Chapter 1

Ten years of marriage. I sent my best friend, Ashley, a link on SnapChat.

"I’m planning a huge party for our tenth anniversary. Help me plan it. I want to give him a surprise!"

She replied with a quick thumbs-up emoji. But the next second, she went straight to Twitter to complain about me on her spam account:

"People who show off their marriages always get divorced the fastest. Cringe."

That was the exact moment I realized my best friend of ten years was actually the anonymous online stranger I had been following for a decade.

I had spent ten years reading about her secret love affair with my husband. And I finally realized my own marriage had been a rotting corpse for a long time.

When I first saw the tweet, I couldn't believe my eyes.

Ashley had posted a screenshot of our chat. She was trying to complain about me, but she forgot to blur out my profile picture.

With trembling hands, I scrolled through her entire account. Every single post matched my life perfectly.

"He’s on a business trip, so I’m going to surprise him! Flying to his city tonight!"

"It’s my birthday. We had dinner with his annoying 'third wheel' wife. He kept rubbing my leg under the table with his foot. We went back to his place and had sex four times!"

"I have a fever. He left immediately after one call and spent the whole night with me at the ER."

...

So, when Ethan was supposedly on business trips, someone else was in his bed.

On Ashley’s birthday, Ethan told me he had to work overtime and couldn't come home. I actually felt bad for him and made him chicken soup.

And those three days he spent "working late" at the office? He was actually playing the caring boyfriend at the hospital for Ashley.

Holding back my nausea, I read through every single one of her tweets. I matched the dates with my text history with Ethan.

It was undeniable. Me, my husband, and Ashley. The three of us had been tangled in this mess for ten years.

We had been married for ten years. He had been cheating on me for ten years. And the woman was my best friend.

The double betrayal of friendship and love hit me like a truck. I couldn't breathe. My chest ached so badly.

I sat on the couch for a long time, trying to force myself to calm down.

My phone buzzed. It was a text from Ethan on WhatsApp: "Working late tonight. Don't wait up!"

Instinctively, I went back to Ashley’s Twitter and refreshed the page. Sure enough, she had just posted.

"The third wheel annoyed me today. Making him come over to pamper me now!"

I let out a bitter laugh. It turned out *I* was the third wheel all along.

I screenshotted everything and saved it. I acted like I knew nothing. Then, I texted Ashley back on SnapChat: "Make sure this anniversary is unforgettable. Oh, and I want a massive LED screen at the venue!"

Ashley took five minutes to reply with a simple "Sure." I knew she was burning with jealousy inside.

But there was nothing she could do. On paper, I was still Mrs. Carter.

I remembered when Ethan proposed to me ten years ago. Ashley had planned that event, too. She was just a rookie at a wedding planning agency back then.

When Ethan got down on one knee, Ashley’s knuckles turned white. Her eyes were filled with pure hatred.

At the time, I thought she just didn't like Ethan. After all, best friends are often protective.

Now I knew. That look was pure, unadulterated hatred for me.

She hated me for taking Ethan, yet she was willing to degrade herself to be his secret side chick for ten years.

I cried, then I laughed. Then I cried again.

This piece of trash was playing two women at the same time, enjoying the best of both worlds. Did he really think it would be that easy?

I wiped my tears. I pretended everything was fine and sent Ashley all the details and requirements for the anniversary party.

If I was going to feel disgusted, I was going to make sure she felt it tenfold.

Ashley and I had known each other for almost twenty years. We had been friends since elementary school and went to the same college.

We were inseparable. Our parents became close friends because of us. My dad’s company even threw a lot of business to her family’s business because of our friendship.

Now, all of that was over.

I took some time to visit my parents. I laid all the cards on the table. I told them I wanted a divorce.

When my dad heard what Ethan did, he was furious. "That piece of garbage! How dare he do this to you? I’ll break his legs!"

"Dad, calm down. Let's cut off his escape routes first. We do this slowly."

I wanted them to go back to exactly where they started.

Back when Ethan was just a broke kid from a poor family. If Ashley still loved him then, I would gladly let her have him.

I left my daughter, Emma, with my parents and went home.

When I got back, Ethan was already home. His phone was on the coffee table, and he was in the shower.

I didn't touch his phone. A man who had hidden a secret for ten years was incredibly cautious.

Besides, I didn't need to look at their love texts anymore. I wanted to deliver a fatal blow.