Chapter 3

The next morning, Zachary came home looking exhausted, smelling heavily of cheap women's perfume.

I pretended not to notice, preparing his bath and clothes. He patted my head in satisfaction.

"Don't worry, Maeve. No matter how many women I play with outside, you'll always be my wife. I'm just letting off some steam. You can't expect me to look at your scarred body without throwing up, can you?"

"In a few years, we'll do IVF and have a kid. My family won't treat you badly."

While he was in the shower, I picked up his phone, unlocked it, and scrolled through his Snapchat history with Vivian.

Their messages were incredibly flirtatious. Vivian, playing the "concerned best friend," kept digging for information about me.

*“Zachary, why did you leave so early last night? Don't worry, we were just chatting. Maeve isn't the jealous type. Not like me... if I had a man like you, I'd never let him out of my sight.”*

*“Zachary, I know you're upset about Maeve's ex-boyfriend coming back. They were the golden couple in college. But don't overthink it, I'm sure Maeve loves you now.”*

*“Maeve seems a bit cold to me lately. Did I do something wrong? She always seems to be texting someone secretly.”*

Zachary hadn't taken the bait yet, simply replying: *“She's just busy with work. Don't worry about it.”*

I smiled coldly and put the phone back.

Once Zachary finished dressing, I wrapped my arms around his and pouted. "Zach, my college class is having a reunion tonight. Come with me."

Zachary hesitated, but seeing my puppy-dog eyes, he finally nodded.

We drove to an upscale club downtown.

I had purposely chosen this venue to give Zachary and Vivian the perfect opportunity to hook up.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for Vivian to show up, using the excuse of wanting to talk to me.

She wore a revealing designer dress and heavy makeup, practically begging for attention.

When she saw me still standing glued to Zachary’s side, a flash of pure jealousy shot through her eyes.

She dragged me to the restroom. "What are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be running away with Luke? A woman shouldn't be greedy, Maeve. You can't keep one while clinging to another."

I raised an eyebrow. "But you know Zachary will never agree to a divorce."

Vivian gripped my arm eagerly. "Don't worry about that! I will help you get your freedom tonight."

"I've checked on Luke. He's completely broke and has nothing left. If you abandon him now, he has no reason to live. Can you really be that heartless?"

"I know you're not a gold-digger, Maeve. Your family is already rich enough, why do you care so much about the Vance money? Follow your heart! If you betray Luke now, I'll be the first to call you out."

I didn't reply.

Back in the main room, our classmates started talking about Luke's return, joking around.

"Maeve, you can't just dump Zachary for some penniless ex. Don't ruin our boy Zach’s reputation."

In my past life, Vivian had stood up at this exact moment, pointing a finger at me in front of everyone.

*“Don't worry, everyone! I'm keeping a close eye on Maeve. You have no idea—she was practically eating her ex-boyfriend's face off the other day. It was so disgusting! If I hadn't stepped in, she would have run off with him and probably ended up in some cheap motel.”*

She had described the scene in graphic detail, making everyone look at me like I was a piece of garbage.

Zachary, furious and humiliated, hadn't listened to my explanations. He had kicked me into a corner and smashed a champagne bottle over my head.

As the alcohol drenched me, Vivian had rushed over to "help," but ended up ripping my clothes, exposing my scarred body to the entire room.

The gossip shifted from me cheating to me being a scarred, deformed freak who couldn't even keep a lover.

But this time, Vivian stood up and yelled at the crowd:

"Maeve would never do that! She believes in true love! And so what if she sacrifices everything for love? You people are so narrow-minded. Love is the most beautiful thing in the world! You wouldn't understand."

Vivian tried to pull me forward. "Tell them, Maeve. What's more important, a lifeless marriage or true love? A marriage without love is just a prison! No matter what, I support your pursuit of happiness."

She went on and on, completely oblivious to the fact that Zachary’s face had turned black.

His voice was dangerously low. "So, in your eyes, that loser is better than me?"

Vivian, completely lost in her own fantasy, blurted out, "Of course he is! They were so sweet back in college. He picked her up every day, bought her meals... Maeve, don't worry, I'll protect your love!"

The moment the words left her mouth, Zachary swung his leg and kicked her straight to the ground.

"You bitch! You're actively trying to cuckold me? I'll kill you!"

***