After Our Divorce My Ex Married His Mistress! But A Guest Said Something That Made Him Turn Pale..
«He let out one last roar,» Jessica said, «and flipped the head table, where the seven-tier wedding cake was. Frosting flew everywhere. ‘Out! Everyone get out of here! The wedding is over!'»
The terrified guests stampeded for the exit. They weren’t just leaving; they were pulling out their phones to take pictures and videos. A wedding of the century just as Ashley wanted, but a century of disaster.
«My husband ran out too,» Jessica concluded. «He told me that as he was leaving, you could still hear Ethan breaking things and Ashley crying and cursing. A circus. A pathetic circus. Karma is swift, Sarah.»
I hung up. My soul in turmoil, I went out onto the balcony and watched the roses sleeping under the night dew of Willow Creek. I thought I would be happy to know they had gotten what they deserved, but I wasn’t. I just felt a deep weariness and disgust. A life built on greed and lies had self-destructed in an instant.
I slept poorly. The chaotic images of the wedding replayed in my head. The next morning I woke up with dark circles under my eyes. I decided not to listen to any more news from Jessica. Their story, for me, was over. I needed to focus on my own life. I spent all of Sunday sketching. Work helped me forget the disaster in New York.
But at night, when I turned off the computer, my phone buzzed. It was Jessica. I sighed, thinking about not answering, but the ringing was insistent.
«What now, Jessica? I’m tired. I don’t want to know anymore.»
«Wait, wait,» Jessica’s voice was pure excitement again, «just this once. It’s the finale of yesterday’s episode. I promise that after this, you’ll sleep like a baby.»
«Fine,» I grumbled. «Listen.»
«She insisted,» Jessica said. «My husband just told me. He said that when he went down to the parking garage to get the car, he witnessed a scene even better than the one in the ballroom.»
I gave in. «Okay, five minutes.»
«My husband saw Ethan and Ashley screaming at each other in the parking garage,» Jessica said. «Her parents were next to them, looking like they were at a funeral, trying to get her to leave.»
«She didn’t go to the hospital?» I was surprised. «After that fall?»
«Not a chance,» Jessica laughed scornfully. «It was all an act. My husband hid behind a pillar and heard everything. Ashley wasn’t pretending to be a sweet victim anymore. She was standing with her hands on her hips, screaming in Ethan’s face.»
Jessica cleared her throat, imitating Ashley. «‘You’re insane. You’ve embarrassed me in front of everyone, you ruined my wedding!'»
«Ethan, with his hand wrapped in a handkerchief, blood seeping through the fabric, yelled back,» Jessica continued. «‘You’re the one who ruined me. You’re a liar, you’ve been stealing from me.'»
«And then Ashley started to laugh,» Jessica said with contempt. «A laugh that made my husband’s skin crawl. ‘Steal from you? Do you even have money to be stolen from? Who paid for this wedding, huh? Tell me! My $5,000 wasn’t even enough to get started, and my parents had to mortgage their house to pay for this sham so you could look good, you useless man, you’re useless!'»
I was frozen. So Ethan had not only borrowed money from her but had also squeezed her parents dry. He had sunk too deep into the mire of his own ego.
«My husband says,» Jessica continued, «that when Ethan heard that, he was speechless. He didn’t expect her to throw it in his face so directly. The battle in the parking garage, with no audience or cameras, was where their true natures came out. There was no love left, only money, lies, and hatred.»
Ashley’s parents, seeing their daughter had let the cat out of the bag, tried to cover her mouth. «Honey, please, be quiet. Let’s go home.»
But she couldn’t stop. She pushed her parents away and pointed at Ethan. «I’ll tell you one thing. I married you for your money, for your director position, and for this wedding. And now you’ve destroyed everything.»
Ethan, recovering from the shock, gritted his teeth. «You dare?»
And then, Jessica lowered her voice. «Ashley launched her final attack. She put her hand on her stomach, but this time not with pride but as a threat. And she said: ‘Listen to me carefully, this child is yours. Do you want it to live or die? Put the downtown apartment in my name right now and give me $500,000 in cash. If you don’t, I’m getting an abortion tomorrow, and then I’m going to your company and telling all your partners what kind of man you are.'»
My blood ran cold. Using her own child to blackmail him. It was too cruel.
«And what did Ethan do?» I asked.
«My husband says Ethan stood still for a moment, and then started to laugh. A laugh even more terrifying than his screams. He laughed hysterically. When he stopped, he looked at Ashley and roared: ‘Keep dreaming!'»
He pulled out his keys, ran to his car, and even though Ashley tried to block his way, he sped off, almost hitting her, leaving her and her parents alone in the parking garage, amidst the wreckage of a luxury wedding.
«My husband ran off too,» Jessica said. «He didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire.»
We were silent for a moment.
«Jessica, I have a doubt about the pregnancy.»
«I suspect it too,» she interrupted. «My husband says the fall looked bad. But a little while later she was in the parking garage, screaming with incredible energy. I suspect the pregnancy is fake, or she just used a pharmacy test to trick Ethan. She used it to force the wedding, and now to extort money.»
I let out a long sigh. Fake or not, that child was a victim.
«Well, Sarah?» Jessica said with a tired voice. «Let’s call it a night for this drama. Too greedy. Lying people who destroyed each other. Birds of a feather flock together.»
«Go to sleep, I need it too. So much drama is exhausting,» I said.
I hung up. I looked out at the night. Willow Creek was calm. The sound of crickets filled the garden. I realized the storm in New York had passed, and it had nothing to do with me anymore.
I asked Jessica not to tell me anything more about them. I didn’t want the garbage of the past to dirty my present. I threw myself into my work, into the hotel project. But a month later, during one of our calls, Jessica couldn’t hold back.
«Sarah, I have to tell you,» her voice was serious this time. «The situation with Ethan has really blown up.»
«What else?»
«His career is over. My husband says that after the scandal, the videos of him trashing the wedding and screaming at Ashley went viral. Even though they were taken down quickly, all his important partners saw them. And what did they do? Cancelled contracts en masse. His most important partner, a Japanese group, sent him a letter immediately terminating their collaboration. They said they couldn’t work with someone of questionable morality who can’t control his emotions and who treats his family so cruelly.»
I remained silent. It was inevitable. For a businessman, reputation is more important than money.
«When he lost the big contract, the company went under,» Jessica continued. «The key employees, the good ones who worked with you, left in a group. They said they couldn’t work for a crazy boss who also owed them money. They left and took the clients with them.»
«So quickly?» I was surprised.
«Yes, now he’s desperate. My husband says he spends his nights taking small clients out to dinner, trying to salvage what’s left. He’s drinking so much that last week he was admitted to the ER for a stomach hemorrhage. He was there for two days and then escaped to keep drinking. But it’s useless. No one wants to board a sinking ship with a captain with that kind of reputation.»
I shook my head. The career Ethan was so proud of, the one he used to humiliate me, was crumbling because of his ego and bad decisions.
«I’m going to hang up, Jessica,» I said. «I have a meeting with Michael.»
«Yeah, you’re right,» she agreed. «Those people don’t deserve another minute of your time, you just live well.»
I hung up. I looked at the 3D design of the hotel lobby on my screen. I had chosen a rustic and cozy style with local ceramics and oak wood. I felt proud of my work, it was real. It created value, unlike Ethan’s house of cards career.
Several months passed. I finished the hotel design and began supervising the construction. The work was intense but exciting. One night, Jessica called. Her voice sounded strange, almost compassionate.
«Sarah. Today, my husband saw Ethan.»
«Where?»
«Not at a bar,» she said softly. «At a street market in the afternoon. My husband went to buy a few things and saw a thin man, looking like a homeless person, hastily eating a sandwich in a corner. He was curious, took a closer look, and realized it was Ethan.»
«Thin and looking homeless? Is he that bad?»
«My husband was stunned. He says Ethan was skeletal, with several days worth of beard, dirty hair, and wrinkled, stained clothes. He was eating the sandwich anxiously, looking around fearfully. He looks ten years older. His company is completely bankrupt. He’s drowning in debt. Do you know where he got the money for the wedding? From loan sharks. He thought he would pay it back with Ashley’s parents’ money or with new contracts. But everything fell apart. Now the loan sharks are after him. And our apartment… he mortgaged it for the wedding. The bank has already foreclosed and auctioned it off.»
«My husband says he’s living in hiding,» Jessica added, «that he doesn’t dare go to his parents’ house so as not to involve them. He’s sleeping on the couch of his sealed-off office. Last week, some thugs found him and beat him up in front of the building.»
