After betrayed by my dearest brother, friend, and husband

Betty’s parting words rang in my ears for weeks.

*You used to love celebrating birthdays with me the most.*

The thorn dug deeper every day. Elon began working late every evening, claiming urgent merger meetings. When I reached for his phone on the nightstand to check the time, a new six-digit passcode locked me out. Two days later, a Junior associate in the finance department slipped a photo onto my tablet—Elon’s Mercedes parked outside Betty’s downtown building at two in the morning, his hand cupping her cheek through an open window.

More than a decade together. Five years of marriage. I still tried to convince myself there was an explanation.

Until tonight.

The annual foundation charity gala wrapped at ten. Elon slipped away before the final toast. His personal assistant, Mark, hesitated when I cornered him by the valet station.

"Where did he go, Mark?" I demanded.

Mark avoided my gaze. "He booked the penthouse suite at the St. Jude Grand. He said he had an off-the-record briefing."

"With Betty?"

Mark’s silence was answer enough.

I drove across town, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tight my knuckles ached. In the lobby of the St. Jude Grand, I spotted them stepping into the private elevator. Betty’s head rested on Elon’s shoulder, his fingers tangled in her dark hair.

I took the secondary service elevator straight to the top floor.

The suite door was unlatched, slightly ajar.

Low moans echoed down the carpeted corridor from the master bedroom. Wet, slapping sounds tore through the quiet air.

"Harder, Elon... fuck, right there..."

Betty’s breathless gasp split the silence.

I pushed the bedroom door open.

My husband stood between Betty’s spread thighs at the edge of the mattress, his pants shoved down around his knees, slamming his cock into her with brutal rhythm. Betty was completely naked, her legs hooked around his hips, clawing his back while he fucked her.

"Look at you," Elon grunted, sweating, his hand gripping her throat as he thrust deeper. "You take every inch of this."

"Elon!"

The scream tore out of my throat before I could stop it.

Elon froze mid-stroke. He pulled his cock out of her with a slick, sickening squelch. Semen and slick dripped between her thighs onto the Egyptian cotton sheets.

Betty gasped, scrambling backward toward the headboard, pulling a velvet pillow over her bare breasts.

Elon didn't panic. He didn't even flinch. He reached for his slacks, pulling them up over his softening dick, zipping his fly with steady, uncaring hands.

He stared at me, his eyes dead and frigid.

"Are you done making a scene?" Elon asked.

The air vanished from my lungs. I shook, my fingernails digging into my palms until skin broke.

"We've been married for five years," I said, my voice trembling with raw venom. "Five years. And you dismiss me with 'are you done making a scene'?"

"You followed me here," Elon said, stepping toward me while buttoning his cuffs. "You stalked my assistant, tracked my car, and barged into a private suite. What did you expect to find?"

"You're fucking another woman!" I shouted. "In a hotel ten blocks from our home!"

"Because she gives me peace," he shot back, his voice rising, harsh and cruel. "Look at yourself, Uliana. You've lived in luxury for so long you've turned into an entitled, spoiled brat. You don't build anything. You just spend my money and complain about desserts at anniversary dinners."

"Your money?" A wild laugh escaped my throat. "My family backed your first three acquisitions! Charlie and I gave you the capital to survive!"

"And you never let me forget it," Elon spat. He gestured toward the bed where Betty sat shivering. "Betty built her own career. She struggled. She came from nothing. She’s the only woman in my life who actually needs me. You don't need anyone. You just want a puppet."

A sob broke from the bed.

Betty slid off the mattress, dragging a white sheet around her naked torso. Her knees hit the hard wooden floor with a sickening thud.

She dropped to her knees in front of me, pressing her palms against the floorboards, weeping hysterically.

"I'm sorry, Uliana! Please, I'm so sorry!" Betty wailed, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. "It’s all my fault. Don't blame Elon! I just... I loved him for so long, and I couldn't stop myself. Punish me, hate me, just don't ruin his life!"

"Betty, get up," Elon ordered, his voice dropping into that protective, tender register. "Don't kneel to her."

"No, Elon, I deserve this!" Betty choked out, clutching the hem of my tailored trousers, looking up at me like a terrified victim awaiting execution. "Uliana, slap me if you want! Scream at me! Just don't take him away from the company. He worked so hard..."

I stared down at her theatrical tears, disgust rising in my throat like bile. She wasn't begging for forgiveness. She was putting on a show for the man behind me.

"Get your hands off me," I hissed, jerking my leg away from her grip.

"Don't touch her like that!" Elon barked, shoving himself between us. He hauled Betty up into his arms, wrapping his suit jacket around her bare shoulders. He glared down at me as if I were a venomous snake. "Look at what you're doing to her. You come in here barking orders, humiliating someone who has nothing. You make me sick."

"I make you sick?" I whispered.

"Get out," Elon said coldly. "Go home. Pack your things to sleep in the guest wing. We will discuss the logistics of this tomorrow when you've regained your sanity."

I looked at Elon, then at Betty, who was burrowing her tear-streaked face into his chest, her eyes peeking out at me with a gleam of pure triumph.

I didn't utter another word.

I spun around, walked out of the bedroom, and slammed the heavy oak door behind me.

My vision blurred with tears as I hurried down the empty hallway toward the elevator bank. My chest felt hollowed out, as if someone had carved away my ribs with a rusted blade. Five years of devotion, built on a foundation of lies and contempt.

The elevator doors chimed and slid open.

I stepped inside the brass-paneled car, pressing the button for the lobby. The mirrored walls reflected my pale, trembling reflection.

My phone vibrated in my palm.

A notification flashed on the dark screen. An unknown number.

I tapped the screen with a shaking thumb.

*You think Betty just came back to steal your husband?* the text read. *She doesn't give a damn about Elon. What she really wants is everything you have.*