The Price of Betrayal novel Chapter 7

Jack knelt there in the schoolyard dust, his expensive suit collecting dirt as he called me his wife.

The scene froze every parent in place. Their smartphones hung forgotten in mid-air.

The crowd that had been so sure of everything moments ago now stood in stunned silence.

Ashley's perfectly crafted world cracked. "What... what's happening?"

"Did he just call her... his wife?"

"That can't be right. There must be some mistake."

The parents swarmed Ashley with questions she couldn't answer. Their certainty crumbled like a house of cards.

The color drained from her face. The confident socialite facade shattered, revealing the desperate woman beneath.

When she finally found her voice, it came out as a shriek. "Jack! What the hell is this? Why are you calling that whore your wife?"

Her designer handbag hit the ground as she grabbed his shoulders. "You told me our marriage was just paperwork! You promised we'd have a real wedding once you took over the company!"

Her voice cracked with hysteria. "We have a son together! And now you're kneeling to... to her?"

The carefully maintained composure of the CEO's wife dissolved completely.

"You said I was the love of your life! Was that all lies? Answer me!" She shook him violently, mascara running down her cheeks.

Jack shoved her away with enough force to send her stumbling. "Just shut up!"

"Can't you see you're ruining everything?"

Ashley staggered back like she'd been slapped. This wasn't her charming, devoted Jack. This was a stranger wearing his face.

The man she'd built her dreams around had vanished in an instant.