When love ends, we become strangers

Chapter 1

I was at a dinner party with my husband, David Carter, and some of his friends.

Out of the blue, his buddy, Mark, asked him in French, “So, your little side piece is two months pregnant. What’s the plan?”

David just smirked and kept piling shrimp and veggies on my plate.

Then, in French, he replied, “Lisa doesn’t want kids. I’ll have Sarah keep the baby, send her overseas to raise it. An heir, you know.”

I popped the shrimp in my mouth, tears streaming down my face.

“Lisa, what’s wrong?” David asked, all concerned.

“The dipping sauce is too spicy,” I lied, wiping my tears.

There was nothing in the dipping sauce but soy sauce. My tears were because I understood every word.

David must have forgotten I majored in French in college.

He only learned it to impress me when we were dating.

I snapped back to reality.

“Honey, what are you thinking about?” David asked, leaning against the table, watching me.

I just looked at him, then reached for the pitcher of iced tea.

“Honey, I’ll get that,” David said, snatching the pitcher before I could pour myself a glass.

Mark, sitting across from us, chuckled, “Dude, you two are sickeningly sweet. Have some mercy on a single guy, will ya?”

David shot him a look. “I’m whipped, and you know it. Deal with it.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll just eat my dinner,” Mark mumbled, but his eyes were gleaming with amusement.

I looked up at David, the usual warmth gone from my gaze.

He didn’t seem to notice.

He leaned in and kissed me. “What’s up, babe? Spaced out staring at your handsome husband?”

“Yeah, just trying to figure out if this loving husband of mine is playing games.”

David froze, a flicker of panic in his eyes.

He quickly recovered, though.

He looked at me with an intensity that felt almost suffocating. “Don’t joke like that, Lisa. I couldn’t handle you leaving me.”

I looked down and smiled, pulling my hand away from where he had it pressed against his chest.

So he remembered what I’d said.

When I agreed to marry him, my only condition was fidelity.

“If you ever cheat on me, David,” I had told him, “I won’t forgive you.”

Back then, he was so head over heels for me. He grabbed my hand and swore, “Lisa, you’re the woman I chased for a year! I would never do anything to hurt you. I swear, if I ever did, may I die alone!”

I’d always had admirers.

David was determined to win me over from the moment we met.

My first love had shattered me, and I’d been wary of relationships ever since.

But David’s persistence had won me over.

Four months ago, I discovered he was keeping a girl on the side.

My faith in true love crumbled.

I thought I’d scream and yell, but I was eerily calm.

Calmly, I stayed by his side, calmly planned my escape, calmly dealt with the heartbreak.

Finally, my visa would be arriving in a week.

I could leave David and start over.

Chapter 2

After dinner, David leaned heavily on me, drunk. “Let’s go home, honey.”

Mark trailed behind us. “Hey, David, aren’t you coming to the next party? Everyone’s waiting.”

David didn’t even turn around. “Nope. My wife needs her meds. Gotta take her home.”

Mark just tsked and gave up.

Just then, I got a text.

“Lisa Carter, wanna bet whether David goes home with you tonight, or comes out to play with me?”

I stared at my phone. David, noticing I’d stopped, looked over at me. “What’s wrong, babe?”

I quickly turned off the screen. “Nothing. Just a little harassment from your mistress.”

David frowned, reaching for my phone.

Right then, his phone rang.

It was Sarah’s ringtone.

I handed him my phone. “Still want to see it?”

He stared at me, his eyes trembling slightly.

“Honey… I’m drunk. Don’t tease me.” He nuzzled my neck.

I pushed him away. “Answer your phone, David. It’s been ringing for a while.”

He straightened up, about to tell me he’d take the call outside.

Before he could speak, I walked towards the car and our waiting driver.

David looked surprised, but the sweet voice on the other end of the phone seemed to sober him up instantly.

Through the car window, I could see the joy in his eyes as he talked, no trace of drunkenness left.

I looked away, fighting back the bitterness.

I knew he wouldn’t be coming home with me tonight.

Sure enough, after he hung up, I got another text from Sarah.

“You lose, Lisa. David cares about me and the baby now, not you.”

A tear rolled down my cheek. I quickly turned away as David opened the car door and looked in.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” he asked, his voice full of concern.

My heart ached.

I took a deep breath and looked down, hiding the hurt in my eyes. “I’m tired. Will you come home with me?”

David smiled and ruffled my hair. “I want to, honey, but I have to take care of something at work. I’ll be home soon, okay? Don’t be upset.” He cupped my face and leaned in to kiss me.

I put my finger on his lips and glanced past him at Mark, who was still standing outside. “Someone’s filming, David. Don’t be so mushy. Go on, get to work.”

I pushed him out of the car and told the driver to leave.

Two minutes later, Sarah called.

“Lisa Carter, doesn’t it disgust you to kiss David? He’s kissed every inch of my body, including…”

She let the sentence hang, her laughter malicious.

I hung up, trembling, and asked the driver to pull over.

I threw up on the side of the road.

Chapter 3

David didn’t come home that night.

I checked my phone repeatedly. No more taunting texts from Sarah.

The only explanation was that they were together.

I gave a bitter laugh, got out of bed, and gathered all the gifts David had ever given me.

Looking at the expensive jewelry and designer bags, I felt a wave of dizziness.

I used to think I was the luckiest woman in the world. If I even glanced at something I liked, David would buy it for me.

But now…

I scheduled a pickup for the following week, addressed to Sarah.

If his heart belonged to someone else, she deserved his gifts more than I did.

I was cutting up the suit I’d given David when he finally came home.

He called my name from the bedroom. I answered, but kept cutting.

He walked into the closet and nearly dropped the box of food he was carrying.

“Lisa…”

He rushed over and knelt beside me, gripping my wrist. “What are you doing?”

I looked at him.

His face was pale, his eyes wide with disbelief.

I smiled. “There are some stray cats in the garden. I’m making them a bed.”

He swallowed hard. “But, Lisa, this is the only gift you ever gave me. I never even wear it.”

I looked down and continued cutting.

I knew it was the only gift I’d given him.

That’s why I was doing it.

He watched me for a long moment. “Lisa, since you’re cutting up my gift, you have to give me a new one.”

I looked up at him, a smile playing on my lips. “Okay, David. I actually have two gifts for you.”

His eyes lit up. He pulled me into a hug. “You do? Where are they?”

A chill spread through me as I listened to his excited voice.

I didn’t pull away. I looked past him at the box of food he’d brought.

The aroma told me it was the seafood porridge I loved. Whenever he felt guilty or knew he’d upset me, he’d drive halfway across town to get it for me.

Sarah must have really pleased him tonight. Enough for him to make that drive at midnight.

I laughed softly. “You’ll see. In a week.”

He didn’t press the issue. He led me to the dining room and opened the container of porridge.

“You barely ate anything tonight, Lisa. You must be starving. Have some supper.”

I stirred the porridge with my spoon, then, as he turned to pour me some water, I “accidentally” knocked the container over.

He spun around, checking to see if I was hurt.

I watched him, my expression cold. He looked up and saw it.

He flinched and stared at me. “It’s okay, Lisa. If you want more, I’ll get it for you in the morning.”

I could feel him trembling. Before, I would have hated to see him so anxious to please me. I would have been in his arms, whispering sweet nothings.

Now, I just stood up.

“Don’t bother. My tastes have changed. I don’t like seafood porridge anymore.”

I don’t like you anymore, either.

Chapter 4

David didn’t know what was going on, but he sensed the shift in me.

He stayed glued to my side for the next two days.

Carter Corp. was still a relatively new company. I’d seen how hard David had worked to get where he was.

In the early years, he’d rarely had time for me. I’d supported him, understood his dedication.

But of course I’d wished he could be with me more.

Before, if he’d cleared his schedule to spend time with me, I would have been ecstatic.

Now, his constant presence was a headache.

Even though Sarah’s ringtone kept going off, he didn’t answer. He didn’t leave.

My departure date was looming, and I still hadn’t gotten him to sign the divorce papers. I resorted to tactics I’d always despised.

I put on a slinky silk slip dress and posed provocatively with David, snapping a series of suggestive photos.

I sent them all to Sarah.

David’s phone rang instantly.

He went to decline the call, but I stopped him, pressing the answer button.

He looked at me sharply. “Lisa…”

I met his gaze. “Answer it, David. It might be important.”

He put the call on mute, trying to speak. But I remained impassive.

“Lisa, let me just take this call. I’ll be right back,” he finally said.

I picked up a bag of chips and pretended to eat, listening intently.

I could hear Sarah crying, David soothing her.

The call finally ended. He walked back, hesitant.

“Go ahead, David. If you have work to do, don’t let me keep you.”

He let out a breath, but still clutched his phone tightly. “Lisa, please don’t be mad. The company’s still new…”

I cut him off. “I understand. Go.”

He couldn’t argue with that.

Before he left, he said, “Lisa, give me a week to sort some things out. Then I’ll take some time off, and we can finally take that trip to Asheville you’ve always wanted.”

Chapter 5

When my parents were alive, we’d spent some time in Asheville. It always felt like a second home to me.

I’d asked David many times to go back with me, but he’d always claimed he was too busy.

Yet, I’d seen photos on Sarah’s social media of her and David in Asheville, together.

And in a week, Sarah’s baby would be three months along.

The pregnancy would be stable. David would finally have time for a trip.

But I didn’t need it anymore.

I smiled sadly and nodded.

As soon as he left, Sarah texted.

“You can be as sexy as you want, Lisa. David still chose me.”

I didn’t reply.

While David was still on his way to Sarah, I contacted her myself.

“Sarah, you want to be Mrs. Carter, right? Help me out, and I’ll give you what you want.”

She was eager to cooperate.

Afraid I’d change my mind, she started sending me photos of her and David together.

I saved every one.

At 10 p.m., David stumbled home drunk.

He immediately clung to me, apologizing profusely.

I looked at the marks on his neck and, for the first time in months, I soothed him.

His eyes filled with tears. “You’re so good to me, Lisa. I’d give you the stars in the sky.”

I knew this was my chance.

I pulled out the divorce papers and coaxed him into signing.

He put down the pen and reached for the papers. “Honey… what is this?”

I quickly snatched them away. “It’s a check, silly. For those stars you promised me.”