The phone hit the floor. The screen shattered, flickered twice, and went black.

Jason visibly relaxed. He turned to me, his tone almost casual:

"I slept with Nora. That doesn't mean I don't love you."

"You're still the one I love most. You're still my Mrs. Gilbert."

"You're the one who thinks it's dirty when I find women outside—so I went to Nora instead."

"I chased you this hard, and you still can't see how I feel? I like to play around, sure, but my love for you is real. I've given you so much face already—can't you try to understand me a little?"

I laughed out loud.

So this was it. He'd finally stopped pretending.

Five years ago, Jason fell for me at first sight and pursued me relentlessly. But he wasn't my type. My family situation was complicated, and I didn't want to drag him into it. So I rejected him again and again—and he never blamed me for being cold. He only begged me to look at him one more time.

After countless gestures of goodwill, I finally caved. I agreed to be with him.

I thought I'd found a man who would love me forever. I thought I'd finally have someone to rely on. But one year into our marriage, I caught Jason being inappropriate with Victoria Hartley—the daughter of one of his company's business partners.

The first time I saw their flirtatious messages, I was shaking with anger.

Jason knelt on the floor. "She came onto me. She's a partner's daughter—I couldn't just refuse her outright. I promise I'll shut it down. Even if we lose the deal, I want my wife to feel secure."

I forgave him.

The second time, I went to his office to bring him lunch—and found Lily Monroe, the struggling student I'd been sponsoring, kneeling in front of him.

Again, he had an explanation. She'd thrown herself at him, desperate to take a shortcut. He was just about to turn her down when I walked in. He told me not to make a big deal out of it. It would never happen again.

So I believed him. I knew men like him had no shortage of young women throwing themselves forward. As long as he held firm, that was enough.

But the third time—when I caught him in the act—I found him with his assistant, Megan Price, in our marital bed.

I went back to Victoria and Lily. That's when I learned the truth: Jason had initiated everything.

The divorce battle lasted six months.

After it was finalized, Jason threw himself into winning me back even harder than he'd pursued me the first time. Just days ago, he was on his knees, sobbing, clutching the hem of my dress:

"Claire, without you, my life isn't complete."

"Look—I've deleted every woman from my contacts. Every female employee at the company, young or old, I've transferred them out."

"Look at my phone. The only contacts left are you and your best friend. I kept hers just so I could ask how you've been."

When I saw that his phone only had my number and Nora's, I actually softened.

Now I just found it pathetic.

He'd kept Nora's contact not to check on me—but to make cheating with her more convenient.

Outside women were dirty, so he chose my best friend.

His explanation was revolting.

I said coldly:

"Both of you—get the hell out of my life."

I turned to Jason. "I'm going to expose exactly what kind of 'model husband' you really are."

Then I looked at Nora, still fumbling with her clothes.

"As for you, we're done. I'll be consulting a lawyer about how to divide the account. Everything you've done? I'm posting all of it. You two deserve each other, and I'm going to make sure everyone knows it."

Nora's face went white. She threw herself into Jason's arms.

"Jason, what do we do? She's lost her mind..." She turned to me, tears already spilling. "Claire, let me explain. I'm not trying to steal him from you. You'll still be his wife—I'd never fight you for that. We're best friends. How could I ever hurt you?"

She buried her face against his chest, voice cracking. "That account—we built it together. If you leave, you're basically killing me. You can't do this..."

Nora was a top-tier influencer now. Tens of millions of followers. But the strategy, the content, the planning—all me. She couldn't run a poll without my help. The account was my blood and sweat too, but after this? Was I supposed to swallow my disgust and keep making her money?

I scoffed and bent to grab my phone from where Jason had knocked it.

He kicked it away.

"Enough." His voice was cold. "I chased you for a year. What exactly are you still putting on airs for? This is who I am. If you really loved me, you'd accept that."

He stepped closer. "So I cheated. It's not like I stopped loving you. What more do you want?"

I ignored him and moved toward the phone again.

He grabbed my arm and slammed me against the car.

His fingers dug into my chin, forcing me to meet his bloodshot eyes.

"Claire." His voice dropped. "Yesterday, I acquired the hospital where your brother lives. One call from me, and the power to his room gets cut. How long do you think he'd last? Half an hour? Less?"

I went rigid.

Adam's condition was critical—he survived on machines. If those stopped, he'd suffocate. He couldn't leave that room. Ever. We'd raised each other after our parents died. Jason knew exactly what Adam meant to me.

And he was using that to threaten me.

I lunged forward and sank my teeth into the flesh between his thumb and forefinger.

"Are you even human?"

He didn't flinch. "Who told you this kind of threat works on you?"

He pried my jaw loose, smirking. "Be good, wife. To the outside world, you're still Mrs. Gilbert. We're still the perfect couple."

He pulled out his phone, thumb hovering over the screen.

"But right now? You're going to kneel. Apologize to Nora. Swear you'll keep running her account and keep your mouth shut about us."

I stared at him with pure hatred.

His finger moved toward the call button.

"Wait—" I grabbed his wrist. Then I closed my eyes and dropped to my knees in front of Nora.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have threatened you with the account. I'll keep running it. And I won't tell anyone about you and Jason."

Nora's smile spread slow and satisfied.

She bent down and helped me up, voice dripping with sweetness. "Don't be like this, babe. You're my best friend—my only bestie. I just want things to be easier for you." She squeezed my hands. "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on this scumbag for you. Make sure he doesn't go chasing other women."

I looked at her coldly and didn't speak.

Soon enough, Jason spread the news of our remarriage.

His "doting husband" persona was back in full swing.

Now that I knew about him and Nora, he didn't even bother hiding it. He funneled resources to her nonstop, turning her into the hottest influencer overnight.

Online, everyone said Nora had "latched onto the right best friend" and that's why she'd risen so fast. Only I knew she'd slept her way there with Jason.

Best friend. What a joke.

For my brother's sake, I was forced to stay by their side.

Jason said we were remarrying, but he moved Nora straight into our old home.

Every day I watched them being lovey-dovey. Every day I bought groceries, cooked, and waited on them like a servant.

My brother's condition was critical—transferring him wasn't an option. Then one morning, I woke up to a text from him.

It was long. I skimmed it, and my mind went blank. I threw on clothes and rushed to the hospital.

When I pushed open his door, I saw him lying on the bed. All the equipment had been removed.

He'd killed himself. That long message was his goodbye.

I opened his phone and found the messages Nora had sent him.

"You're just dead weight. Your sister is being my servant right now."

"Even your sister's man is mine now. She's never been able to compare to me—she can't even keep an eye on her own man."

"If it weren't for you, she probably wouldn't be living this miserably, right?"

The video Nora sent was from the parking garage—me on my knees, apologizing to her. I never knew she'd recorded it.

Three hours after she sent those messages, my brother killed himself.

I knelt on the ground beside his body, in so much pain I wanted to die.

Two hours later, I handled his funeral arrangements alone.

Watching his body being cremated, I felt my world would never have light again.

That's when Jason called.

"Nora's walking the red carpet today. You run her account, don't you? Go shoot some videos of her. After that, we'll get the marriage certificate and hold the remarriage ceremony."

He spoke like he was giving orders to a servant.

I opened my mouth. For a long time, no sound came out.

When I didn't respond, he threatened again: "Don't forget, your brother is still in the hands of my med—"

I hung up before he could finish. Face dark, I walked out of the funeral home.

Half an hour later, I arrived at Nora's red carpet event.

The second before she stepped onto the stage, the promotional screen behind her changed.

It now displayed her chat records—every message she'd sent my brother.

And the headlines I'd prepared to expose her and Jason.

Mega influencer climbs into her best friend's ex-husband's bed while convincing best friend to remarry him—what's really going on?

Mega influencer trades sex for resources; leaked video shows ex-husband forcing best friend to kneel.

The two explosive headlines sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Sensing something was wrong, Nora turned around—and let out a piercing scream.

I watched her panic and chaos unfold, a crazed smile curling my lips.

Jason rushed over and grabbed my throat.

"Claire, are you insane? Do you still want to remarry me or not? Do you still want your brother's illness treated or not?"

I looked at him like I was looking at a dead man.

"Jason, my brother is dead. I watched them cremate his body."

"And we're never getting back together. Ever."