Chapter 4
Xander didn’t come home once that whole week.
Neither of them reached out–just like every time they fought or gave each other the silent treatment. No texts, no calls, nothing.
Still, Caitlin knew where he was each day.
Eleanor kept updating her Instagram, bragging nonstop. Dinner by candlelight, private movie nights, over–the–top firework shows–Xander was spoiling her with something new every single day.
He also gave her designer bags, fancy jewelry, a house, and even an unlimited black card.
Honestly, she looked more like his wife than Caitlin did.
Caitlin wasn’t sitting around sulking. She was at home, packing and tossing out memories. Since she had already decided to leave, there was no reason to keep anything that reminded her of him.
The first day, when Eleanor posted nine lovey–dovey photos, Caitlin. burned all 999 photos she had with Xander.
The second day, after Eleanor showed off the custom clay dolls they had made together, Caitlin smashed all the antiques Xander had gifted her over the years.
***
On the seventh day, Eleanor posted a video of Xander confessing his love to her. That was when Caitlin slid the wedding ring off her finger.
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Chapter 4
The diamond still sparkled, but the love behind it had died a long time
ago. She stared at it for a second, then flushed it down the toilet without
hesitation.
Later that night, Xander finally came back.
The mattress dipped as he climbed into bed and hugged her waist. “Honey, let’s stop this silent treatment. Tomorrow is the company’s tenth. anniversary. Let’s go together, okay?”
It was also their fifth wedding anniversary.
That day used to mean a lot. She had planned it every year, but this year would be the last.
Caitlin shifted away from him and just said, “Hmm.”
As his hand missed, Xander froze.
Figuring she was still mad, he felt confident the gift he prepared would make up for it.
With that in mind, he fell asleep at ease,
But the next day at the event, things went downhill fast.
The giant screen on the cruise kicked things off with a video about the company’s journey, and then it shifted to a sweet recap of Xander and Caitlin’s ten–year relationship.
They’d been through a lot together and always had each other’s backs.
The crowd couldn’t help but admire them, and even Xander looked a little emotional.
But just when everyone was feeling touched, the screen suddenly changed. Now it was showing a bunch of cozy pictures of Xander with
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Eleanor, plus some private ones of her.
Gasps filled the scene, and everyone assumed Caitlin did it. After all, who else would expose the mistress but the wife?
Xander’s eyes became sharp as he snapped, “Caitlin, what the hell is
this?!”
Caitlin was about to explain, but Eleanor burst in crying before she could say a word.
‘Mrs. Jackson, I never stepped over the line with your husband. Why are you doing this to ruin me?” she sobbed.
“Mr. Jackson, I’ll just quit to keep your marriage safe. I don’t want to be the reason for all this.”
With that, she ran out of the banquet in tears.
Xander tried to stop Eleanor, but Caitlin grabbed his arm.
“It wasn’t me,” she said firmly.
She refused to take the fall for something she didn’t do.
But Xander wasn’t buying it. He shoved her off him, causing her to stumble back and crash into the champagne tower. She fell hard.
Glass cut into her as she hit the floor.
“You’re now even stalking, secretly taking photos, and making up lies? Is there any line you won’t cross? I was going to cheer you up, but that’s not longer necessary.”
Then, he pulled out an emerald necklace.
It was an heirloom passed down in the Schmidt family for generations.
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Chapter 4
Caitlin had pawned it years ago to help the company out. And later, she couldn’t track it down.
It turned out that Xander had found it.
But the next second, he tossed it into the sea and ran after Eleanor
without even looking back.
“Don’t!”
Caitlin failed to stop him, so she climbed over the railing and jumped into the sea with injuries.
