Thalia's POV
I stood outside the penthouse door, my keycard trembling between my fingers.
There was a gnawing feeling deep inside me, twisting and tightening, it was nauseating which was why I left the charity gala early and I only hope the feeling was good news for Brandon and I
My husband, Brandon wasn't feeling well so he couldn't attend the gala with me, an unfamiliar silence enveloped, the minute I entered the house, no hum of activity, no vacuum running, and no dishes clinking. Just absolute silence, I know Brandon is resting but something just felt off.
Shaking off the unease I headed toward the kitchen and poured myself a cup of water, it should calm my nerves before I speak to Brandon so we could take a test together.
Then I heard it. Muffled voices, a soft moan, sounds I shouldn't be hearing in my home of all places.
I slowly ascended the staircase, the silk of my evening gown brushing against my skin.
The sounds became clearer with each step.
Intimate. Familiar. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest.
I pushed the door open. There they were.
My best friend, draped in nothing but my sheets, sprawled across my marital bed, lips locked with the man I promised my life to—
Brandon
"Thalia?" Bradon's voice echoed through the room and he shot up,
but there was no remorse in his eyes.
No shock. No regret. Only... annoyance. I stood there, my mind simply refused to process what I was seeing.
My husband. My best friend.
Betrayal wasn't supposed to feel this way, like I'd stepped into some batshit crazy dream I couldn't wake up from.
"You... you said you were going to the after-party" Brandon muttered, casually pulling on a discarded shirt, his face still bearing the same look, of annoyance... like he hadn't just been caught cheating on me "Why the hell are you back so soon?"
I opened my mouth but no words came out.
My mind was blank, I was struggling to piece together a logical thought, How? Why? Them?
Brandon's frustration grew as I stood there in silence.
"Thalia, say something," he growled. "It's not what you think."
Not what I think? A bitter laugh escaped my throat, and when I finally spoke, my voice trembled
"Not what I think? You're screwing my best friend Brandon, What am I supposed to think?"
My best friend— former best friend now wrapped herself awkwardly in the blanket, indifference plastered on her face. "Thalia... I just..."
"I don't want to hear it," I spat, the words sharper than now, my blood boiled beneath my skin
I turned my attention to Brandon my voice barely controlled.
"How long?"
Brandon sighed, as if this whole thing was a nuisance, as if I was a nuisance. He ran a hand through his hair completely frustrated
"It doesn't matter, This wasn't working anymore. We both know that Thalia!"
Know what? I blinked each word feeling like a punch to the gut. I squared my shoulders this wasn't the time to break in front of them, they'd seen plenty of that
"Know what? To know that you've been sneaking around with her?
That this doesn't matter? We talked about kids last week for god's sake!!!"
He didn't flinch. Didn't even care. Instead, he reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out a brown envelope"I'm done, Thalia," he said, handing me the envelope. "Here are the divorce papers. It's over."
I stared at the envelope, my hands numb. Divorce papers, The words sounded foreign, like they couldn't possibly be meant for me.
"You're leaving me?"
Brandon's face twisted into a smug smile.
"Consider yourself lucky.
You'll still have a small portion of your family's fortune"
My stomach lurched at Fortune.
That's all this ever was to him. That's all I ever was to him, a wave of nausea hit me again and the bitter reality of his betrayal crushed me harder than I thought possible, three years down the drain...
"Brandon please, don't do this?" I whispered, my voice barely audible, fighting the dizziness that threatened to take me.
Brandon’s smile widened, cold and calculating.
"I bet you wish we would've had a prenup huh? You really should've read the fine print, sweetheart"
"You were always so foolish Thalia" Bella said now wearing an oversized shirt
"I even attempted to warn you but did you listen? No!!"
"Brandon could do no wrong, he loves me" Brandon said in a mocking tone
I fisted the papers in my hands and swallowed my tears
"Now look where it got you, no one could stand you, even your parents died and left you" Bella said verbally stabbing me with a dagger
"I wonder how you didn't see the signs, you were so blinded by my love that your senses left you" Brandon added
"How typical of an orphan like you to give in to the first person who has ever shown you love, or at least pretended to" Bella said once again and I stood there my tears threatening to spill but I didn't let that happen
"Sign the papers and get out of my house! Now Thalia! It's over!" Brandon yelled
"No need to pack anything, you own nothing in this house, as for your clothes, they will be sent to you" Bella hissed twirling her hair around her fingers.
"Brandon I could be pregnant" I whispered as my lips trembled
"That's not possible Thalia!, I had a vasectomy done six months after our wedding" He growled
"There's nothing you can do now Thalia, you are out of tricks, just sign them and get out! Only I will bear Brandon's children!"
I was going to yell at them but I couldn't, I was done with them
I can't fight them over this anymore so I did the only logical thing my mind told me to do, I signed the papers.
"Pen?" I said to Brandon, Bella quickly tossed a pen to me
"Finally Brandon!" She squealed jumping into his arms and he snaked his hands around her waist
My heart broke further as I watched their interaction.
I threw the pen and paper at them and ran out of the room, not stopping till I reached my car and drove off.
Two days later, I was a sobbing mess, not only did Brandon take sixty percent of my fortune but he has fifty percent of the company shares.Call after call, text after text, headline after headline I couldn't respond to any of them I found a motel outside of town and hid there.My world, my marriage, my family's fortune—it was all gone. I had nothing left, not even my pride. The betrayal stung at me like a decayed wound. The memory of that evening replaying in my head on an endless loop. My phone buzzed on the table, shattering my almost comfortable quiet. I hadn't answered any calls since that day, so I decided to answer this one, enough of sulking around.I reached for my phone but didn't recognize the number I still answered anyway. "It's Thalia speaking" I said, though my voice sounded distant and extremely croaky even to me. "Thalia Asplundh" The voice on the other end was calm, careful, and unsettlingly familiar. I sat up straighter recognizing the voice, and tension rippled
MARRY ME The words echoed in my mind I blinked "Excuse me?" "Marry me," he repeated like this was a perfectly reasonable thing to say "You and I both know how this world works, Thalia. Power is everything. You want your legacy back. I want to secure mine. Together, we can rebuild what was taken from you and strengthen my position"I stared at him He couldn't be serious. "You want me to marry you" I said slowly as if saying it that way would make the absurdity of it clear to him He didn't flinch "That's right" I crossed my arms, my face formed a scowl "You think I'd agree to that?" He tilted his head, that damn smile never leaving his face "Why not? You'll regain control of your family's wealth, I'll have a partner who understands, You've been left with almost nothing, Thalia, half of your company shares are already gone and as much as you hate to admit it, you can't fight this battle alone" I clenched my fists "I can fight just fine without you" "Really?" His voice dropped,
After I left the cemetery, I drove back to the dingy motel I'd been staying at, the sadness of the day clinging to me like a second layer of skin. The unexpected meeting with Brandon and Bella still burned holes in my heart and mind. I needed to check on the company though. I forced myself to head into town the next morning. Walking through the office doors, I was met with a disheartening sight. The once-thriving company now seemed like a shell of its former self. Brandon had already started implementing his changes, marking everywhere with his disgusting self, dismantling everything my family and I had worked for. I felt a bit relieved when my secretary handed me a memo about the new marketing strategy that Alexander Croft had just launched. On a normal day this would be disastrous for my company but what Brandon was going to do would have left me with no choice but to sell my shares, and Croft knew that and stopped it. He was already stepping in where I least expected. Feeling
"Excellent Choice ma'am" the one beside them said then I returned the ring to them with a smile and they picked up the boxes and left the room. Alexander smirked, clearly pleased with my choice too, but before he could respond his eyes landed on my hand the one with a wedding ring still adorning it, the one from my ex-husband.His playful expression faded for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly "Planning on taking that off anytime soon?" Tension coiled inside me as I glanced at the ring on my hand, beautiful memories flooded my mind. Once upon a time, this ring meant everything to me."It's okay if you don't want to take it off, things like this take time" he said his voice soft noticing how I tensed but I knew there was no room for hesitation. With a deep breath, I slid the ring off my fingers trembling slightly, I placed it on the table "There'll be another one to replace it soon" I said softly forcing a small smile. "My hand won't feel naked for long"Hm" He mused, a knock