GRAY'S POV
I stared at the news, my eyes glued to the screen as the images replayed over and over. "What is this?" I whispered, barely able to contain my anger. My grip on the TV remote tightened until my knuckles turned white. Sylvia, my own wife, was there on the screen, entangled with another man. The betrayal hit me like a punch to the gut.
"Why would she do this to me now, after all the time we have spent growing closer? Look at her, fooling herself with another man, my own wife Sylvia. To think I might actually have started to fall in love with—" I cut myself off, realizing too late that I was speaking my thoughts aloud.
"I knew it, that Sylvia was up to no good," Jocelia said as she entered the room, her voice dripping with vindication. "She was only here for your money. You need to chase her out, divorce her for embarrassing you and your family." She stepped closer, laying her hands on my chest in a bid to console me.
Before I could respond, my phone rang, dragging my thoughts back to the present. "Who is it?" Jocelia asked, her voice edged with impatience.
"It's an unknown number," I replied, picking it up reluctantly. I had a feeling it wouldn't be good news.
"Hello, I'm calling from Juicy Gossip to confirm if this video on the internet about your wife's infidelity is true," a voice on the line said.
The blood pounded in my ears, and I saw red. "Ahhhh, don't call my phone again!" I screamed, throwing the phone to the floor with all my might. It shattered, pieces scattering across the room.
"Gray, calm down," Jocelia said, stepping closer. She placed a hand on my shoulder, trying to ground me.
I shook her off, pacing the room. "How could she do this? We were doing so well. We were happy. Or at least, I thought we were."
Jocelia came close to Gray again. "I am here, I will never break your heart or your promise, take her off your mind, she doesn't deserve you Gray, she's not worth your love".
I pulled away from Jocelia my mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. I couldn't believe that Sylvia, the woman I had given my heart to, could betray me like this. I had let my guard down, allowed myself to feel something real for her. And now this.
SLYVIA'S POV
"Ahh, yes! Oh my God, it's finally happening! Gray will be so happy," I murmured, my excitement bubbling over. Memories of our wedding day flashed through my mind. Gray wouldn’t even look at me back then, let alone speak to me. But now, after years of marriage, it feels like we were meant to be after all. I realized I was sheepishly giggling out loud when I noticed the cab driver glancing at me through the rearview mirror, a smile playing on his lips.
"I’m sorry, was I shouting?" I asked, embarrassed.
"No worry, Mrs. I am very happy for you. Your husband is a lucky man," he responded kindly.
"Thank you," I said, my face warming. "It's just that I just got confirmation news of my pregnancy, and I wanted to surprise my husband. He'll be so happy."
As I leaned back into the seat, basking in the joy of the moment, a female voice on the radio caught my attention.
"We have exclusive news of the video circulating online of none other than the wife of Mr. Gray Lockwood in bed with another man," the reporter announced.
"Can you please turn that up?" I asked the cab driver, my stomach tightening with sudden dread.
"It is rumored that the man in the blurred video is Mr. Lockwood's stepbrother. And everyone, get this, Mrs. Sylvia Lockwood was a stripper before she got married to Mr. Gray, and their whole marriage was just on paper as Mr. Gray Lockwood only agreed to marry Sylvia due to the wishes of his grandfather... Stay tuned with us for more exclusives on this story," the reporter continued.
"What? William and I are just friends. I haven’t even been to his house," I said aloud, my voice breaking. "I only became friends with him when Gray wasn’t talking to me after we first got married. What is happening?" Tears threatened to spill as the car pulled up to the Lockwood mansion. I quickly paid the cab driver and rushed inside, heart pounding with anxiety.
As I stepped into the house, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Jocelia stood nearby, a triumphant smirk on her face, dragging my bags and luggage out.
"You slept with her! You slept with my wife, William!" Gray’s shout echoed through the hallway, each word a dagger to my heart.
"Yes, it's us in the video. I didn’t want it; it was her. She persuaded me to sleep with her. I’m sorry, Gray," William confessed, his voice wavering.
My world came crashing down. "What was happening? What’s all this?" I managed to say, feeling the ground shift beneath my feet.
Jocelia stepped forward, her face a mask of disdain. "I don't know what Gray's grandfather, Maxwell—God bless his soul—was thinking when he made Gray marry a whore like you. Clearly, a tiger doesn't change its stripes," she said, her tone icy.
"What?" was all I could muster, my voice a fragile whisper. I looked around, desperate for some semblance of understanding, but all I found was Gray, his eyes filled with a rage I had never seen before.
"Believe me, Gray, I didn’t do any of this," I pleaded, grabbing Gray’s hands. "You have to believe me."
Jocelia smirked softly. "Pathetic," she said, enjoying every moment of my downfall. "Get out of our lives, Sylvia. You’re nothing but trouble."
I turned to Gray, my last hope. "Gray, please," I pleaded. "Give me a chance to prove my innocence. We can figure this out together."
"You dirty little slut, you seduced William to sleep with you, didn’t you? I wouldn’t be surprised if you drugged him to do it. Gray should have never married you." Jecolia, spat once more as she approached me with a triumphant smirk. I wouldn't be surprise if she was the one that orchestrated all this after she had spent the last few years trying to drive a wedge between Gray and me, and now it seemed she had finally succeeded. That bitch thinks because she and Gray were childhood sweetheart I should be gone so she can have h again.
"Believe me, Gray, I didn’t do any of this," I pleaded, grabbing Gray's hands, desperate for him to see the truth. But he shoved my hands away, his touch as cold as ice.
"Enough!" he shouted, thrusting a document into my hands. I looked down to see the word "Divorce" printed at the top. My vision blurred as tears welled up, and I struggled to comprehend the magnitude of what was happening.
SLYVIA'S POVI felt my hands shaking as I stared at the papers Gray had just handed me. Divorce papers. My heart sank as the weight of his actions crashed down on me. "Why would you give me this, after... after everything?" I managed to ask, my voice trembling with a mixture of hurt and disbelief and tears streaming down my cheeks.But before Gray could respond, Jocelia came striding towards me, her presence like a storm brewing. She pointed an accusatory finger at me, her words cutting through the silence like knives. "We don't need you here. We don't want you. A stripper like you has no place in this house. Now go away like the vermin you are."I flinched at her words, feeling the sting of her hatred sear through me. It was as if all the years of resentment she had harbored towards me were finally boiling over, unleashed in a torrent of venomous words.And then Alice joined in, her voice dripping with feign disgust as she accused me of the unthinkable. "I know you drugged my boy to
SLYVIA'S POV "And this is why we need to expand," I said, concluding the meeting with my team. "So remember, everyone, I will only be gone for a few days. I trust you can handle the clients until I return with more partners for the expansion of the company." It's been six years. I didn't know how, but I did it. I took the money from the scholarship fund Maxwell had set up for me, finished my education, and started a real estate company focused on affordable housing. Now, we were successful, and with this new initiative, I could reduce homelessness by 30%. It was a dream coming to fruition, and I was proud of what we had achieved. As I walked to my office after the meeting, my assistant, Lisa, approached me with a concerned look on her face. "Ma'am, the babysitter canceled. Something about a family emergency," she said. I sighed, feeling a twinge of frustration, but quickly shifted gears. "You know what, book a flight for the kids too. They’re on holiday anyway, and I don’t have
SLYVIA'S POV I flew back to Houston in a bid to get away from Gray, the event of last time was still playing over and over again in my head and I don't even know how to approach it, that very morning, my phone buzzed with a call from my assistant, Lisa. "Good morning, Ma'am," she said, her voice bright and chipper. "Morning, Lisa," I replied, still feeling the weight of yesterday's encounter with Gray. "What's up?" "Great news! We’ve secured a potential partner for our expansion project. They’re very interested in your proposal and want to meet you in the office at 10 AM." I frowned, confused. "I didn’t get a chance to speak to anyone last night. Are you sure about this?" "Yes, absolutely. They reached out to us. It’s all set," Lisa confirmed. "Alright, I’ll be there," I said, ending the call. My mind was racing. Who could it be? And how did they find out about my proposal? I spent the rest of the morning trying to keep my mind off the upcoming meeting. The kids were my u
SLYVIA'S POVI was jolted awake by the gentle tapping on my shoulder. "Hey, hey, wake up," Gray's voice whispered."Yeah?" I mumbled, my eyes barely open, still heavy with sleep."I brought food. You have to eat," he said softly."That was nice of him," I thought as I glanced over at Zendaya, who was sprawled across the hospital chair, sound asleep. I leaned over and gently tapped her. "Hey honey, wake up and have some dinner.""Uh, mummy?" Zendaya mumbled, stirring slowly.I couldn’t help but smile at her cuteness. "Come on, Gray brought McDonald's. You like them, right?" I said, watching her face light up at the mention of McDonald's.She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and nodded eagerly. "Yes, mummy, I like McDonald's."Gray handed over the food and a soft smile formed on his face as he watched Zendaya dig into her meal. I looked at him, feeling grateful by his mere presence, "Thank you, Gray. For everything." I said inwardly as my pride would not let me voice allow me voice it out. Th
SLYVIA'S POVI woke up to the chirping of the morning birds outside the hospital window. I looked over to see Grayson sleeping in the hospital chair. I carefully placed Zendaya back on the bed so as not to wake her. Grayson groaned, stretched his arms, and gave a little yawn."Morning," I said to him softly."Morning... how's Zendaya?" he asked, glancing at her as she slept."She's fine... Grayson, um, thanks for being here," I said, as my pride finally paved way for me to express my genuine gratitude in spite of everything."You don’t have to thank me," he replied, his eyes sincere."Look, I really want to be a part of yours. I want us back together," he began, his voice earnest."Oh god, Grayson, not this," I sighed, already feeling the weight of the conversation."Wait, wait. I am willing to look past what you did years back" he said, and his words hit me like a nail.Did he still think I slept with William? Did he still believe that lie? Suddenly, the affection I had recently sta
"Mom?" I heard Zenith say in a whisper as he woke up."Oh, I am here, baby," I said, moving closer to his bedside. Zendaya followed me, and we both sat on the hospital bed with him. I held his small hand gently, careful not to disturb the cast. "You're okay, baby. The doctor said you're ready to go.""You were sleeping for almost the whole day," Zendaya chimed in, her eyes wide with the amazement only a child could muster."No, I wasn't. You're lying," Zenith retorted, his voice stronger than I expected.I couldn't help but chuckle at their exchange. It was comforting to see Zenith's personality shining through even after everything he'd been through. It was a small sign that things were returning to normal, or as normal as they could be in a hospital room.I turned to look at the doctor who was standing nearby. "Where's the paperwork? I'd like to get everything settled so we can leave.""Of course, Miss Hanson," he responded with a professional nod. "I'll get the discharge papers rea
GRAYSON POVI got back on my private jet and made my way back to New York. The thoughts of Sylvia lingered in my mind, and as much as I tried, I couldn't shake it off. Every detail of our recent interactions played over and over, and I found myself questioning everything I had said and done. “Was I doing too much? Could she see desperation written boldly on my face? Has she caught on to the fact that ever since she left I longed to see her again?” These unanswered questions welled up in my all day long. As soon as we landed, my driver, Paul, was there to pick me up. He took my luggage and opened the car door for me."Hi, Paul," I said, trying to sound casual."Good morning, sir," he responded, his tone professional as always.I settled into the back seat of the car, watching as Paul loaded my bags into the trunk. The familiar surroundings of New York felt strangely different, almost foreign, after the intense encounter I had just experienced in Los Angeles. As we drove through the
GRAYSON POV"Sylvia? As in Sylvia Hanson, your ex-wife?" Jocelia was the first to react, her voice tinged with disbelief."Yes, the very Sylvia you all know," I confirmed, keeping my tone steady.Alice let out a mocking chuckle. "What do you mean she's your partner? That stripper couldn't possibly own a company," she said with a sneer.I felt my temper rise but kept it in check. "She does, and I would appreciate it if you didn't speak about her that way again," I warned, locking eyes with Alice.She looked taken aback, her smile fading. "She will be moving here to help progress the partnership," I continued."Oh god," William groaned, his face contorting with distaste."I’m telling you this to prepare you," I said, ignoring his reaction. "You’re all going to be seeing her often, so you’d better act cool and professional."Their protests began almost immediately, a chorus of disbelief and frustration. But I didn’t wait to hear them. I turned and left the study, heading straight for my