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1:1 Our wedding anniversary, and I was scrolling through Instagram when a post stopped me cold:[Would anyone really be shameless enough to sleep with their best friend's husband?] A top comment blazed back, unapologetic and cruel:[Try three years with mine. Nerve-wracking, thrilling-absolute bliss.] Other users tore into her, calling her disgusting, saying her friend was cursed to have someone like her for a bestie. The poster shot back with unbridled arrogance: [Him and I are the real deal. She should be grateful I haven't made her step aside.] [She spent her wedding night alone just because I casually said I didn't want him touching her that night.] [And when she got into that car crash? He skipped the hospital to take my puppy to the vet.] [Even when her mom died? I said I wanted to go on a trip, and he left her sobbing her heart out to come with me!] [Oh, and it's their wedding anniversary today. I made him spike her milk with sedatives. Tonight, we're doing it in their penthouse.] My finger froze on the screen. Today was mine and Ethan Cole's wedding anniversary. A second later, Ethan walked over, a glass of milk in his hand. "Zoe, I've noticed you haven't been sleeping well. Drink this." I stared at the milk, the post replaying in my head. Ethan's face was etched with such genuine concern that I told myself I was just being paranoid. But I shook my head anyway. "I don't want it." Ethan frowned, about to push the issue, when Luna Carter-my best friend-strolled over with a bright smile and took the glass from him. "Zoe, stop being so dramatic. You're lucky Ethan puts up with your tantrums." "He's just trying to take care of you. Drink it." Before I could speak, she pressed the glass to my lips. And in that split second, I caught a wicked grin tug at the corner of her mouth. I swatted her hand away on instinct. Her grip slipped, and the glass shattered on the floor, shards skittering everywhere. A jagged piece sliced my calf, and blood welled up instantly, soaking my jeans. Luna let out a dramatic gasp. "Zoe Bennett, Luna was only being kind! Why are you snapping at her?" Ethan scooped Luna up in a panic and set her on the couch, his large hand cupping her leg. Luna's cheeks flushed pink, and she batted her eyes at him, feigning reluctance. "Oh, I'm fine, really-" "Stay still. Let me check." Ethan's voice was soft, tender, as he examined a tiny scratch on her knee, his gaze never once flicking to me. I stared at him, my throat tight. "Ethan, I'm hurt too-" He cut me off with a cold glare, not even sparing me a glance. "Enough. I'm just making up for your mistake. Are you really that jealous right now?" Luna bit her lip, her eyes brimming with fake guilt. "Zoe, it's my fault. Did I intrude on your day? Are you mad at me?" "Don't fight because of me. I'll just leave." She tried to stand, but Ethan pushed her back down gently. He turned to me, his eyes unreadable, and for a heartbeat, I thought he'd finally seen the blood streaming down my leg, that he'd ask if I was okay. But reality hit me like a fist to the chest. "Luna took time out of her day to celebrate our anniversary with us. You should be grateful, not snap at her and get her hurt. Do you get off on being cruel to people who care about you?" His tone was sharp, impatient-nothing like the soft voice he'd used with Luna. A sharp, stabbing pain shot through my heart, a thousand tiny needles pricking at my chest. It was our anniversary. Just the two of us. But Luna had burst in, eager to celebrate, and they'd cooked together in the kitchen, laughing and chatting, leaving me sitting alone at the table like a stranger. At dinner, they'd talked nonstop, their inside jokes making me feel even more out of place. In that moment, I realized I'd always been the outsider. Memories flooded in-all the times he'd dropped everything for her, no matter what. The night the rain poured down and her car broke down on the highway? He'd kicked me out of the car at a rest stop and raced to pick her up. He could never remember my period dates, but he never failed to bring Luna her favorite period tea and a heating pad when she was cramping. I'd asked him to bring back a small souvenir from his business trip, and he'd called me a nuisance-but when Luna offhandedly said she liked a new designer candle, he'd spent hours driving across the city to buy it for her. And when I'd dared to feel upset about it? He'd called me unreasonable, dramatic, a child throwing a tantrum. Every time, I'd told myself he only cared about her because she was my best friend, that he loved me. This time, I couldn't lie to myself anymore. My body shook, and I couldn't find a single word to say. Ethan lifted Luna into his arms, walked past me without a second glance, and headed for the door. "I'm taking Luna home. You need to think about what you've done." I watched their retreating backs, my nails digging so deep into my palms they drew blood. That night, I opened Instagram again, and the poster had added a new comment-Luna's comment, I knew it. [The idiot swatted the milk away and ruined the plan.] [But it doesn't matter. Her husband still slept with me on their most important day.] [He couldn't even wait to get to my place. We did it in the car.] She'd attached a photo. The car window was fogged up, and the dim streetlight cast a shadow over their tangled bodies-but I'd know that jawline, that hair, anywhere. It was Ethan. My phone rang a second later, Ethan's name flashing on the screen. His voice was hoarse, strained, when he spoke. "Work emergency. I won't be home tonight." I stared at the photo on my screen, his lie hanging in the air between us, and my fingers curled around the phone until my knuckles turned white. I opened my notes app and typed two words, slow and deliberate: [REVENGE PLAN]. The game had just begun, and I was no longer the naive, loving wife they could manipulate and lie to at will. They'd crossed a line-and I was going to make them pay. 2:2 Faint, breathy moans came from the other end of the line, and the call cut off before I could say a word. I squeezed the phone so hard my hand ached, my stomach churning violently. I stumbled to the bathroom and threw up until there was nothing left, my whole body shaking. I didn't sleep a single wink that night. When Ethan came home the next morning, he frowned at my pale, gaunt face. "Zoe, what's wrong with you?" He set his coat down and walked toward me, his hand reaching for my forehead to check my temperature. I turned my head away, and his hand froze in midair, stunned. "Nothing. I just didn't sleep well." My voice was flat, cold, as I met his eyes. He must have sensed my distance, because for the first time in years, he softened his tone and tried to coax me. "Are you mad at me? I'm sorry, baby. I shouldn't have snapped at you last night." "But Luna's your best friend. You're always so quick to lose your temper, and she's always the one who puts up with it. I was just scared you'd hurt her feelings and lose her. I acted out of panic." "Forgive me, okay?" He spoke so sincerely, like he truly believed he'd done nothing wrong-like he'd only yelled at me to protect my feelings. I'd heard this excuse a hundred times, every time he'd chosen Luna over me, and now it made me sick to my stomach. When I didn't respond, he pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket and opened it, a delicate silver bracelet glinting inside. "This is your anniversary gift. I left it at the office yesterday, so I'm giving it to you now. Do you like it?" I stared at the bracelet. It was Tiffany-Luna's favorite brand, the one she rambled about constantly. He reached for my wrist to fasten it, and as he leaned in, I saw it: a bright red hickey on his neck, peeking out from under his collar. And clinging to his skin, thick and cloying, was the scent of Chanel No.5-Luna's perfume. I clapped a hand over my mouth and shoved him away, hard. "Get away from me." I ran back to the bathroom and retched again, my throat burning. Ethan's patience finally snapped, his voice booming with anger as he followed me. "Zoe Bennett! What is your problem?! Do you want me to get on my knees and beg for your forgiveness?" "Why can't you be more like Luna? She's always gentle, always kind-unlike you, who only knows how to throw tantrums and act unreasonable!" I splashed cold water on my face and stepped out of the bathroom, my gaze meeting his furious one. "If Luna's so perfect, then go be with her." He pointed a finger at me, his face red with rage, and tore off his tie, flinging it to the floor so hard it slid across the marble. "That's it! I've had enough!" He slammed the front door shut behind him, the sound echoing through the empty penthouse. The air was thick with Luna's perfume, a sickening reminder of what he'd done, and I stared at the closed door, my eyes stinging with unshed tears. My phone buzzed then, a notification from Instagram-Luna had posted to her story. I opened it, and my heart shattered into a million pieces, like the glass she'd dropped the night before. [My gift from someone special] [He bought me the entire new collection from my favorite brand just because I mentioned I liked it. Said it's to make up for having to watch him celebrate his anniversary with someone else.] [This bracelet's ugly though. I threw it in the trash. But then I thought about the little brat throwing a fit, so I told him to take it back and use it to pacify her. She's only good enough for my castoffs anyway.] Two photos accompanied the text. The first was a picture of her living room, covered in designer bags and jewelry-Tiffany, Gucci, Prada, all the things he'd never bothered to buy me. The second was a close-up of the Tiffany bracelet, lying crumpled in a trash can, the silver dull and tarnished against the garbage. My fingers went numb, a cold shiver running through my entire body until even my jaw was trembling. I thought back to college, to when Ethan was a poor kid with nothing but a dream and a heart full of love for me. For my 21st birthday, he'd worked three jobs-barista, library assistant, Uber Eats driver-for months, saving every penny, and he'd spent all of it on a custom silver necklace with my initials carved into the pendant. I'd cried when I saw it, his hands covered in blisters and calluses from working so hard, and I'd told him he didn't have to spend so much money on me. He'd smiled, that soft, adoring smile that had made me fall in love with him, and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his eyes shining with promise. [Nothing's too much for you, Zoe. You deserve the world's best.] [I promise you, one day I'll be rich, and I'll give you everything. I'll move mountains for you.] I'd smiled through my tears and said yes, believing every word. I'd waited for years, standing by his side as he built his tech empire from the ground up, going from a broke college student to one of San Francisco's most sought-after young tycoons. I'd loved him through every struggle, every late night, every doubt. But his promises had faded like smoke in the wind. Now, I was just the girl who got his castoffs, the fool he'd left behind for my best friend. I'd always thought love was about where you spent your money, your time, your heart-and now I knew it was true. He'd spent all three on her. I'd loved him for so long, through so much. But in that moment, my heart was crushed to dust, and I knew it would never beat for him again. Ethan Cole, we have no future. I unclasped the custom silver necklace he'd given me in college, the one I'd worn every single day for years, and threw it into the trash can-right next to the Tiffany bracelet, right next to all his lies. Then I opened an encrypted folder on my phone and saved every single one of Luna's posts, every photo of Ethan's infidelity, every cruel comment she'd ever made. I stared at the screen, my eyes cold and empty, and whispered the words I'd live by from now on:[Ethan, Luna. Everything you took from me, I'll take back-with interest.] 3:3 Ethan didn't come home for days. I called a family law attorney the first morning he was gone, and by the end of the week, she'd drafted the divorce settlement papers-papers that would let me walk away with half his assets, thanks to his marital infidelity. Luna called me in the middle of it all, her name flashing on my screen like a taunt. I answered, ready to tell her exactly what I thought, but the first thing I heard was the sound of lips meeting, of quiet moans. There was a scuffle, and then Luna's voice came through the line, sweet and syrupy, laced with pride. "Zoe, don't get the wrong idea. Ethan's had a little too much to drink, and he thought I was you." "He's been staying with me for a few days. He'll come home when he's not mad at you anymore, okay? Don't worry." Her words were a knife to the heart, but I felt nothing-no pain, no anger, just a cold, empty calm. I hung up the phone without a word and went back to packing my things. For years, this had been my life. Ethan and I were the golden couple, the college sweethearts who'd made it big, the envy of everyone we knew. Luna was my childhood best friend, the girl who'd been with me through every high and every low, who'd cried with me and laughed with me and held me when I needed it most. I'd loved them both, trusted them both, thought they were the two most important people in my life. But they'd been lying to me this entire time, sneaking around behind my back, making a fool of me for three years. I'd been blind, stupid, too in love to see the truth right in front of my eyes. That night, the front door opened, and Ethan walked in-with Luna right beside him. He took her coat off gently, hanging it on the rack, then dropped to his knees and slipped her shoes off for her, his movements so natural it was clear he'd done it a hundred times before. He finally met my eyes, a flicker of guilt crossing his face before it was gone. "Zoe, it's your birthday. I brought Luna over to celebrate with you." "You've been mad long enough. Let's put this behind us." Luna stepped forward, her hand outstretched to grab mine, her smile so bright and fake it made my skin crawl. "Zoe, happy birthday! I made you a cake myself-your favorite, vanilla bean with buttercream frosting." I stared at the cake in her hands, and my mind flashed to her Instagram story from that morning, the one she'd posted an hour before they showed up: [Made a cake for the idiot's birthday. Snuck in some walnut crumbs,she's deathly allergic. Can't wait to see her face swell up like a balloon. I've missed it.] Her smile was sickening, her kindness a mask for her cruelty, and I pulled my hand away from hers, my voice cold as ice. "Get out. You're not welcome here." Luna's eyes filled with fake tears in an instant, and she dropped her head, looking small and helpless. Ethan grabbed my arm and yanked me away from her, his fingers digging into my skin so hard it hurt, his voice sharp and icy. "What is wrong with you? If you don't want to be with me anymore, just say it! Stop taking your anger out on Luna!" I stared into his eyes, no more tears, no more pain, no more love-just a quiet, unshakable resolve. I said the words slowly, each one a nail in the coffin of our marriage, loud and clear for both of them to hear. "Then let's get a divorce." Ethan froze, his eyes wide with shock, like the thought had never even crossed his mind. "What did you say?" Luna's face turned deathly pale beside him, her fake tears drying up in an instant, and I could see the panic flash in her eyes-panic that I was finally fighting back, panic that her perfect little game was falling apart. I smiled, a cold, bitter smile, and my gaze flicked to the cake in her hands, the walnut crumbs hidden in the sweet frosting, her little trap for me. I leaned in slightly, my voice low and dangerous, just for them to hear. [You think a little cake and a few cheap lies can stop me? You think I'm still the same naive girl who'll let you walk all over her? You're both in for a very nasty surprise.] I met Ethan's stunned gaze again, and repeated the words, my tone unyielding. "I said divorce. And this time, I'm not asking."