June's POV

I had just reached home, when Richard rushed out of the house with a frantic look in his eyes. He glanced at his car that I had parked in the driveway, and at me. He tried to hide his panic with a relieved smile, but his forced calmness couldn’t fool me.

“June!” he called out, jogging toward me. “Where have you been? I was so worried.”

Worried? I almost laughed out loud at his pathetic attempt to pretend like the concerned husband.

I forced a soft smile. “I went to pick up an anniversary gift for next week’s anniversary party.”

Richard blinked, and his face was blank for a moment. “Anniversary party?”

I tilted my head. “Yes. Our anniversary party. Did you forget?” My voice was calm, but my eyes were on his, daring him to admit it.

He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. “No, of course not. How could I forget something so important?” His fake chuckle annoyed me. “I’ve just been… busy with work. You know how it is.”

Liar.

I nodded slowly. “Well, I wanted to surprise you, so I won’t ruin the gift. You’ll just have to wait and see.”

Richard smiled awkwardly. “I can’t wait. You didn’t have to go to all that trouble, though. You should’ve called me—I would have gone with you.”

“It's fine,” I said softly. “You have been so busy with work, so I didn't want to bother you.”

His eyes flickered with guilt, as he leaned in to kiss my cheek. His touch felt cold and meaningless. “I’m glad you’re home.”

“Me too,” I lied, as I stepped past him and headed inside.

Richard released a sigh of relief. He was glad that I hadn't seen him with April when I came to pick up the car keys. If only he knew.

I climbed the stairs, and entered the master bedroom. The same room that Richard and April had defiled and I felt nauseous.

The door creaked open behind me, and I turned to see that it wasn’t Richard.

April leaned against the doorframe with a smug smile. Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and there was a cruel smirk on her red lips.

“You saw us, didn’t you?” she taunted.

I kept my face blank. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

April chuckled, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. “Oh, come on, June. Don’t play dumb. I saw you standing there, watching us.”

I gave her a flat stare, refusing to react.

“You should’ve stayed longer,” she continued, and her smirk widened. “You might’ve learned a thing or two.”

I shrugged nonchalantly. “Okay, whatever. Can you go now? I think Richard is waiting for you downstairs. I need to get some sleep.”

That wasn't the reaction she was expecting, and her smirk faltered for a second, but she quickly recovered.

“Let me go continue where we stopped. Feel free to come watch.” She taunted, walking out of the room.

I picked up my phone and sent a message to Killian.

Phase one is done. Get ready

Killian sent a love emoji in response.

~

Richard didn't leave my side over the next two days. He kept hovering around, and it was making it difficult for me to continue with my arrangements.

His instincts were probably telling him that I had seen him with April that day, even though I was acting like everything was fine.

Finally, I had had enough. I texted April.

(Looks like Richard is done with you now. He hasn't even left my side for so long. Keep deceiving yourself, April. Richard is mine.)

I was deliberately taunting April. Soon enough, Richard's phone kept ringing with calls and texts, but to my disappointment, he kept ignoring them.

Finally, when I was about losing hope, he excused himself to pick one of her calls.

A few minutes later, just as I expected, Richard walked in with a grave expression on his face.

“My love,” he said softly, “An emergency came up, and I have to leave for a business conference tonight. It will hold for three days.” he said with a guilty look in his eyes.

“Oh,” I said softly, trying to sound disappointed. “But our anniversary party is in four days.”

“I know my love, and I'm so sorry. But I promise you, I'll be there. I won't miss it for the world.” He swore, pressing a kiss on my forehead.

Inside me, I was ecstatic. I never expected that plan to give me a whole three days. It was perfect.

~

The next three days were a blur. I finalized everything, making sure I was done with everything. April made things easier for me. Whenever I started second-guessing myself, she would send me pictures of her and Richard, probably thinking she was hurting me. But every picture she sent only made me more determined.

I saved each one carefully. Soon, she would regret sending me these.

Then, finally, the day of the anniversary party arrived. The same day Richard was supposed to come back.

I stood in the living room, several thoughts racing through my head. I pulled out my phone and typed a message to Richard.

Happy Anniversary. I left your present on the table in the living room.

I placed the signed divorce papers on the table, right next to the photos that I had taken that day, and the pictures that April had sent me.

Then I blocked his number, and April's number.

I took a breath, and stepped out with my suitcase in my hand. Killian was already waiting for me with a smirk on his face.

“Ready?” he asked, holding out his hand.

I took it without hesitation.

A private jet was waiting for us, ready to take us to Italy. I gave Killian a curious look. How did he afford a private jet? However, I was too exhausted to begin questioning him.

Just as the jet was about to take off, I nodded at Killian, and his smirk widened as he sent an email to the news channels.

Let the fun begin.

Guilt ate through Richard as he stared at June's message, realizing that he had forgotten about the anniversary party that was being held today. He hadn't even gotten June a gift.

A soft kiss on his lips, brought him out of his thoughts, and he smiled softly at April.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?” She asked him, kissing him again.

“Nothing,” he replied, tossing his phone aside to pull her closer to him.

They were still in the hotel; they would be leaving in a few hours. He would make it for the anniversary party, and he was going to pick something on his way back for June. It wasn't a big problem. He would spend a lot of time with her to make up for his absence.

There was nothing to worry about. He had everything under control.

Richard closed his eyes, wrapping his arm around April's waist with a satisfied sigh.

An hour later, his phone started vibrating. At first, it was a single notification. Then another. And another. Then the calls started, one after the other, ringing nonstop.

Richard sat up as a sense of unease crept up within him. He stared at notifications that were dropping on his phone, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

His phone rang again, and this time, it was Lucas calling.

“Yes?” Richard called hesitantly, almost worried of what he would hear.

“Turn on the news, Rich.” Lucas said frantically, causing Richard to furrow his eyebrows in confusion.

“Why?” He asked, standing up from the bed, and walking towards the living room in the hotel.

“Just turn it on! you need to see it yourself.” Lucas replied, causing Richard to get worried.

He picked up the remote, and turned on the flat screen in the hotel, and his breath caught in his throat as the screen turned on.

Richard’s heart stopped.

On the TV screen, a picture of him and April flashed across the news. His arm was around her waist, and their lips were locked in a kiss.

‘SCANDAL: Billionaire Richard Thorne Caught in Affair with Wife’s Sister.’

His blood ran cold. He blinked, hoping it was a mistake, but the picture and the headline stayed there, glaring back at him.

“No… no, no, no!” Richard muttered frantically, shaking his head as the remote in his hand shook.

“What’s going on?” April asked from behind him. “Come back to bed.”

The moment April's eyes landed on the screen, panic filled her face as she instantly paled.

“Oh my god…” Her voice cracked. “My husband will find out. Killian will find out, Richard!”

Richard ran a hand through his hair, breathing heavily.

“Lucas,” he barked into the phone. “Get that news down. Right now. Before June sees it! I don't care how much it takes! Just do it!”

“I’m sorry, Richard. I have already tried. It’s everywhere, Richard. It has gone viral. There’s nothing we can do.”

“No!” Richard growled, pacing frantically. He hung up and tried calling June. Straight to voicemail. He tried again. Blocked.

He stared at his phone in shock.

“She… she blocked me,” Richard whispered in disbelief.

April grabbed his arm. “What do we do? My husband—he’s going to see this!” Her voice rose in panic. “He has also blocked me!”

But Richard had already stopped listening. His mind raced with several thoughts on how he could undo the damage.

He snatched his arm from April's hold, ignoring her desperate pleas.

“Richard!”

He didn’t look back.

He ran out of the hotel like a madman, shoving past anyone in his way. He needed to get home. Needed to explain. Needed to fix this before it was too late.

Richard gripped the steering wheel tightly as he drove crazily. His heart pounded as he sped home.

It was funny that he was feeling so frantic and desperate now.

He had always taken June for granted, assuming she would always be there. She had no one but him and her sister, she had nowhere to go.

He never thought that the idea of losing June would make him so frantic. Was it possible that he cared for her more than he thought?

His chest tightened as memories of June flashed through his mind. Her soft smile, the way she looked at him with total adoration, and love.

“No,” he muttered, pressing harder on the gas. “It’s not too late. I’ll fix this. I’ll explain. She’ll listen… she has to listen.”

As he pulled into their driveway, Richard barely turned off the engine before he ran out of the car.

“June!” he called out, stepping inside the house. The house was quiet. Too quiet.

His eyes immediately went to the living room, where an envelope sat on the table. His anniversary present.

His hands shook as he picked up the envelope. His name was written in June's neat handwriting on the front. He tore it open, and pulled out the papers inside. His breath caught in his throat as he realized what they were.

Divorce papers. Signed.

Richard’s eyes widened as he stared at the note at the bottom of the first page:

~Happy Anniversary, Richard~

Beside the envelope were photos. Pictures of him and April. Not just the ones from the news, there were other pictures from the ‘trip’ that he and April had gone on.

Richard’s knees buckled as the weight of everything crashed down on him.

“June!” he called again, his voice broke this time.

But she was gone.