Chapter 22: Chapter 22

SHAY

~WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4~

Shay stood at the apartment door. She knew he wouldn’t be home from work yet.

Her phone was still turned off—she needed her space and was ignoring everyone—so she didn’t know if Ethan had tried reaching her. She missed him, but they needed to talk and figure things out before she moved back in.

She knew he didn’t mean what he’d said, because she knew ~him~. She also knew he didn’t plant the camera. Their argument the other day was just in the heat of the moment. She lashed out, and so did he.

She couldn’t blame him. His reputation was on the line too.

Using her key, she entered the apartment they’d shared for the last few months. The place still looked the same—she was glad it wasn’t a mess—though there were a few thick stacks of paperwork on the kitchen island.

Ignoring them, Shay took a deep breath. She could still smell Ethan’s cologne lingering in the house. She closed her eyes, enjoying his scent for a moment before allowing her feet to carry her to their room.

When she got there she glanced around, looking for the camera, and noticed the bed was unmade.

She had a rough idea of the camera’s position based on the video she’d watched, so she crouched down and reached in the cabinet. But she came up with nothing. Not that she even knew what she’d hoped to find.

Sighing, Shay stood up and walked toward the wardrobe. She needed more clothes back in her apartment. Baggy ones. She didn’t want to be seen in public, so she also needed her hat, hoodie, sunglasses, and joggers.

Thank God she’d decided to keep her place. She felt lonely staying by herself in her apartment, but she knew they still needed space.

Still, she spent half the day wondering about their relationship. Wondering if it would survive this scandal, wondering what would happen to their babies, wondering if Ethan would want to be in their lives if they split up.

Grabbing her bag, Shay folded some of her clothes before placing them neatly inside. She only packed what she thought was necessary for a few days. They’d have to sort things out eventually, and till then, a small bag would do.

She heard the front door open and tensed. Could it be the person who recorded them?

She slowly crept out of the room, her heart pounding, and listened by the stairs.

Shay froze, recognizing Ethan’s laughter. What was he doing home in the middle of the day? She didn’t want to reveal herself unless he came up, though she wasn’t sure why.

“I can’t believe you did it!” a man’s voice said. She couldn’t place it, but she knew she recognized it from somewhere.

“It took me months, but she finally slept with me,” Ethan said, and there was the sound of glasses clinking.

Her heart dropped into her belly. They were talking about ~her~.

“Hard work,” the other guy remarked.

“Yeah, but she’s amazing. I proposed.”

“Shit!” The man laughed. “Maybe you could give me a turn?”

Shay’s hands balled into tight fists.

“Come on, Ash,” Ethan said.

Letting out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, she relaxed a little.

Ash…

He had a close friend named Asher…

And then it clicked. She’d met him once, during their first encounter at brunch. And she’d seen him at Ethan’s birthday party, though they hadn’t spoken.

“Yeah, yeah,” Asher said. “As promised, since you slept with her, you win the ultimate bet.”

Her eyes stung with tears as she repeated the words in her head.

“Tomorrow, I’ll transfer to you twenty percent shares of A&C Corp,” Asher said.

She couldn’t believe her ears—her whole world was crumbling. Blocking out everything that came after, she looked down at her engagement ring.

This had all been a game to them. Ethan had accepted a bet on her virginity.

Feeling sick, Shay crept back into their room. She sat on the edge of the bed and replayed what she’d heard over and over again, trying to stop herself from vomiting.

Asher had placed a huge bet on her. He must’ve known who she was, must’ve known that she was a virgin.

Ethan had played her all along.

She couldn’t believe she’d allowed herself to fall for his bad-boy charms. She couldn’t believe she’d given herself fully to him.

She felt so stupid. Worthless. She hadn’t even been able to look at herself in the mirror since the leak, and this made her feel one hundred percent worse.

When she heard the front door close again, she got up and walked down the stairs.

She wanted to confront him if he was still home, wanted to know why he’d used her.

Her brain just couldn’t wrap itself around what had happened. Had he ever loved her? Was he that good of an actor—or had she just missed all the signs?

She looked around, but the duplex was empty again. The stack of papers was gone, and there were two whiskey glasses on the table.

Turning on her heel, Shay headed upstairs and grabbed her phone from her bag, turning it on.

Ignoring the thousands of messages and notifications she’d received in the past three days, Shay scrolled through her contacts, knowing who to call.

Her stepmother picked up on the first ring.

“Billie—” Shay’s voice cracked.

“Shay? Are you okay?”

“Billie!” she cried when she heard that familiar voice, the voice she needed to hear more than anything. Her world was crumbling around her, and she knew there weren’t many people she could turn to.

“Shay…,” Billie said softly.

“Can I stay in your old apartment? I need to hide out awhile.”

“Of course, my dear,” Billie said. “Stay as long as you need. Where are you? I’ll pick you up.”

“Could you come in a few hours? I’ll text you the details,” Shay said as she wiped her tears and snot away.

“Of course.”

“Thank you, B. And please don’t tell Dad,” she said before hanging up.

Shaking her head—she was developing a headache from all the crying she’d been doing—Shay gathered herself quickly and packed as many things as she could fit in her luggage.

Just being in this room made her feel sick. Her mind was racing—she just couldn’t wrap her head around his betrayal, and she doubted if he ever had feelings for her.

Everything about their relationship was based on a lie. Her happiness in the past few months was a lie.

After packing her luggage, she brought her suitcase and carry-on downstairs and sat on the barstool next to the kitchen island, her keys neatly placed beside her, her engagement ring in her hand.

She stared at the beautiful ring. It was everything she wanted, in the exact design she wanted—the ring she’d dreamed of ever since she was a child.

When she heard the front door unlock, she kept her face calm, unchanged, unfazed by his presence. She’d known the timing of his return because he came back at the exact same time every day when they were together.

His meetings rarely ever ended late. She knew his schedule like the back of her hand.

“Shay?” he called, stunned to see her in his apartment.

Shay chuckled under her breath as she met his eyes. “You know, I pegged you for a lot of things…”

Since this was her first time laying eyes on him since their fight two days ago, she noticed the difference in his appearance. His face was unshaven, and he had dark circles under his eyes.

“Shay,” he repeated, taking a step closer.

She held out a finger and shook her head, stopping him in his tracks.

“I just want to know one thing,” she said, studying his face. She still didn’t know whether to believe her heart or her ears. “Was it worth it?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, looking confused.

“Like I said, I pegged you for a lot of things, but if I knew what was truly going on, I would’ve ~never~ allowed you near my heart,” she snapped.

“Shay, baby,” he pleaded, and his eyes softened as he extended his hand.

When she saw this, her heart wanted to soften too. But she had to remain tough.

“I loved you with every fiber in my body. I was willing to die for you. I was willing to give you the world and more.” She twirled the ring in between her fingers. “And I truly believed you loved me.

“But you gave one hell of a performance.”

She chuckled sarcastically. “I guess now you’ll be reliving my misery over and over again, laughing at my expense.”

“No! What the fuck? What are you even talking about?” Ethan asked, confused.

She took a deep breath. “I got an abortion.”

His eyes widened in shock.

“You didn’t believe they were yours anyway. As I recall, you called me an attention-seeking whore, accused me of sleeping around and lying about my virginity.” She shook her head in disbelief as she remembered the conversation.

“No! You couldn’t… You didn’t,” Ethan said, his eyes tearing up as his voice hardened.

“We’re over,” she said, placing the ring on the kitchen island and climbing off the bar stool. “I never ever want to see you ever again.”

“Baby, I’m sorry! I said everything out of anger—I didn’t mean any of it.” Tears were running down his face. “And I don’t believe you mean this.”

“Ethan, I did love you. And I probably would have loved you for the rest of my life. But there’s nothing between us anymore.” She pulled out the handle of her luggage and rolled it over the tiles, heading toward the door.

“Shay! Please, please, please forgive me. I can’t live without you,” he pleaded as he dropped to his knees, crying. She could tell he was genuinely hurting, but she couldn’t do this anymore. Not after what she’d heard.

When she stopped in front of him, he wrapped his arms around her torso, burying his head in her chest.

Her heart ached to see him this way, but their relationship had come to an end. She no longer believed in him, because to do otherwise was just stupid.

“I love you! Please don’t go,” he begged.

Placing a gentle kiss on the top of his head, Shay hugged him one last time, crying. His grip tightened around her as her heart shattered. She didn’t want to break things off, but there was no future for them. Not anymore.

She lifted his chin to face her, then leaned down and, closing her eyes, breathed in his scent one last time. Her lips carefully brushed his, and their tears mixed as the pain in her heart grew even more unbearable.

Pulling away a little, Shay opened her eyes to meet his gorgeous pair. The pair she’d fallen in love with so easily. The pair she’d wanted to grow old with. His eyes were filled with hurt, just as hers surely were.

“I will always love you, Ethan, but you’ve made a fool out of me. I hope the twenty percent share can keep you warm at night. I pray that it was worth it.”

With that, she walked around him and out the door.