Chapter 1Ten years into my classified CIA work, my high school group chat exploded—everyone was frantically tagging me.
"Haley, seriously? You're SKIPPING Nicole's wedding?!"
I scrolled up.
Nicole Reed—golden girl, cheer captain, untouchable queen of our class—was getting married today.
Everyone else had already gone.
"Sorry guys, can't get off work," I typed, plain and simple.
That one line unleashed hell.
"What kind of trash job won't give you ONE day off?"
"Bet she's flipping burgers, too embarrassed to show her face."
Nicole @ me directly. "Remember our bet? That I’d do WAY better than you in the future! Guess I won."
I typed back, flat. "Nope. Don’t remember."
That just made everyone pile on harder:
"Well FYI, Nicole just bagged D.C.'s richest guy! She's a literal billionaire's wife now!"
"Haley probably can't even afford a wedding gift. Should we start a GoFundMe?"
Amid all the verbal assault, Nicole tagged me again, fake-sweet as ever.
"Haley, I really hope you can come witness my happiness!"
"And hey, for old times' sake, I’ll be generous—how about I get you a nanny job?"
Then she posted her wedding photo.
One look at her husband’s picture, and I froze.
The groom was Theron Luwelton—the same man who'd been on his knees three years ago, begging me to marry him.
"Alright then. I’ll come, wouldn't miss witnessing your PERFECT happiness."
Me—the real wife—attending my husband’s wedding to his mistress.
Now, this is gonna be interesting!
...
Right after replying to Nicole, Theron's message popped up.
"Baby, don't overwork yourself. Can't wait to see you when your vacation hits."
"I miss you so much~"
My CIA work—ten years of writing the President's Daily Brief—kept me isolated from the world.
Even married, Theron and I barely saw each other. His constant "I miss you" texts had me completely fooled.
God, what a fucking idiot I was.
I actually believed he loved me.
What a joke.
I requested emergency leave and drove my government-issued SUV straight to Nicole's small-town wedding.
A massive banner stretched across her house:
"WELCOME LUWELTON ENTERPRISES CEO THERON LUWELTON!"
Nicole stood underneath in couture white, drowning in worship.
"Girl, you've been hiding this! D.C.'s biggest billionaire?"
"Theron's not just wealthy—he's untouchable. Nobody dares cross him. How did you land someone that powerful?"
Even our old teacher Kai Valois was kissing ass.
"Nicole, I always knew you were special. That's why I never cared about your grades—you were born for luxury!"
Nicole soaked it all in, practically glowing with smugness.
Hilarious.
Without me, Theron would've been crushed by his rivals years ago.
I'M the reason he's still playing "richest man" now.
Never imagined this would be Nicole's crown to flaunt.
When they spotted me, the ass-kissing stopped.
"Haley, this SUV is what ten years gets you? Some cheap piece of junk?"
They cackled until someone noticed my plates.
"Wait, those are federal plates. You can't BUY those—that's straight from the President."
"Has to be fake. No way she rates that."
"Pathetic wannabe bitch!"
I stayed calm. "The car is real. And the plates? White House issue."
Nicole suddenly charged over and slapped me hard.
"Of course they're real—that's my husband's car!"
"I knew that bastard was cheating! You disgusting homewrecker, how dare you show up at MY wedding in MY HUSBAND'S CAR!"
Chapter 2
Nicole's accusation made everyone freeze.
"Wait, Nicole—this is actually your husband's car?"
Nicole smirked with pure arrogance.
"Duh! Theron's driven me in this exact SUV. I even have pics!"
She whipped out her phone—photos of her and Theron kissing inside.
Every detail matched mine.
Everyone gasped. "Holy shit, It really IS Theron's car! Explains such a badass plate!"
"So Haley's definitely his side piece!"
Nicole's face twisted with rage.
"No wonder you ghost Instragram—too busy being a homewrecker!"
The mob went feral.
"Damn, always thought Haley was some uptight genius, but she's just a basic whore!"
"I had the biggest crush on her in high school. God, I feel sick!"
"Girls like her act all pure, then spread their legs for cash!"
"She drove her sugar daddy's car to the WIFE'S wedding—obviously here to wreck it!"
Even our teacher Kai looked disgusted.
"Haley, never tell anyone I taught you. I don't claim sluts!"
The mob grew bigger—people filming, spitting, even spitting at me.
I stripped off my coat and tossed it in the trash, facing Nicole directly.
"You assault people without facts? Real classy!"
Nicole sneered.
"I'll hit whoever I want! I'm about to be Washington's richest woman—I RUN this city!"
She grabbed a brick: "Makes me sick thinking about you in my husband's car! I'd rather destroy it than let some whore like you drive it!"
She went absolutely ballistic—smashing windows, lights, everything.
"Help Nicole! This homewrecker can't disrespect our queen!"
The whole group joined the rampage, hurling rocks like crazy.
But my armored government vehicle barely showed scratches.
"What the FUCK is this SUV made of?!"
I watched them, speaking clearly.
"You better stop. This isn't just any car—damaging it won't just cost you money."
That set Nicole off worse.
"It's MY HUSBAND'S CAR! I'll smash it if I want!"
She yanked the doors open, leading the mob inside to slash the seats and interior to shreds.
Watching these lunatics destroy federal property, I calmly dialed my boss.
"Mr. President, the White House vehicle assigned to me has been wrecked!"
Chapter 3
Before my boss could speak, Nicole's sidekick snatched my phone and smashed it on the pavement.
"Calling for backup? You're just a homewrecking slut—know your place!"
"Nice try, whore! Gonna call your other sugar daddies for help?"
"Girl, we've known you since ninth grade—quit the fake-ass act!"
"Seriously, were you born in a trash can? Because you're full of shit!"
They erupted in cruel laughter, high-fiving each other.
I stared at my shattered phone.
"Enjoy it while you can."
Nicole grabbed my collar: "You bitch, are you threatening us?"
Then her eyes locked onto my vintage pendant. Her eyes lit up as she yanked it off.
"Ooh, fancy! Another gift from MY husband?"
My blood went ice cold. "Give that back. NOW."
Seeing my panic, Nicole's smile turned vicious.
"Oh, getting nervous? Must be worth serious money."
"It's worthless!" I lunged for it. "But it's mine—give it back!"
That pendant was the only thing I had left of my parents.
They died serving this country when I was seventeen—CIA operatives killed on a classified mission.
They'd promised to come home and celebrate my eighteenth birthday with me.
But they never came home.
Just two flag-draped coffins and this necklace—the only proof they'd ever loved me.
Nobody touches it. NOBODY.
Nicole's smile widened.
"The more you beg, the more I wanna destroy it!"
Before I could reach her, Nicole hurled it at the concrete with all her strength.
The vintage pendant shattered into pieces, scattered across the ground.
My heart shattered with it.
