He turned and walked straight toward Jessica. She pressed a kiss on his cheek, throwing me a look of smug triumph.
Before leaving, Thomas waved at me. "Cheryl, from now on, let’s just be strangers."
It was the first time he’d ever given me a genuine smile.
I went back to pack my stuff.
Looking around the luxurious bedroom, it seemed untouched by my departure, unchanged.
Our wedding photo was still hanging on the wall.
Looking at it now, his smile frozen in the frame seemed a bit forced.
Everything felt like it had circled back to that afternoon after my high school entrance exams. I had just been adopted into the Rivers Family, suddenly thrust into this lavish mansion, where I felt completely out of place.
Thomas had just returned from a ski trip abroad with Jessica. He looked at me then like I was a sideshow attraction.
Now, nearing thirty, I found myself single again.
That night, I ended up at a bar, drinking until I was utterly wasted.
My best friend Amelia set down her glass, patting my shoulder with the frankness of an outsider.