I felt my chest tighten as my breath caught in my throat. The betrayal, the humiliation, the overwhelming sense of abandonment crashed over me like a tidal wave. I wanted to scream, to throw the phone across the room, to break something, but all I could do was stare at the screen, my heart breaking all over again.
The next morning, I woke up feeling as though a heavy weight had settled in my chest. The events of last night were still fresh in my mind—Louis leaving me to celebrate with Jane, and the photo of them together that haunted my thoughts. I had blocked Jane's number after that, desperate to put some distance between her smug face and my shattered heart, but the damage was done.
I tried to push the image of them out of my mind as I got ready for the day. Today was another mafia gathering, and my role as Louis’s wife meant I had to show up, look the part, and pretend like everything was fine.
I slid into a sleek black dress, the kind Louis liked, with heels that added a few inches to my height. My reflection in the mirror showed a woman composed, perfectly put together, but inside I was unraveling. I couldn’t let them see that, though—especially not Louis or Jane.