I nodded. “Hmm, this theory actually makes sense.
I had a lightbulb moment. “Maybe Antonio hooked up with the college girl first and then dumped Wendy?”
On the phone. Janessa laughed, “Bingo! How could a cheater like him settle for just one woman?
“To be honest, aside from you, Antonio’s taste in women has never changed. When that college girl comes in for an internship, she’s got that same swagger, just like how Wendy used to be, acting all high and mighty.”
I felt a surge of emotion, but I was genuinely curious about Wendy. s genuinely curious about Wendy.
“Janessa, did Wendy really sign the house over to Antonio last time?” I asked.
Janessa smirked. “Wendy isn’t foolish. She wouldn’t just give him the house. She was so furious that she painted the Mercedes with fake blood and drove it to Antonio’s place. The car was wrecked. As for her son. Wendy’s never been the nurturing type.
“Antonio saw how fierce Wendy could get and hasn’t mentioned the house since.”
The luxury car was wrecked just like that.
It wasn’t a big deal for Antonio, but it was enough to turn his stomach for six months
Truly, only a cunning woman could handle a scoundrel like him.
End of the month, my lawyer asked me to fly back for the court hearing.
Things went smoothly, but I was caught off guard when Antonio’s new flame. Grace Parrish, tagged along.
Just as Janessa had painted her. Grace was a classic angelic bitch.
She was seemingly innocent on the outside, but with a gaze that cut right through people.
Antonio’s eyes flickered with a mix of regret and something more complex upon seeing me.
Grace, scared I’d take her man, grabbed Antonio’s arm tight, staking her claim.
“Miss. I’ve heard all about you two from Antonio. You just couldn’t move on, always throwing in your miscarriage to make yourself look like the victim and drag Antonio’s name through the mud.
let’s face it. Antonio’s not into you. I’m the one he’s into. I get you’re eeling a bit green right now. After the divorce, let’s not cross paths again.”
I looked at Antonio, who was hanging his head in guilt, and gave a small, wry smile. “Then I wish you both a long and happy life. I look forward to hearing the patter of tiny feet ”
As I turned to go. Janessa clutched my hand and shot a glare at Grace.
“You said Antonio’s into you. Has he bought you a house? Did he tell you about the house he gave to his first love? Come on! You’re not even in the same league”
Grace’s smile vanished, replaced by a look of rage directed at Antonio,
Janessa pulled me away, leaving behind a trail of Grace’s heated words.
I booked a flight back to Vortexburg for that night.
What I didn’t see coming was the afternoon’s local news report on a brutal murder.
“A college girl, possibly out of spite, broke into a home to confront the other woman. The guy tried to intervene, but it ended in a sad tale of death and injury.”
The police showed up, closed the area off, and hauled Grace away.
As soon as Janessa heard this, she called me, a twinge of guilt in her voice. “Sweetie. I just learned Wendy had bipolar disorder. If I hadn’t told Grace about the house, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”
Janessa was a person with a sharp tongue but a warm heart.
I comforted her, feeling thankful she always had my back. “Listen, if Grace hadn’t been such a bully at the courthouse, you wouldn’t have stood up for me, and she wouldn’t have gone after Wendy, ending up in this mess
“Truth is, she asked for it. It was her own doing.”
It hit me that my decision to divorce Antonio was about the house too.
This whole mess also ended because of that house.
It seemed that it was all destined.
Both Grace and Antonio got sentenced and ended up in jail for the murder
Eight days later, I got the divorce papers I’d been waiting for.
That day, Janessa waited for me at the courthouse steps. She took my hand, handing over a bouquet of sunflowers. “Congratulations, Lila. Welcome to your new life.”
“Thanks.”
I took the flowers and held her hand, a genuine smile finally gracing my face.
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