5

I stood there for a long second, staring at Bella, her words hung between us heavily, twisting the knife of betrayal even deeper into my chest.

Everything we had built, every promise, every late night where I chose her over and over, all felt like it was crumbling right in front of me.

“Fine,” I said coldly, my voice low and drained of any warmth. “Stay here then. Keep letting him paw at you if that’s what makes you feel wanted tonight. I’m done chasing after you like some desperate fool while you throw our marriage away in a filthy bar on our anniversary. Go ahead and drown yourself in whatever makes you forget me.”

I turned on my heel and walked away without another glance, shoving through the drunk crowd as her slurred voice called desperately after me.

“Luke! Wait—please, I didn’t mean it like that! Come back, we can talk!” But I didn’t stop. The betrayal burned too raw, too fresh. I walked out of the bar into the cool night air, got into my car, and drove straight back to Serena’s place instead of the empty mansion.

My mind was a complete storm—rage, hurt, confusion, and a deep, aching emptiness all crashing together at once.

I unlocked the door and walked straight to Serena’s room, She was still awake when I let myself in, her twisted ankle propped up on pillows.

She took one look at my wrecked face and opened her arms wide. “Luke? Oh god, what happened? You look heartbroken baby. Come here, what’s wrong, tell me everything.”

I collapsed onto the bed beside her, letting her pull me into her warm embrace. Her fingers gently ran through my hair as the whole story poured out of me—the silent, empty house, the panic, the bar, finding Bella tangled with that stranger, the vicious fight, and how I’d just walked away and left her there.

Serena listened patiently, never interrupting me for once, her touch soft and comforting like always.

“Luke, I’m so, so sorry,” she whispered, her voice full of genuine sympathy as she held me tighter.

“You rushed home for her after everything with me, you lied for her sake, and this is how she repays you? By humiliating you in public like that? After all the times you’ve put her first? You deserve so much better than someone who runs to a bar and throws herself at the first man who shows her attention. I’m here for you, always. You don’t have to carry this alone.”

“Maybe I was never enough for her or she deserved someone better than me, I don’t know but how could she do this to me?”

“I’ve always known she’s not the one woman you deserved.” She said.

She comforted me for hours—soft words, her body pressed comfortingly against mine, reminding me I wasn’t abandoned.

I held onto her tightly, grateful for the warmth and loyalty, but no matter how much she soothed me, I couldn’t get Bella out of my head. The memories we spent together, our wedding day, how lucky I feel every time for her being my wife.

The image of her kissing that guy, her body arched into his like she craved it, kept flashing behind my eyes on repeat. Even as Serena kissed my forehead and whispered that she’d always choose me, the hollow anger in my chest refused to fade. Bella. My wife. How the hell could she do that to us? A tear dropped from my eyes, she really broke my heart.

***

(Bella’s POV)

The next morning my head throbbed viciously, like someone was drilling straight into my skull. I woke up alone in our big, cold mansion, still in the torn dress from last night, the bitter taste of alcohol and regret coating my tongue.

Luke’s harsh words from the bar echoed relentlessly—“wrapped around some random prick like a cheap whore.” I curled into a tight ball on the bed, hot tears burning my eyes as I replayed how he’d just turned and walked away, leaving me there. He’d actually abandoned me in that place.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. Unknown number. I almost let it ring, but some desperate part of me answered.

“Hello?”

“Bella? It’s Serena.” Her voice was calm, almost sweetly pitying, which immediately set my teeth on edge.

I sat up fast, anger cutting through the hangover haze. “Serena? What the fuck do you want? Haven’t you ruined enough already by keeping Luke away from me on our anniversary?”

She sighed softly, like she was the reasonable one. “I know you’re hurting and upset right now, Bella, but I need to be honest with you about something important. That video I sent you anonymously last night, the one showing Luke and me kissing, it wasn’t real. We never shared a moment like that even while he was here helping me with my ankle and inhaler issues. But I sent it to test you, to see how you’d react under pressure when you thought he was choosing me over you.” She laughed.

“I wanted to know if you truly trusted your marriage or if you’d crumble at the first sign of trouble. And you did exactly that. You ran straight to a bar, got drunk, and let some random man touch and kiss you. You failed, Bella, woefully.”

My stomach plummeted like a stone. “You…you made a kissing video of you and my husband? Then sent it to me on purpose? That’s psychotic, Serena! Manipulative and cruel! Why would you do something like that to our marriage?”

“To protect him,” she replied smoothly, without a trace of guilt.

“Who asked you to do that? Who? Don’t you have any human feelings in you?” I said angrily.

“Luke’s been torn between us for so long, always feeling guilty no matter who he helps. I needed to see if you’d stand by him or prove that you’re just as unreliable as he fears. Clearly, you’re not the supportive wife he needs. He came straight back here after the bar, completely shattered by what he saw you doing. I comforted him all night while you were probably still drinking. He’s not coming home much anymore, Bella. You should prepare yourself for that. He’s tired of the constant drama and the feeling that he always has to choose.” She said in reply, sounding less concerned.

I couldn’t breathe. There was never a real kiss between them? the manipulation made my skin crawl. She hung up before I could fire back any more accusations.

Days started to blur together after that phone call. I waited for Luke every single night like a fool, even the job interview, I ditched it. I kept the house spotless, set the dinner table beautifully the way I had on our anniversary, wore his favorite perfume, and left lights on for him.

But he stopped coming home regularly. Some nights I’d hear the front door click open very late, his heavy footsteps echoing through the hallway, but he’d head straight to the guest room or slip out again before sunrise.

One night he actually came into our bedroom. My heart leaped with desperate hope as I sat up quickly.

“Luke… please, can we talk? Serena called me. She admitted she sent a video of you two kissing as some twisted test. It was all manipulation which was never supposed to be done because me and you know that I’d always stand by you no matter what.”

“And you couldn’t confront me when you watched the video?” He muttered coldly.

“I was really hurt, I thought I lost you.”

He barely glanced at me, his eyes cold and exhausted as he changed his clothes in silence.

“Luke, wait. Stay tonight, please let’s talk it out. And I made breakfast plans for tomorrow morning, I can warm something up right now if you’re even a little hungry. We haven’t eaten together in days.”

“I’m not hungry,” he muttered flatly, not even pausing as he grabbed his jacket. “Don’t wait up for me anymore. It’s a waste of time.”

My chest tightened painfully, he just called eating together a waste of time.

The door clicked shut behind him. I sat there in the empty bed, staring at the wall as silent tears slid down my cheeks.

He was slipping away completely, drifting back to Serena. And no matter how long I kept waiting, it felt like our marriage was already over.