My husband left me and our six children for a fitness coach – I didn’t even have time to think of revenge before fate caught up with him.

“All connected to Alyssa?”

He nodded his chin towards the meeting room with glass walls.

Because of that, I saw Cole standing there, pacing back and forth and gesturing with his hands as if he were giving a sales pitch. The HR department sat opposite him, unmoved. Darren, the CEO, looked exhausted. At the end of the table sat a vice president, whom I had only seen at the Christmas party, watching like a judge.

Then the door swung open.

Alyssa stormed in, her ponytail whipping back and forth, phone in hand, her voice already raised. She didn’t even bother to knock.

‘What is she doing?’ I whispered.

I saw Cole.

“She’s making a mess of it,” said Mark. “She’s furious that her name is being linked to this.”

HR raised a hand to calm her down. Alyssa talked over him.

Then someone slid a Manila folder across the table towards Cole. He stopped talking in the middle of a sentence.

His whole demeanor changed, as if all strength had drained from him.

**

About twenty minutes later, the door opened again. Cole stepped into the hallway and looked at me with wide eyes.

‘Paige,’ he said softly.

I didn’t move.

His whole attitude changed.

He stepped forward. “This isn’t what it looks like, honey.”

I don’t do this in front of strangers. You’ve already done that enough.

Mark laughed mockingly behind me.

‘You said you would send money,’ I said. ‘I need it in writing. Then you’ll finally learn how to live without hiding behind a payslip and lies.’

His jaw tensed. “Paige —”

‘No.’ I raised my hand. ‘You can’t call me ‘Paige’ anymore as if we’re still a team.’