Justice Served By My True Love

d-giggle, stiffened, her smile freezing on her face like a poorly preserved photograph. The murmurs in the room

squeaked, the sound almos

tive was what they'd all constructed, a convenient box to put me in. The idea of marriage was so far outside their perceptio

agination!" She pulled away from Ethan, stepping towards me with a patronizing pity in her eyes. "Let's not make things awkward, darling. It's

he harsh overhead lights. It felt heavy, poisoned. I gently pushed her

y? Just because Ethan became a success and moved on from his... humble beginnings?" She put a hand on her hip, adopting a posture of injured innocence. "I know you

nstead yanked me back to a past I

shb

ir thick with the smell of stale coffee and ambition. Ethan, then a wide-eyed, relentless

, "this is it. This is the idea that changes everything. But I ne

is pitches, cold-called investors relentlessly. I worked eighteen-hour days, fueled by cheap ramen and the intoxicating belief in us. He was the front man, I was th

e was finally compiling, and say, "I couldn't do any of th

he crushing weight of endless tasks. He'd occasionally buy me a cheap necklace, a simpl

et weapon. My partner for life." He swore secrecy was for our protection, to avoid corporate espionage, to keep our

, even when he was busy. He'd bring me coffee in the morning, remember my favorite obscure indie bands, tell me I was the most beautiful w

grew, and so did his demands. He wanted me to step back, to manage operations from the shadows. "Your talent

was bright, ambitious, eager to please. I saw a spark in her, a hunger I recognized. I helped pol

saw the way he looked at her, the way he laughed at her jokes, the way his hand would linger on her arm. I saw th

company image. You're being paranoid. Are you jealous? Don't forget what I can do if you pu

f their "power couple" status. I was still his wife, locked away in our opulent

Flas

s achieved so much since then. He's a completely different man." She beamed at him, then retur

A father. That was the final, devastating trut

licker of apprehension. I poured the entire contents, slowly and deliberately, into his own half-full glass. The champagne frothed, mix

eyes still locked on Ethan's. "Perhaps you should teach your fiancée

lenched, his eyes blazing with fury. He grabbed Jenna's arm, pu

if she were a helpless lamb caught in the crossfire. "E

s, my very identity for you. Difficult was being your secret wife while you paraded this... trophy around." My gaze swept over Jenna, who visibly recoiled. "And difficult," I hissed, leaning in

rifying mix of shock and pure, unadulterated panic. Jenna' s hand flew to her stomach, her fake smile c

no words came out. He looked between J

king about?" Jenna whisp

d Jenna protectively closer. "She's just trying to cause trouble, Jenna. Don't listen to her.

l the years of pain, the invasive procedures, t

oom began to spin, the faces blurring into an indistinct mass of judgment

bout the looks, the whispers, the absolute wreckage I was leaving behind. I just needed