Tina had always imagined that if her marriage were to fall apart, she would see the signs coming-little cracks forming over time, giving her a chance to brace for impact. But when the truth finally hit, it shattered her world in an instant.
The day she found out her husband of eleven years was cheating had started just like any other. Alan’s alarm went off at 5:15 a. m. He showered, made himself a coffee, and left for work without so much as a glance in her direction. That was their routine. He was the VP of Operations at a biotech company, a job he had climbed to with ease. At just 36, he was the youngest VP they had ever had, and he wore that success like a badge of honor.
Tina had never been surprised by his career trajectory. Alan wasn’t just intelligent-he was charming. The kind of person people gravitated toward. The opposite of her. She preferred the quiet comforts of home, while he thrived in a room full of people. She was reserved; he was magnetic. Everyone loved Alan.
And until that day, she thought she had, too
It wasn’t until her best friend, Amy, sat across from her at their usual cafe, eyes filled with hesitation, that Tina’s world tilted.
“I don’t know how to say this,” Amy started, stirring a cup of tea she hadn’t touched.
“Then don’t,” Tina said with a half-smile, trying to lighten the mood
Amy didn’t smile back. “I saw Alan two days ago. At the Parkside Motel.”
Tina blinked. “For work?”
Amy swallowed hard. “With someone. A woman.”
The words didn’t land at first. They hovered in the air, waiting to be absorbed.
Tina forced a laugh. “That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe-
Amy pulled out her phone and placed it on the table. “I didn’t want to believe it either, so I waited. I took these.”
Tina hesitated before looking. But when she did, her breath left her body.
Alan. Holding hands with another woman. Laughing. Comfortable. Familiar.
Angela.
Tina recognized her immediately. She had met her just weeks ago while Christmas shopping with Alan. One of his employees. Mid-to-late twenties. Pretty. Polished. Alan had introduced them casually, and Tina had even commented on how nice she seemed.
She had been so stupid.
A tear slipped down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. “How long did you wait?”
“Almost an hour,” Amy admitted. “I needed to be sure
Tina nodded, her fingers gripping the edge of the table. She wanted to scream. To demand an explanation. But what good would it do? The proof was in front of her.
“I’m so sorry,” Amy said softly. “I debated whether to tell you, but I couldn’t keep this from you.”
“I’m glad you did,” Tina said, though her voice didn’t sound like her own.
Amy hesitated. “What are you going to do?”
Tina exhaled shakily. “I don’t know yet. But… don’t say anything to anyone, okay?”
“Of course.”
For days, Tina went through the motions, pretending everything was fine. But it wasn’t. She caught herself watching Alan, studying him like a stranger. Noticing the faint scent of perfume that clung to him some nights. The way he never looked her in the eye anymore.
He had no idea she knew.
That realization fueled her rage. It wasn’t just the affair-it was his arrogance. His assumption that she was oblivious. That she was a fool.
The marriage was over. That much was clear. But divorce wasn’t enough. She didn’t want to just leave Alan. She wanted to ruin him.
And she had an idea.
For days, she sat outside Alan’s office building, watching. Learning. His managers-all around the same age as Angela-had a routine. At 5:30 p. m., they trickled out, heading to a bar two blocks away called Pour Advice.
Angela never joined them. Interesting. Maybe she had a boyfriend. A husband, even.
That didn’t matter. What mattered was that one of Alan’s managers would join her.
On Friday night, she walked into Pour Advice at exactly 5 p. m., ordering a cosmopolitan. Then another. And another. She wasn’t drunk-just loose enough to follow through
By 7 p. m., she started to wonder if Colton, the one she had chosen, would even show. And if he did… could she really go through with it
Her answer came when someone bumped her arm, nearly spilling her drink.
“Sorry about that,” a deep voice said.
She turned, ready to brush it off, but then she saw him
Colton.
He was even better looking up close-sharp jawline, confident smirk. And he was smiling at her..
Oh god.
She swallowed her nerves and forced a smile. “No problem at all.”
“Can I buy you a drink to make up for it?”
She hesitated for only a second before tilting her head. “How can I say no?”
She hadn’t flirted in over a decade, especially not with someone almost ten years younger.
But when she glanced toward his colleagues, who were busy flirting with a waitress, she knew she only needed one of them for her plan.
She turned her attention back to Colton
“Are you waiting for someone?” he asked.
“No, not at all. How about you? Are you here alone?” she asked.
She wondered if that sounded like a pick-up line, then figured he probably wouldn’t be offended if it did.
“Just a couple of guys from work,” he said, taking a drink of his beer. “Why don’t you come and join us?”
It struck her that maybe she hadn’t planned this out quite as well as she thought. She wasn’t sure how to respond to an invitation to have drinks with all of them.
“Sure,” she heard herself answer.
Colton paid for their drinks and led her back to the table.
“Guys, this is…,” Colton trailed off. “Sorry, I guess I didn’t get your name.”
“It’s Tina,” she said, immediately regretting giving her real name.
“I’m Colton,” he said. “This is Jason and this is Andrew.”
They stood up and gently shook her hand, the awkward way guys do with girls. She saw them glance down and look her over, Andrew’s eyes lingering longer than the others. She had dressed in something much more risque than she would normally wear, hoping to attract their attention and let them know she meant business. Her skirt was tight and ended just above the knees. She had undone an extra button on her white cotton blouse, to show off plenty of cleavage. Looking in the mirror before leaving the house, she admired how sexy she thought she looked. Maybe she would dress like this more often.
She sat in the chair next to Jason, across from Andrew and Colton on the other side of the table, and took another drink from her glass. The others did the same, and she wondered if she should speak up first.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you in here before,” Andrew said.
“I’m just in town for a few days, visiting my parents for their anniversary,” Tina lied. She’d prepared a backstory ahead of time. “Thought I would get out and have some fun.”
With that comment, she tipped her head down slightly toward her drink but looked up to meet Andrew’s eyes. Maybe she was good at flirting, she thought to herself.
Andrew shifted in his seat.
“Well, we’re glad you did,” Colton said, before raising his glass in the air. “To having a good time,” he toasted, and they all raised their glasses.
Everyone took a drink, and Tina saw Colton glance in Jason’s direction, a crooked smile on his face.
As Tina took the last mouthful of her drink, she suddenly realized how drunk she felt. She didn’t drink often, and she was now on her fifth cosmopolitan. It had been years since she had drunk this much.
She stood up to go to the ladies’ room, and fell right into Jason’s lap, knocking his drink over.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” she said, feeling embarrassed.
She tried to stand up, but Jason had his hands on her hips, holding her in place.