Bailee Johnson was sick of always being second best. After her husband cheated on her and lied during their divorce, leaving her and her daughter with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the small business she had worked so hard to start, Bailee shrugged off everyone’s suggestions to put him in her past and move forward.

Oh, she was going to, but not until after she took him down, even if it meant using his business rival to do so. Unbeknownst to her, that business rival just so happens to be her brother’s best friend, the first man to have ever broken her heart. The closer she gets to him, the more feelings resurface from their past, and the harder it is to lie.

She wants revenge, but at what cost?

BAILEE

I held my breath as the housekeeper pushed open the hotel room door.

The woman gave me a pitying look as I slipped her the cash I had promised in exchange for her help getting into my husband’s luxury suite.

Caleb had been so rushed for his ‘urgent business meeting’ that he had forgotten his laptop.

Like the loving wife I was, I raced over to grab it for him. I had made it my goal to make his life at home as easy on him as possible by helping where I could with the cooking and cleaning since he worked so hard to provide for us.

It was never good enough for him, but little things like bringing him his laptop would surely make him happy.

Only I had frozen in horror when I saw the messages popping up on his computer from his phone.

The smiling, poorly clad woman stared back at me.

I could see her nipps through her lace underwear, and she had one hand down between her legs, covering herself.

His assistant.

Lorna: I got your gift. I’m at the Rosewood Hotel. Don’t make me wait too long.

Caleb: I’m on my way, baby. I’ll be there soon.

I felt like I was hallucinating. My hands felt tingly, and my vision blurred as I stared at the screen.

I knew he hadn't been happy for a while. He had made that clear with all his harsh words, but I thought that was just because of our struggle with having a baby.

It had taken us two years to make our beautiful little girl. For the past year, we had been trying for another, a boy this time if we would be so lucky, but it seemed that wasn't in the cards for us. At least, it wasn’t for me. According to my fertility doctor, I was the one with the issues.

He was just fine, a fact he and his family never let me forget and had openly come to hate me for.

I didn't wait for our driver to return for me.

I didn't want him to warn Caleb that I was on to him. Instead, I grabbed the keys to my car and drove straight to the Rosewood Hotel.

Bribing the housekeeper had been easy enough. A grand in anyone's direction made things happen.

Music was playing in the dimly lit room, the only light source coming from the patio door where I could see her silhouette as she looked over the city.

A small part of me wanted to go outside and push her, but I refused to let my intrusive thoughts ruin my life any more than marrying Caleb already had.

Her long black hair was expertly styled in large curls, diamond clips pinning her hair out of her face. It hung down the open back of the silver, floor-length dress she was wearing.

White hot fury licked at my veins as I recognized it. I knew it well.

I had been working day and night for weeks to design that very dress, slaving over it to make sure it was perfect for me to wear to the gala Caleb’s company was hosting in a month. I had wanted to make him proud to have me on his arm.

I wanted to surprise him and remind him of who I was before I had our daughter, Brinley, and began dressing for comfort and convenience to keep up the house and take care of our daughter, back when I had more confidence and dressed well.

How did she get it from my shop? Had she broken in?

Had he gone in there to get it for her? Was this the gift she had mentioned him giving her in her text?

It made my stomach twist to realize I had been a clown all the time.

I had built my shop from nothing, and I was disgusted that he had the nerve to steal from it after how hard he had seen me work to make it successful. He knew how much it meant to me, and he didn’t care.

Design had always been a hobby of mine, and when I found an old sketchpad with my grandmother’s designs that never made it off the pages, I knew I had to turn that hobby into a career to honor her and bring her dream to life.

That dress had been inspired by one of my grandmother’s designs, and I had mixed our two styles to create a masterpiece that she would be proud to see me in. It was my most meaningful dress to make thus far, and he had just ruined that.

I heard the bathroom door open and watched as Caleb passed through the crack in the bedroom door, not noticing me as he made his way to his assistant.

The sound of the patio door opening made my heart stop. I moved to the side so they wouldn't see me in the doorway if they were to turn around.

This was what I had come for. I needed the truth.

For years, I had put up with him complaining about everything I did, from my cooking, to the pound or two I put on over the holidays, to my ‘stupd, little’ business taking my attention away from what was really important…him.

Nothing I did was ever up to his standards.

I struggled to keep up with him and all his demands. I was exhausted. After years of fighting and yelling, of never being good enough, wealthy enough, or successful enough for him and his family, this was the final straw.

This was my closure, proving that there was no fixing us.

“I knew that dress would look good on you,” Caleb said, his deep voice making me press my hand harder over my mouth to hide the sob threatening to break free.

“Thank you. It’s beautiful. You were right when you said Bailee could never pull something like this off.” Lorna giggled in a high-pitched baby voice that sent a shiver of disgust down my spine.

I should have known.

They had been working together since he opened the firm a few years ago and had been joined at the hip since. He claimed that Lorna was essential to running his business and that he couldn’t do it without her.

It should have been obvious between her late-night calls and texts about ‘work’ and how she always found a reason to touch him when she was around. Yet, I had refused to accept it.

I was too scared to bring it up because I knew he would just yell at me and call me crazy. He loved to say that I was looking too much into things and making things up for attention.

“It’s not like she would ever wear it anyway. She gained weight after the kid. She doesn’t have the curves that you do anymore. Heck, she can’t do a lot of things that you can,” He said, and while he could have been referring to any number of things, my other hand dropped to my stomach.

I had worked hard to get my body back after having our daughter, but it wasn’t as easy as some women made it seem. He was right that I hadn’t worn a dress like that in a while. That was why I designed it in the first place.

I was done with the baggy clothes to hide the weight I had put on during the time conceiving Brinley. That dress had been crucial to that step. Every stitch had been made for my body, and I had felt powerful and confident again when I had tried it on.

Now, she was in it.

My own husband had stolen it from me to give to her.

“Come here.”

The room was silent for a minute before I heard the undeniable sound of them kissing.

This was it. I knew I needed to burst in there and catch him in the act, but my body was numb. I couldn’t move.

“Turn around and bend over,” Caleb demanded, and bile rose in my throat.

“Mh, yes, boss.” Lorna purred, and I cringed in disgust. Just get on with it. I needed to know if he was actually going to go through with it.

Maybe this was just a moment of weakness. Maybe Caleb would remember our family and his vows to me and stop himself before taking it further.

“No,” Caleb said, and hope filled me.

Come on. Just turn around and walk out of the room. We can go back to counseling. We can figure this out for our daughter's sake.

I sent the prayer to whoever might be listening, but it was pointless.

“Leave the dress on. Hold it up over your hips. I want you in it.” He ordered, and I leaned forward over my knees, taking several deep breaths, unable to hold myself up anymore.

There’s so much humiliation I could take.

Pushing to my feet, I rushed to the door to leave, bumping the table next to me and knocking over a lamp in my hurry to escape.

"Who's out there?" Caleb yelled with anger.

I heard them rush to get decent as I wiped at my cheeks with my shaking hand before the bedroom door was thrown open.

BAILEE

“Bailee!” Caleb yelled as I threw open the door and rushed down the hall.

I needed fresh air. It felt like the walls were closing in on me, and I could hear my blood pumping in my ears.

“Bailee, would you stop for a minute?”

The sound of my name on his lips as he zipped his pants made me feel queasy, but I held it down.

A hand wrapped around my forearm, and I was yanked to a stop just before the elevator.

“No!” My scream came out in a hoarse sob. “No! Get off of me, you lying piece of garbage!”

The rage and venom behind my words made him release me immediately, but he stayed close as he glared down at me. I took a step back, shaking my head at him.

“You don’t get to touch me. You don’t get to ever touch me again!” The elevator dinged behind me, and the doors opened, but I didn’t pay any attention to the people getting off until I heard them speak.

“Bailee! Lower your voice! That is no way to speak to your husband!”

“Mom?” Caleb asked, and I turned to face Helen and George Johnson. My in-laws. “What are you doing here?”

“The nanny called. She said that Bailee was acting more irrational and unstable than normal. She told us she would be heading this way.” Helen looked at my tear-streaked face and then down to my clothes in disgust.

“The nanny called you?” I asked, scoffing in disbelief. Even the woman watching my child was working against me. Either she knew Caleb would be here, or she had seen the messages, too.

I had thought we were friends. At the very least, I thought we had bonded from spending so much time together. Yet, I had know one I could trust in that house.

I should have known better. At the end of the day, he signed her checks.

“Of course, she did. Why wouldn’t she? Look at yourself. You’re a mess. She was right to call. The last thing this family needs is for you to make one of your scenes, especially looking like that. Ugh! Can you imagine how much it would have cost to clean up your mess if your tantrum was leaked to the press?” Helen looked down the hallway behind me to ensure it was empty before shaking her head. “Just disgraceful.”

“My tantrum?” I repeated in shock. This was not a tantrum. This was the end of my six-year marriage. I had every right to be hurt and angry by what I had just witnessed.

“How did you know I was here, Bailee? Were you following me?” Caleb asked, his eyes narrowed accusingly as he buttoned up his shirt.

“What? No! I saw your messages on your laptop,” I began to say, but Helen cut me off, gasping in horror. For a moment, I thought she was as appalled as I was about her son’s affair, but then she spoke.

“You were going through his computer? What kind of wife betrays her husband’s trust like that?”

The accusation seemed to feed Caleb’s anger, and he stepped closer to me almost threateningly.

I felt the need to step back, but with his father standing between me and the elevator, I had nowhere to go.

“His trust?” I balked, “He is the one who…”

“How dare you invade my privacy?! You had no right to go through my things, Bailee! No freaking right!” Caleb yelled, cutting me off, and I laughed coldly as I shook my head.

“I have no right to look at my husband’s open laptop screen? I didn’t even touch it! You left it open!”

“What I do on my computer or phone is none of your business! Why were you looking through my computer?” Caleb raised his voice as he stood in my face. A speck of saliva flew from his lips and landed on my cheek, making me flinch. “You think it’s okay to go through my things while living in the house, wearing the clothes, and eating the food I paid for? I didn’t give you permission to touch my computer, Bailee. How dare you violate my privacy like that!”

“Is it the meds the doctor gave you?” George asked from behind me, and my eyes widened in humiliation. I should have assumed Caleb would tell them about the antidepressants the doctor had given me. After looking at the side effects, I had refused to take them, but Caleb didn’t know that. “I’ve heard they can make people act irrationally.”

“What? No! I didn’t go through… This isn’t about his computer!” I screamed, my hands moving up in front of my face, palms facing each other in frustration. How was I the bad guy here? “You!” I said as I turned to Helen, “Your son has been cheating on me! How the heck am I the one who betrays in the first place?”

“That’s an absurd accusation,” Lorna said as she stepped out of the hotel room and walked toward us. My vision went red, and I wanted to throttle her. “We were just in there working. These stories you make up for attention really need to stop, Bailee. It’s not healthy. Maybe you should talk to the doctor about increasing your dosage.”

I should have pushed her over the balcony when I had the chance.

“Oh, Dear. What a pleasant surprise! I can’t believe my son had you working so late. You always were reliable, and you look beautiful! Did he pull you away from a party? You really do work too hard.” Helen exclaimed as Lorna stopped only a few feet away, placing her hand on Caleb’s arm. He stepped back from me, moving closer to her and allowing me to finally take in a deep breath.

“Absolutely stunning. It’s like that dress was made just for you. I don’t think anyone else could pull it off.”

“That’s MY dress,” I yelled, feeling defeated as they surrounded me. Helen rolled her eyes.

“For Heaven’s sake, Bailee. Enough with the stories! Did you hear what you said? You wouldn’t be able to fit into that dress even if you starved yourself to do it.” Helen snapped before placing her hand between my shoulder blades and pushing me toward the elevator. “Lorna, can you schedule Bailee an appointment for tomorrow with her psychiatrist? Let them know it's urgent. We can’t have this kind of unhinged behavior. It’s not fitting for someone with the Johnson name.”

“Of course,” Lorna smiled sweetly.

“What? No! I’m not going anywhere!” I said, shaking my head and turning to shove her hand off me.

“Bailee! That’s enough!” Caleb snapped, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the elevator as it opened.

“Where are you taking me?” I glanced around, praying someone had come out of their suite from all the yelling and would help me, but no one had.

“We are going to deal with this at home.” He hissed, his hot breath hitting my ear.

“Don’t bother,” I said, looking up to see the security camera above the elevator. Caleb followed my gaze and released my arm when I yanked it away and backed up toward his parents, not wanting to get into the elevator alone with him. “I’m done.”

“Excuse me?” His eyes darkened, and I regretted saying anything since there weren’t any witnesses around besides his parents and Lorna. They would side with him, and his father would probably use his authority as a senator to have the security footage wiped.

I had been swallowed it down all the time. I did it for our daughter, to keep our family together for her sake. Every time we had a fight, he would wake up the following day and claim he hadn’t meant it. That he had just been angry and that he loved me.

Now, I knew he was nothing but a liar and a cheater.

“You win. Let's get a divorce.” I said.

BAILEE

“You must be out of your mind!” Helen yelled, but I didn’t spare her a glance. This wasn’t between her and me…even though she wanted it to be.

She thought the world revolved around her, the perfect senator’s wife. She loved putting on her over-priced, costume-looking jewelry and acting like she was the queen.

Yet, her favorite pastime was picking fights, throwing little digs at me, and insisting everything I did was wrong.

Much to her dismay, this was between Caleb and me, and I refused to let her be involved this time. He had dragged her into everything else. Mommy’s little boy.

Only, he looked stunned as he stared at me, dumbfounded that I would be so bold as to bring up divorce myself, especially in front of his parents.

“Don’t be foolish, Bailee!” Helen spat. “You have a child together! Divorce is not an option! That’s just lazy. You are lazy!”

I stared at her unbelieving what she said. Since the day he introduced me to his family, Helen Johnson had hated me. She threw little digs at me every chance she could, even referring to me as ‘Fatass’ behind my back when she was telling the rest of the family just how horrible I was.

One could only be civil for so long.

“Says the mother whose son can’t even bother to spend time on his own daughter!” I snapped back before pointedly making eye contact with my husband. He had been neglectful since the day she was born, refusing to cook for her, bathe her, or help me with her when she was sick.

As she got older, he would yell in her face for her to leave him alone when she wanted to play with him. He would shake her little hands off him when she tried to get his attention and go back to whatever he was doing on his phone… probably texting Lorna, now that I think about it.

“You worthless tramp!” Helen said, stepping forward, but George touched her shoulder to stop her. “I knew from the moment he brought you home to meet us that you would be trouble. I said it! I told you back then that she wasn’t worth it!”

Helen had turned to face a stunned Caleb, who continued to stare at me, but my gaze was glued to Lorna, who was wrapped around his arm like a victim.

He hadn’t even pulled away. She smirked at me knowingly. It was a smirk of victory.

Caleb cleared his throat, shaking his head back and forth. I wasn’t sure why I expected him to defend me for a moment. He never had before.

“Bailee,” Caleb let out an uncomfortable laugh. “You can’t be serious. This isn’t time to be dramatic.”

“Oh, I am very serious. Almost as serious as you were about leaving me and your daughter home so you could come here to sleep with your assistant.” I raised my eyebrows at him challengingly.

“Watch your words!” George Johnson snapped, his voice low and deep as he moved to step in front of his wife. He became a senator because he was good with his words in front of the camera and made the people love him, but in private, he was never a loving man. “You shall never defame my son’s image like that again.”

“You’ll see the doctor first thing tomorrow, and then you will come over, and we will put an end to this behavior. You need to learn how to act like a Johnson. You are a disgrace to the Johnson name, and I won’t allow you to damage it anymore than you already have.” Helen said through her teeth.

“I won’t be going to see anyone tomorrow, not the shrink you’re paying to try to manipulate and control me, and certainly not you! Besides, I think your son is a big enough disgrace to the Johnson name on his own. I’m just doing you a favor and giving you one less ‘Johnson’ to worry about.” I said, knowing I was just digging my grave further.

“Enough of this!” George’s eyes darkened, and he gestured with his head for me to follow him down the hallway. “We will have this conversation in private. Send your wife home, Caleb. Now.”

“Everyone,” Caleb said, brushing Lorna off of his arm. “Just calm down. Bailee, I know you wouldn’t be so stupd as to file for divorce. We will work through this together in private. Come on, Bailee.” Caleb moved toward me. I stepped back.

The elevator dinged, and two security guards stepped out as the door opened.

“Senator Johnson,” One of the men said with surprise as he looked around at the five people blocking the hallway. “We didn’t realize you were here. We got a call about a disturbance from Ms. Nichols.”

Lorna gave them an innocent smile, shaking her head. “I’m sorry to have bothered you. I thought it would be best to call before coming out here. I was just looking out for Caleb.”

“You called security?” I said, feeling humiliated.

“Ma’am, are you a guest here?” The guard asked me. I shook my head, prepared to tell him that I was just leaving, when he cut me off. “I will have to ask you to leave the premises.”

“I would love to!” I said with exasperation, knowing they could see the tear streaks on my cheeks and bloodshot eyes.

“Now.” He snapped, and my head snapped back as I stared at the angry man with confusion.

“I’m going,” I said before looking back at Caleb once more. Only that second of eye contact was too much for the guard, and he grabbed my arm tightly and yanked me back. “What are you doing? Get off me!”

“If you won’t leave on your own, we will have to remove you by force! We can’t have you harassing our guests.”

“We don’t want any trouble! It was terrifying, having her break into our hotel room, but we don’t want to press charges!” Lorna cried with fake concern, covering her mouth with one hand as she watched them drag me away.

“Let go of me!” I said, trying to pull my arm away from the security guard, but he tightened his hold. “You’re hurting me!”

Helen, George, Lorna, and Caleb all stood together, coupled off like a picture-perfect family, and it made my chest burn with humiliation and anger.

“We will discuss this in the morning,” Caleb said.

I was flooded with disbelief that not only had he just dismissed me and was letting security throw me out of the hotel, but he was going to go back to his evening plans with Lorna?

“You’re going back in the room with her?!”

“Don’t make me call the police for breaking and entering! I said, be quiet!” The guard yelled in my face as I watched Caleb turn his back on me through the closing elevator doors.