Alex’s eyes flicker with annoyance but he quickly masks it, leaning back in his chair like he’s completely unfazed.
“Come on, Kylie,” he says, his voice smooth, condescending. “Are you really that surprised?”
I feel like I’ve been slapped. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means,” he says, shrugging, “You knew what you were signing up for. Guys like me…we always double dip.”
The words hit me like a slap across the face, and the room starts to spin. I feel Eliza’s eyes on me, watching with that smug, superior smirk. She’s enjoying this, savoring every moment of my humiliation.
Anger burns through me, scorching every nerve, but underneath it all, I feel a deep, twisting pain.
“No,” I say, my voice shaking. “Apparently, I don’t know who you are. Because I thought you loved me. I gave up everything for you — my career, my house, my friends — ”
Alex cuts me off with a wave of his hand, like he’s swatting away a fly. “You’re making a scene, Kylie,” he says, his tone flat. “Don’t embarrass yourself.”
My hands ball into fists at my sides. “I just caught you cheating on me, at this party, in front of everyone. I think I’m allowed to be angry!”
He narrows his eyes, and for a second, I see something dark flicker in them. Before I can even process what’s happening, his hand shoots out, and he slaps me across the face.
My cheek burns, and I clutch my face, stunned. My eyes brim with tears and fury.
Alex’s voice is cold and hard, loud enough for everyone to hear. “I guess I didn’t know you either, Kylie. But I can see now…you’re not cut out to be my wife.”
I can hardly breathe. The words, his cruelty, it all cuts so deep I feel like I might shatter. I’m dimly aware of Eliza, watching, grinning.
Alex turns away from me, dismissing me like I’m nothing, and takes another drag from his cigar.
“We’re done,” he says, his tone final. “I want you out of my place by morning.”
For a moment, I’m sure I must have misheard him. “Wait…what?”
Alex doesn’t even look at me. “I’m serious. I want you gone.”