Chapter 6
After that day, I found a job at an art gallery. The paintings there needed regular maintenance, and my job was to inspect all of them periodically.
Nathan knew I started working, but he didn’t say much. He just faithfully drove me to and from work, rain or shine.
It kind of felt like we were newlyweds.
After Winnie and Jesse went public with their relationship, Winnie always updated her social media, posting two or three updates a day, all about Jesse.
Jesse took her to the Maldives, which was originally the destination I’d chosen for our honeymoon.
They kissed on the beach, watched both the sunrise and sunset together, chased whales, and made lifetime promises to each other along the coastline.
I sat on my bed, scrolling through their happy photos one after another, until Nathan suddenly took my phone from me.
“Do you want to go to the Maldives too?”
“I just want something that’s mine.”
Whether it was a person or a beautiful love story.
I removed Winnie and Jesse from my social media, and they both vanished from my feed.
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Until the day Winnie showed up at the art gallery.
She was wearing an expensive Hermes coat, and her ring had been swapped for a bigger, more sparkling diamond.
“Sienna, it’s been a while!”
“Is there something you need?”
As soon as Winnie arrived, she grabbed my arm, but I had no time to play along with her sisterly act, so I subtly pulled my arm away.
A slight look of irritation crossed her face as she ran her fingers through her silky, long hair.
“I’m here to tell you that Jesse and I got our marriage certificate.”
She said this as she took out a certificate of marriage from her bag. There was an official stamp, proving that her relationship with Jesse was legal
and real.
I had always imagined marrying Jesse. I waited from 18 to 23, only to find out that he was marrying someone else.
Winnie held up her marriage certificate, beaming proudly.
She obviously came just to flaunt it.
“Sienna, you’re my best friend, so I had to be the first to share this good news with you!”
I smiled. “Actually, I’ve got a little gift for you too.”
Winnie frowned, clearly not expecting my reaction.
I raised my hand and slapped her. The silence of the art gallery was
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shattered by the sharp crack of the slap, and soon, everyone gathered
around us.
“Here’s your gift–a slap.
“Is that enough for you?
“If not, I can give you another one.”
The slap twisted Winnie’s face in pain. She covered her hand to her cheek, screaming in a fit of rage.
“Sienna, you slut! I knew you hadn’t lost your memory!
“You might fool those men, but not me!”
I smiled. “I was pretending to have amnesia. So what?
“The leftovers I left behind–still taste pretty good, right?”
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Winnie understood exactly what I meant, but instead of getting angry, she smirked. “Leftovers, huh?
“Do you know when Jesse and I first slept together? It was the same night he confessed to you!
“Right after he announced your relationship on social media, he slept with me.
“Every gift he gave you, I have a matching one.”
She pulled out her phone and showed me an album, carefully organized with pictures of everything Jesse had given her. Even the plaster doll Jesse made for me, Winnie had an identical one.
I had carefully kept every gift Jesse had given me over the years, thinking
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each one was a sign of his affection. Unexpectedly, they became proof of his relationship with another woman.
“Is that everything?
“Then leave. Don’t make a fool of yourself here. You’re a mistress, yet you still trying to feel superior.”
Winnie sneered and twirled her finger to admire her large diamond ring. “Sienna, I’m the one marrying Jesse.
“The one without a marriage certificate is the true mistress!”
The curator, a man in his fifties with a beer belly, noticed the commotion and rushed over, bowing to Winnie.
“Mrs. Livingston, you should’ve let me know you were coming! I would have cleared the space for you!”
Winnie waved him off with disdain. “No need. Just fire this employee.
“Having her here ruins my mood to enjoy the exhibition.”
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