The Man She Lost

My best friend, Cassidy Braun, earned a modest monthly salary of 2,800 dollars, only to constantly trash her doting husband with an annual income of 600,000 dollars, labelling him a broke loser.

“That incompetent husband of mine can’t even afford a 20-carat diamond ring!

“I have the looks that can bag me a billionaire. I must have been out of my mind to marry that piece of trash.”

I chimed in. “You’re right. You’re practically a goddess. Only a Greek God stands a chance with you.”

Eventually, Cassidy left her husband and hooked up with a trust-fund kid, just as she wanted.

A year later, she was scammed out of every penny she owned and diagnosed with cancer. Fragile and broken, she came to me.

“I heard that ex-husband of mine remarried and that he’s loaded now. Judging by the way he used to worship the ground I walked on, I bet he’ll drop the woman in a heartbeat if I ask to get back together.”

I gave a dismissive nod while running my fingers along the new Birkin bag my husband had bought. “Oh, absolutely. He’s pretty wealthy now.”

“Why am I wasting my time with the deadbeat? I should dump him already.”

For the umpteenth time, Cassidy threw yet another glass, her delicate facial features grimacing with rage.

As the shattered glass shards landed near my feet, I quietly bent over to pick them up.

Her shrill voice boomed above my head. “Just look at this! What am I supposed to do with peanuts? It’s not even enough to cover a designer bag!”

I looked up and saw the bank transaction notification on her mobile screen. My eyes widened in surprise at the 50,000-dollar transfer.

Josh Fray’s pay had climbed to the 50,000-mark.

A subtle emotion stirred within me.

I regularly came across pictures of Josh leaving the office late into the night that he shared on social media.

“Cass, Josh’s been swamped with work lately. I heard that his firm is bidding for a massive project.”

I disposed of the glass shards in the waste can with caution.

“Plus, he hands over his entire paycheck to you. That’s more than what most men do, and I’m honestly jealous of you. I’d give anything to have a husband like yours.”

“More than what most men do? You call this sad pittance adequate?”

With a scoff, Cassidy tapped her rose-pink nails against the screen.

“Talia Dix, aren’t you a little too easy to please?

“You’re not getting any younger. You should get yourself a good catch while you’re still in your prime.”

Cassidy leaned closer, her heavy perfume overwhelming my senses.

“A friend from school started dating this guy last week, and he bought her a bag that will take Josh three months to pay off, and she isn’t even half as pretty as I am.

“I deserve to be with a billionaire. I should just dump Josh’s sorry ass and be done with it.”

I opened my mouth with the intention of dissuading her. However, on second thought, her mind was already made up.

Cassidy assessed what a man could bring to the table by the number in his bank balance.

I humored her. “Yes, of course. You’re a total babe. No one is good enough for you.”

Josh was the perfect example of a family-oriented man.

Just yesterday, I spotted Josh in the grocery aisle, studying labels for the best formula for Teddie.

“I’m divorcing that loser.”

“But Teddie is only a year old. Are you really going to leave—”

“Teddie?” Cassidy cut me off.

Raising her brow, Cassidy uttered indifferently, “The kid’s going to struggle without money anyway.

“Once I find the right man, I’ll come back for him, so he can live the high life too.”

Cassidy’s world revolved around no one but herself.

The child she had constantly shown off on her social feed could be cast aside in the face of her own interest.

Sure enough, Cassidy was dead set on the divorce.

She swiftly packed her bags and moved out of the house. Not even taking another glance at Teddie, she was eager to begin her hunt for a wealthy suitor.

Josh had lost a lot of weight, his face unshaven, when he opened the door as I came to check on him. The house smelled of microwave meals.

Teddie was wailing in his stroller, his cheeks flushed from crying.