked at her friend. “What can I do, Lila? Everyone already saw me being thrown away. Everyone laughed at me. I… I’m even afraid to step outside tomorrow.”

Lila squeezed her hand tighter. “You can rise again. You can prove you’re not a weak woman to be trampled on.”

Rosemary went quiet for a long moment. Her tears kept falling, but her face slowly hardened. “Rise again…”

“Yes.” Lila’s eyes were fierce. “Revenge, Rose. Not with tears, but by showing him that without him, you’re stronger. Make Adrian regret ever leaving you.”

Rosemary froze. Those words pierced straight into her soul.

Revenge.

She stood slowly, turning to face her reflection in the large mirror of the living room. Her face was broken, her eyes swollen—but deep within them, a spark had begun to ignite.

“Adrian…” she whispered, her voice sharp as glass. “You think you can humiliate me in front of everyone, then live happily with her? You’re dead wrong.”

Lila looked at her, startled by the shift in her expression. “Rose?”

Rosemary gave a bitter, determined smile. “I gave him everything. Now it’s my turn to take it all back—and more.”

She clenched her fists tightly. “I swear, Lila. I won’t stay silent. Adrian will pay for what he’s done to me. He… will regret it.”