They Fought Over Everything, but They Agreed on One Thing—Not Me Chapter 03

They Fought Over Everything, but They Agreed on One Thing—Not Me Chapter 03

I clamped a hand over my mouth, refusing to let a single sound escape.

One item of clothing after another hit the floor, and one used condom after another landed in the trash.

I lay there listening, numb all over, while the pain inside me only grew deeper.

Grant used to put Vivian down in front of me.

“With that awful temper, whoever marries her is going to regret it.”

Now his thoughts said something else.

[She’s adorable.]

Vivian used to mock Grant too.

“He’s such a poser.”

Now her thoughts said something very different.

[I’m sorry, Natalie. I love him so much.]

Suddenly, I was exhausted.

After they finished and left, I crawled out from beneath the bed like a rat scurrying out of hiding.

I looked at the mess they had left behind. I didn’t cry. I simply took out my phone and photographed everything.

Then I opened the top-pinned chat labeled [Wife] and sent one line.

Me: [We’re done.]

After I sent it, I remembered how strangely Grant had behaved when I first discovered he was cheating and tried to end our relationship.

In the past, he would have cried, made a scene, and accused me of being a heartless bitch.

But that day, he had looked relieved.

He had already been sick of me.

I splashed cold water over my face to clear my head, then took one final look around the condo we were supposed to move into after the wedding.

It was time to close the chapter on my youth.

I found the title company’s closing agent in my contacts and spoke firmly.

“I’ve decided to back out of the condo purchase.”

The closing agent sounded surprised.

“The condo you put $120,000 down on?”

“Yes.”

“But your fiancé already paid cash for it. The deed has already been recorded.”

My ears rang, and my entire body went rigid.

Realizing what that meant, I fumbled for my phone and opened my banking app.

Only $150 remained in the account.

My fingertips began to shake.

When had Grant taken the money?

That was our wedding fund.

It was money I had saved penny by penny over the seven years I spent scraping by in New York, working cases late into the night.

It also included the savings my parents had scraped together over decades of teaching.

How could he spend it without even asking me?

The color drained from my face, and my voice trembled.

“Please check the name on the deed.”

The closing agent sounded completely confused.

“Aren’t you Ms. Hart?”

The answer was exactly what I had expected, but the rage inside me nearly burned through what little reason I had left.

I checked my phone and saw that my message to Grant still hadn’t been delivered.

My thumb slipped, taking me to my Instagram feed just as Vivian posted a new update.

Her caption read, [Indoor climbing challenge!]

I knew the location. Grant and several of our friends had founded the climbing gym together.

The man’s hand accidentally caught in the photo was unmistakably Grant’s.

That finally shattered the last of my composure.

I took a cab straight to the climbing gym.

The moment I opened the door, the sight of Grant holding Vivian steady on the rope hit me like a blow.

Several of our friends stood nearby, cheering them on.

“Never thought I’d see the day Grant would bend over backward for Vivian!”

“Who says rivals can’t end up married?”

“Grant and Vivian forever!”

Each cheer made my heart sink further.

I was terrified of heights. The last time I had come here to climb with Grant, I made him promise again and again to pay attention and catch my fall.

He had agreed without hesitation.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let you fall.”

So I climbed without fear.

Halfway up, my foot slipped just as the belay system malfunctioned.

Even when my life was hanging in the balance, I didn’t panic, because I knew Grant was below me.

It wasn’t until I crashed onto the mat and every bone in my body felt shattered that I realized Grant had never caught my fall.

Later, he claimed that his ADHD had made him lose focus when he panicked.

I believed him and spent the next six months enduring treatment and rehabilitation.

But now he was showing me just how well he could catch a fall when Vivian was on the rope.

While she was still climbing, I stormed toward them.

Grant looked rattled. “Natalie, how did you find this place?”

I forced myself to remain calm.

“Where’s the woman you cheated with?”

“Grant, you told me you’d sent her away. Was it fun lying to me?”

Grant rubbed his brow, panic flickering in his eyes.

“Natalie, calm down. You’ve misunderstood.”

The friends around him immediately chimed in.

“Natalie, Grant only has eyes for you. How could he ever cheat?”

Then I heard their thoughts too.

[Pathetic. Grant and Vivian have always been perfect for each other. Natalie is the one shamelessly clinging to him, knowingly choosing to be the other woman!]

A bitter laugh escaped me as anger surged through my chest.

“Grant, what happened with the condo?”

Grant frowned. “Natalie, do you know something?”

I could have exposed them in front of everyone right then, but I wanted to hear Grant admit it himself.

“The title company’s closing agent called me.”

“If he hadn’t told me that you paid cash for the condo and put someone else’s name on the deed, were you planning to lie to me forever?”

Grant visibly relaxed, and his thoughts came through again.

[Good. She doesn’t know. Otherwise Natalie would lose it again, and Vivian would be upset.]

Even now, Vivian was still the person he cared about.

I closed my eyes. Then I snatched up a knife and rushed toward the rope holding Vivian.

“Natalie Bennett! What are you doing?”

Grant’s eyes went bloodshot, and veins stood out along his neck.

I stared straight at him.

“You ruined my hand for her and spent every cent of my parents’ savings!”

“Don’t you think she should pay for that?”

I raised the knife and brought the blade closer to the rope, inch by inch.