SAVANNAH
I sat across from Edward in the restaurant where he ended it all and the same place where I saw Sofia and insulted me. There was no way I’d ask Edward to meet me near my office.
“Is this necessary?” he asked after a few minutes of gawking.
“You know why I asked to come here.” I folded my arms across my chest. “We’ll talk eventually, anyway, and I’m ready for whatever this is. I just need you to tell me everything.”
“You’re looking better. You’re getting used to this,” he said out of nowhere, staring at my face. Then he picked up his cup of espresso and took a sip. “What do you want to talk about?”
I could say the same thing. Edward’s features looked younger than I remembered him. It wasn’t his skin or the outfit since he always wore suits; it was the expression. He looked well-rested and... well, happy. That was exactly what shattered me: he was obviously not happy with our marriage anymore.
“I’ll say what I want to say first. I need my house back. Michael gave almost everything in it to me, but I’ll pay you what you’ve spent on it. It’s not that I still want to live there after everything. I just need the money so I can get a new apartment. Second, you will tell me about your mistress. Don’t you deny it now because I saw you at the party. I’m sure Amara told you. Lastly, I want the divorce as soon as possible. When can I expect it?”
He sighed, shifting from his seat. “So you work for the Sebastians now?”
“Don’t answer my question with another question,” I snapped.
“How can I trust that you won’t do anything against New Star?”
I clenched my fist under the table. I was so close to smacking his face in frustration. “I won’t because I don’t care about New Star. I’m not like the rest of you. You are all just cheaters. Brett, Amara, and you. Now, answer the fucking questions.”
“This is just between you and me. Don’t involve them in this.” He pointed a finger at the table. “Savi, you know they aren’t just questions. You are deciding alone.”
“Me? I am deciding alone? Did you ask me when you filed for divorce?”
He breathed out. “This is fucking exhausting,” he whispered. “Look, Savi. I can’t give you the apartment because that’s where I live and where I’ll continue to live—”
“Until you remarry,” I finished his sentence. “With Sofia. Yes, I know.”
He stared at me. “You saw.”
“I just told you.” I looked straight into his eyes. But deep in my heart, I was breaking apart.
“I will give you the money for the apartment. You can take everything that’s yours, but I don’t want to sell the place. It’s close to the office and more convenient than anywhere else.”
It was convenient because Michael chose it that way. My brother didn’t know Edward, and I would get a divorce after five years. I didn’t want my soon-to-be ex-husband and his mistress living in the house Michael specially chose for me.
“I know why you’re doing this. You just want to annoy me over and over again. What did I do wrong to you, Edward? Tell me, because I’m so confused. How did we become like this? You see, I don’t really care anymore. Let’s get a divorce; that’s fine. I don’t have as much affection for you as I had before, anyway. I just want you to, at least, have some respect. We’ve been together for a long time. I deserve a valid reason. Don’t avoid me now if you don’t want me to go to Sofia and pull her hair out. Or worse, I’ll sue you both for adultery. Is that what you want?”
A beat passed.
“Okay.” He massaged the back of his neck. “Fine. What do you want to know?”
“When did it start with you and Sofia?”
“We’re new. Four months ago, I saw her again when I went to Los Angeles. I didn’t recognize her at first. She’s changed.”
“She was in LA for what?” She had already come to the States and never really told us.
“She’s a rising singer in Mexico with the screen name Eva Herrera. Her manager came to us first, and Amara ended up liking her songs, so we signed her to us. We’re preparing for her album this year, which you already know.”
Yes, I knew about Eva Herrera. I hadn’t met her yet because her contract didn’t start until the end of the year. I saw Eva’s pictures once, and I’d never suspected she was my friend since she looked different now. She was a traitor, a fraud, and a liar, just like the Reeds. My blood boiled every time her smug face appeared in the back of my mind.
But Edward knew it was her. He always knew and didn’t tell me.
“Let me guess. You found her so beautiful that you couldn’t resist the charm, seduced her, and decided to cheat on me. Bravo, Edward.”
“Right. So, just get mad at me. It’s not her fault.”
“Really?” I let out a fake laugh that the sound echoed through the restaurant. “So it isn’t her fault when she lets your dick fall in her pussy? Come on. She was my friend, and she knew we were married. How is this not her fault?” I said, keeping the bitterness in my tone and the derisive smile on my face.
“Stop. This is why I can’t talk to you. You spit fire whenever we speak. Sofia is not like that. You know her too.”
“Don’t talk like you didn’t sleep with her!” I slammed my palm on the table, “You are disgusting. Didn’t you think that maybe she really came to New Star because of you? She knows exactly where to find you.”
“There’s no point going back to the past. This is what this is. I know you’ll meet her eventually,” Edward went on.
“Of course I will. But in the end, you chose her instead of me, your wife.” The only person who was with him through thick and thin. I’d sacrificed half of my life for him, and this was what he’d given me. “What a real man you are, Edward Reed. You both deserve each other.”
“Savi, it just happened. I didn’t want to betray you, but you know our marriage isn’t getting anywhere. You’re always busy, always out of town, always absent. I just need my wife, but where are you? But Sofia... she’s there.”
“And how is that my fault? You know very well that my job demanded most of my time.” I worked for his aunt, who required me to always stand next to her. But wasn’t he the same? He eventually stopped feeling for me. He was only making an excuse to make himself better. “It’s just your dick talking, and you’re foolish to think she’s there for you. I was with you for more than a decade, Ed.”
“I know that; that’s why I am giving you the liberty to live however you want. You can have a better life without me stopping your plans and dreams. Get a vacation, a break, and even date again. I won’t bother you anymore. I don’t deserve you, Savi. I know that” he said softly and sincerely, but I didn’t want to believe everything he would say now. I’d still be vigilant.
“If you really want me to relax, just give me the apartment. I need it as soon as possible. I don’t want to drive an hour or two a day just to get to work.”
His nostrils flared, but he relaxed his shoulders to keep his composure. “We’re really going to fight over this?”
“Give me some time to think. It’s my house too. If you need money, we have a joint account. Use it.”
As if I’d spend his money. Never once in our lives have I depended on him for money. “I’ll only spend what I’ve saved there. Nothing more.”
“Did Michael ask you to take it back?”
“No.”
His expression softened. “Tell your brother I’m sorry.”
“Tell him that yourself. He’s been good to you.”
He nodded, smiling faintly. “He is. He’s a real family. I’m going to miss fishing with him on weekends.”
I clicked my tongue, shaking my head. “Look at you. You asked for this, and now you’re having that face.”
“What face?”
“I don’t know. Regret?”
He looked away, clearing his throat. “Savi, we’re maybe separating, but we’ve had good times.”
Good times and memories that didn’t matter now. Apparently, they weren’t enough to keep our marriage. “When are our divorce papers coming?”
“I’m still waiting for them. My agent said it’ll be ready in more or less three months. I’ll ask him again tomorrow.”
“Okay.” I supposed divorce did take time. “But don’t think you’ll get away from this easily. You’re still my husband. While we’re not officially divorced, I don’t want to see you and Sofia anywhere public again until I sign. This is a warning, Ed. I won’t hesitate to sue you if it happens again.”
“But she works with us now. What you’re asking is impossible.”
“Fine, except for work matters. I will know about it,” I pointed. “There’s one more thing, though.”
“What now?”
“What do you know about PeekFlix?”
He frowned. “Why should I tell you? You work for the competitor now.”
“You know me. I don’t talk shit behind your backs.”
“I never talked behind your back,” he defended firmly.
Unfortunately, I believed him. Edward was a cheating bastard, but he never spoke ill of anyone. “Your family did,” I murmured. “Who’s Sofia to the PeekFlix’s founder?”
“Emilio is her dad. He’s still choosing the partner, so it has nothing to do with Sofia and me. That’s all I can tell you.”
Because that was only what he probably knew. I shouldn’t trust Edward’s words alone. He might’ve had nothing to do with it, but how about Amara and Brett? Surely, they had motives. They had tricks hiding in their sleeves. Amara showed her true colors, probably celebrating now that her nephew was dating the right person. She probably thought a gem had fallen on their laps.
Sofia wasn’t an exception, either. There were other better studios than New Star that could showcase her talent, but she chose the place where Edward was. She went to him specifically. This couldn’t be just a coincidence.