William’s POV:“William, honey,” Sophia started, inspecting her bare neck in the dim light of the morning rays. “I want a new necklace. Can you take me to the jewelry store?”I smiled softly and wrapped my arms around her supple waist, admiring her flawlessness in the mirror. “Of course, baby. Anything for you”If Sophia wanted something, I was more than ready to give it to her. This had been the same way with Caroline early on in our marriage, but she didn’t matter anymore. Sophia was the only one for me.I also just needed a distraction from the past few days. After all, with Caroline trying to back out on our divorce and take money from me, I’d been extremely frustrated as of late. She really thought she could trick me like that, siphoning money from me for herself and a father who deserved exactly what she got. I brought her to the same jeweler where I’d purchased Caroline’s ring only a couple years or so prior. In light of my struggles with Caroline, there were bad memories atta
Caroline’s POV:Hearing Martin’s soft-spoken words sent a flurry of mixed emotions washing over me. He wanted me to rely on someone? As I was silently deliberating what to even say to that, my phone started to ring. I curiously glanced at the caller ID to see that it was James, William’s personal assistant. Giving Martin an apologetic look, I said, “I have to take this call. Do you think you could give me a few minutes?”Martin’s smile was kind and sweet. “Of course. I’ll go get us some coffee, alright?”As soon as he was gone, I reluctantly glanced down at the Caller ID. I didn’t want anything to do with William right now, but I had no choice. Sure enough, there was James’ snippy tone on the other end. “Mrs. Anderson?” The title made me wince with pain. It didn’t feel right to be called his wife after his unfaithfulness to me, even if we were still married. “Please, just call me Caroline. What can I help you with?”“I’m just here to remind you that Sara Anderson’s birthday party is
Caroline’s POV:I don't know how William knew about Martin, but for Martin’s sake, it was best that my husband knew as little about him as possible.“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I shot back, my arms crossed and gaze hardened with defiance. A scoff left William’s lips as regarded me with contempt, backing away. “We haven’t even finalized the divorce, and yet you’re already seeing other men,” he sneered. “Some woman you are.”My lips parted in surprise as anger sparked somewhere in my core. How dare he? “Excuse me?” I snapped sharply, offended by the accusation. “What are you even talking about?”“Don’t play dumb!” William scowled, his features twisted with a deep frustration. “I saw someone bringing you to his car. You already have a new boyfriend?”William witnessed Martin carrying me into his car? From the anger exuding from William, I knew that for Martin’s sake, it was best to play dumb and pretend I didn’t know him.“I collapsed because of low blood sugar, William
Caroline’s POV:“What are you doing here, Martin?” I inquired in a hushed tone, huddling close to him to avoid eye contact with William. “You know people here?”Martin’s eyes flitted cautiously between William and I. “I came here on behalf of my parents. They’re friends with the Andersons and wanted to discuss business dealings with William.” Then, rather unsubtly, he asked, “Aren’t you getting a divorce?”An answer was trapped in my throat. I tried to smile, but just like my heart, it came off bitter and hurt. A sympathetic look crossed Martin’s face and he put a hand on my shoulder, sending a wave of comfort through me. “Do you want to leave? I can get you a cab if you—”Like a raging bull, William stormed over to us and seized Martin by the wrist, his gaze cold. My lips parted in shock while Martin sent William a look of indignance. “Get your hand off of me,” he snapped, wrenching his wrist away. Despite his warm demeanor and charming features, it was clear he wasn’t helpless again
Caroline’s POV:With his baby in distress, William hurried away without another word to me. I watched him leave, allowed to sit in the silence of his absence and be alone with my thoughts. He never loved me, I thought to myself. Why was I even here?I composed myself in the mirror, getting a hold of my emotions. Although I was devastated, I couldn’t let myself be seen in such a state. It would show everyone that I was weak and overly-emotional. With my tears finally dried, I carefully strolled back into the lounge, where I could hear little George crying out. Sophia and William were huddled on the leather sofa, softly crooning to little George as he wailed away. His cries couldn’t be calmed, however, and the new parents exchanged worried glances, stumped on what to do.Whether it was just my nature as a mother or some feminine instinct, I unconsciously walked closer to the couple and their child, observing poor George. Looking past the tears, I could easily see how much he looked lik
Caroline’s POV:I had to restrain myself from bursting into the police station. Approaching the front desk with a fervor, I demanded to see my father, Thomas West. The woman jumped in surprise at my sudden appearance and gave a quick “follow me”, before taking me to the back to talk with a couple of officers currently on my father’s case.“Take a seat,” instructed an officer, stiffly pointing to a chair in the corner of the room. They kindly waited until I was comfortable before the other officer began.“We have evidence that someone had tampered with your father’s laptop,” he announced, his expression nothing but stoic. “That laptop is greatly connected to your father’s case, one that we’ve been investigating him for for quite a while now.”Tears pricked my vision as the revelation. “So, you’re saying my father is innocent?”The two officers shared a careful glance before one replied sternly. “‘Might’ is the key word here, Caroline. There’s a lot we can’t tell you right now, but we
William’s POV:Seeing Caroline with another man at her side had shocked me to my core. It had been so long since I saw Caroline shine that same smile on me, and yet she showed it to this other man so easily. Why? What was this man doing that I couldn’t provide?She was flirting with him, wasn’t she? Rage coursed through my veins at the realization. Her behavior was nothing short of promiscuous, and at my own mother’s birthday party no less. My own wife was cheating on me in public and flaunting it shamelessly!My willingness to stand by snapped the moment I saw Caroline’s new lover put a hand on her. This man, who I now knew was Martin, would need to be taught a lesson. It would also serve as a reminder to Caroline on just who the hell her husband was.I seized Martin by the wrist without hesitation. His eyes sparked with indignance and he wrenched his wrist from my grasp with a firm “Get your hand off of me.” Tension was thick in the air, and Caroline’s attempt at diffusing the situ
William’s POV:The day I grew to hate Thomas West was the same day I started dating Caroline. Roughly two years prior to our divorce, I was on my way to meet Sophia at a coffee shop we both frequented. It was a pleasure we partook in weekly after we became friends. We tended to talk about a variety of things, whether it be our day, things going on with our families, or hobbies we enjoyed, like photography.Sophia was a skilled photographer, something she demonstrated for me often. Her talent was what had gotten us acquainted in the first place, in fact. Photography had been a rather large passion of mine when I was younger, but I had to quit my dream of going professional after I had to take over the family business. Sophia had reignited my passion for the craft, and we discussed it often overI had been single at the time, but if I were to ever take someone as my girlfriend, Sophia would have been a perfect match for me. What I felt for Sophia was not love, however. We were just fri