CHAPTER ONE

Chapter one

Haley pushed the door open, and an air of loneliness greeted her. Ethan Hall, her husband, was absent. Not back from his whereabouts. The furious husband had stormed out of the apartment after a heated argument.

It had been two days, and he was still not back. And Haley could only think that the three-year marriage had come to a grinding halt.

Things had become sour after Haley discovered some nude pictures in her husband's phone. And she couldn't help but think that her husband would be nowhere other than with his mistress, Morgan Reed.

Haley moved to pour herself a glass of water. After that, she grabbed her cell phone and dialed the same digits she would be dialing for the millionth time.

As expected, it went straight to voicemail. But this time around, she decided to leave a message.

"Honey, I'm so..." She wasn't sure of how to go about the apology. The words just would not come together.

"Honey, I'm sorry for the other day. I never should have said those words. And I never should have embarrassed you in front of Morgan. Please come back home. I miss you, darling."

Her mouth popped wide open as she tossed the cellphone down. She couldn't believe the words that had just come out of her mouth. She had stumbled upon some erotic chats and nude pictures on her husband's phone, with intentions made clearly on how he wished to bang his mistress. Yet, Haley found herself tendering an apology to a man who did not deserve it.

Of all the things she had been through, Haley had never imagined that she would one day be in a position where she would have to apologize to a cheating husband. But nevertheless, she found herself hoping that by some dumb luck, he would read her voice message.

The tick sound of the clock filtered through the space as Haley lay still on the sofa. Nothing was on her mind but the man she had married. And for the first time, she found herself questioning every decision she had taken, including walking down the aisle with the love of her life.

Three years ago, Ethan barged into her life at a dinner event organized by Blue Diamond, one of the largest companies in the city. Although Haley always had eyes on him back in high school, she was skeptical about his personality. Ethan was the typical playboy. He had a reputation for swaying the ladies with his charm. Rumors had it that he dated every single lady of the cheerleading team.

But in spite of these warning signs, Haley couldn't resist his aura. Soon, calls and texts began going back and forth, and it wasn't long before they began going on dates. Before Haley could know it, she was already in love. And to make matters worse, Ethan proposed to marry her four months into the relationship. Haley accepted his proposal, but it came with serious opposition from her family, especially her father, who found Ethan's personality to be unbefitting for his 22-year-old daughter. But Haley insisted on going through with the marriage, and the father was left with no choice but to cut her off from his family's empire. A lesson for her disobedience.

But Haley didn't care about wealth. Love was more important than money. Besides, she had little savings from her freelance fashion designing job. So the marriage happened, and to prevent her parents' interference, Haley suggested they move to a different city to start a new life. But her father kept his convictions that Ethan was a bad fit for his daughter.

Haley continued to ponder, her father's words a continuous echo in her mind. "He is untrustworthy and a liar. Such men are likely to cheat on their wives," her father had said. And the words had become a reality - a sad reality she now had to deal with.

Haley was already asleep when the door pushed open. The sleep gave way to Ethan's stomping feet across the room.

"I'm tired of having a bug in my life. Here, take this," Ethan smashed some papers on the table, "sign them, and let's be done with this marriage once and for all." He zoomed past her to his bedroom.

Haley picked up the papers, one after the other, giving them a look of scrutiny. This was it. Her husband was fed up and would have no more of her. Their marriage of three years was about to go down the drain, unless she did something. Her husband had signed the papers, and it was now her turn. But Haley was not about to throw away all she had worked so hard to build.

She moved to the bedroom, where she met a furious man. The unhappy husband wanted to rid himself of her.

"Ethan, can we talk about this?"

"No, Haley. There's absolutely nothing to talk about. You made it clear the moment you saw

Morgan. Did you have to say all that? Did you have to embarrass me in her presence?"

Haley now found it difficult to swallow her saliva. She had been keeping close tabs on Morgan, the girl from high school, the bitch who was hell-bent on tearing her marriage apart. Haley never ceased to notice the lustful looks Morgan gave her husband, and she had caught their arms roaming on each other when Morgan came visiting the other day. And the jealous Haley had also not failed to give Morgan a piece of her mind. The two ladies almost resulted in a fist fight after a heated argument. But Haley won the battle after saying that Morgan was a plague who only caused destruction with whomever she was associated with. And that Ethan was almost kicked out of high school trying to protect her. Haley also warned that Morgan should stay away from Ethan and never step foot in their home. But the whole thing had not gone down well with the furious man before her.

"Ethan, I was only trying to protect our marriage," she said calmly.

"Of course, you are. You always feel insecure in our marriage. How many times do I have to tell you that Morgan and I are just friends? Huh! Answer me?"

Haley maintained her mute status, swallowing every saliva with difficulty. Ethan could deny and say that Morgan was just a friend. But Haley knew better. The lustful look Morgan gave her husband said it all.

"No, you won't. All you do is bug me like a child. And you didn't even stop there. The insecure Haley also had to go through my cellphone," Ethan added with a smirk on his face.

"And what's wrong with that?"

"Oh my God, Haley. You don't just get it, do you? You see, Haley, that's the problem. You see nothing wrong with it. And that's because you only think about yourself. Just sign the divorce papers and let's be done with it."

Ethan had never brought up the issue of divorce. Yes, their marriage wasn't the perfect one, but they still got by. The divorce was strange and out of the blue. And seeing that her husband was serious about it, Haley moved and dropped to her knees.

"Please, Ethan, don't do this. I love you. I said everything out of love," she pleaded. Her eyes now filled with tears.

Ethan shoved his knees away from her arms. Haley fell face down to the floor. In no time, she picked herself up and resumed the pleading, promising never to bug his life.

"Please, Ethan. I'm sorry."

"Enough, Haley. Don't you get it? It's over between us. We are done. I don't love you. I never have."

Haley broke down in tears upon hearing those words. He never loved her? Was it all a lie? Haley couldn't but contemplate the words. She couldn't believe her ears. But she had heard correctly. Their eyes met for a long time, with so many questions going back and forth. The tears now rolled down her cheeks freely.

"Was it all a lie?" Haley cried. She thought she at least deserved to know the truth. Did he ever love her?

"Did you ever love me?" Haley asked.

Ethan combed his hair, clearly contemplating how best to answer the questions.

"It doesn't matter. We've reached our crossroads. This marriage can no longer work. Just sign the divorce papers. And you can keep the house since you paid most of the money.”

Haley knew there was no way out of this one. Something in her gut told her that Morgan was behind it. She had poisoned his mind. She picked up the papers and scribbled her signature.

"You can keep the house. I won't be needing it anymore." Haley tossed the signed papers onto the table.

She moved to the bedroom, where she emptied her closet into two bags. She returned downstairs, where she met Ethan, sitting alone. On his arm was a glass of whiskey. With both bags on her arms, Haley walked swiftly across the sitting area. Ethan cleared his throat several times, but she wouldn't turn.

"I will make sure you get the alimony soonest."

"What? What alimony?"

Ethan was even more confused that she had not bothered to read the terms of their divorce. She seemed not to care about money or the house.

"The divorce alimony. It's part of the divorce settlement. And the house."

Haley chuckled at the revelation. Of course, she was aware of the divorce proceedings.

"How much is it?"

"Five million dollars. And you get to keep the house." Ethan smiled.

A generous offer indeed.

“No. You keep your money. And the house. I don't need them.”

Ethan became stunned. His wife had gone crazy. She just said she didn't want the money…and the house.

"How are you going to survive?"

"Now you seem to care."

"Of course I do. You are my—" Ethan held himself from completing the sentence.

Haley chuckled. "I thought so."

The whole thing had suddenly turned into a game for her.

"You just take care of yourself. And don't worry about me. I will be fine."

In truth, Haley didn't need the money. She considered it demeaning that Ethan thought that money could take away her pain. But no. Money wasn't her problem. She was the daughter of Richard Wilson, owner of Wilson Group, the largest Asset Management Company in Brooklyn city. And she would do just fine.

She turned to leave.

"And Haley! What happened between me and Morgan back in high school was personal. And you have no right to refer to it."

"And I'm sorry for that. You take care of yourself." Haley feigned a smile.

Again, Ethan found her apology to be weird. Haley had suddenly become a different person after signing the papers. Was there something he didn't know? Again, he could not but ponder the current situation of things.

With that, Haley moved to the door. But the most unlikely person appeared when the door opened.

Morgan.

What the hell was she doing here?