his devilish grin, were not work. It was her. I say her like there is just one. One woman is never enough for Jeremy.
Jeremy likes the chase. I was the last one…the one he finally caught. The one he decided was worthy of him. I was enough of a trophy to marry.
Jeremy sat on his monstrous leather chair while I chose a loveseat across from him. Love seat…far from one.
When Jeremy proposed to me, he told me he found his ideal wife. With me,
his dream life would come true. I now wonder which meant more to him.
The penthouse we lived in was larger than most people’s houses. Centered in
the financial district of Los Angeles, Jeremy insisted it was the perfect home for us. It was lavish and excessive in my opinion. The view of the high-rise buildings, with their scattering of lit windows, irritated me.
By the time we moved in, Jeremy had already decorated it to his liking.
Black leather furniture. The odd art deco sculpture. Dark wood floors. Grey walls with white accents. No wall hangings. The wall-to-wall windows with the
view of the buildings were enough decoration for him. They showed success.
At least, he allowed me to put up an elegantly framed picture of us from our wedding day. Good idea, babe. We want to remind our guests they are dealing with a power couple. Still, no other evidence of life was in our home. That was his style – cold and impersonal.
My mother warned me a man like Jeremy would give me security, but he would never meet my needs for love. As much as I hated to admit it, my mother
was right. I knew that when I agreed to marry him. In the back of my mind, I knew he was not the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
Earlier in the evening, he had started his texting and continued through the night. Setting his fork down on his unfinished plate, he excused himself, “Sorry, babe. I’ve got to put out some fires. I’m still reeling from the San Diego fiasco.”
“Of course,” I said, forcing a smile.
Yes, another night where he claimed he had a bunch of work to do…that he
needed to catch up…that he had so much that couldn’t wait. This was not business. It amazed me how stupid he must think I was. When it truly was a work issue keeping him from relaxing, he would complain about the
overwhelming workload and threaten to quit. No, the twinkle in his eye told the
truth.
Since the beginning of our marriage, there were signs that Jeremy was a womanizer. The blinders I put on allowed me to ignore it. At first, I could calm
my mind and pretend it wasn’t happening, but tonight was different. The ding of
each message was like a knife in my heart. The past didn’t matter anymore. It was time for me to put the final piece of my plan into action.
Like I said, for Jeremy, it was all about the chase, and he already captured me. How ironic he married me – Caitlyn Chase. He caught his prize, but not for
long.
Closing my book and picking up my teacup, I decided it was best to leave the
room.
“Where are you going?” Jeremy lifted his eyes long enough to meet mine.
“I’m going to bed. I’m tired, Jeremy,” I said with a fake yawn.
Setting the phone down, he watched me walk away. Calling after me, he said,
“I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you, babe. I have to keep those dollars rolling in,
don’t I?”
“Yeah,” I said, laughing half-heartedly. I didn’t bother to turn around, or he
would have seen me roll my eyes.
I hated it when he called me babe. Confronting him would not be helpful.
He’d tell me I was crazy. Then, if I didn’t apologize for my insanity, he would
threaten to take everything away from me. I had no plans to be penniless at the
age of thirty-two. Marrying badly shouldn’t be a sentence of poverty.
Soon, everything would change. His house of cards would come crashing
down. The plan had been put into motion, and there was no turning back.
I set the cup in the sink and was jolted out of my bitter reverie by Jeremy’s
