A Cold Night
His hand formed a trembling fist. He shot it toward the hood of her car, but he stopped at the last second, heaving, barely able to breathe. "Why," he cried silently.
He'd known her for four years, one of those having been spent in a beautiful marriage. So how could she do this to him? She'd started this war, but he swore he'd make sure it would be her last one.
The Garage Floor
He should have known. Nobody liked her. Not even his mom, who liked everyone she ever came across.
His friends had warned him against going out with her. His family forbade it. But blinded by love, he didn't listen. Now, sitting on his garage floor in the dead of night, the only person he could blame was himself.
It Wasn't Always Like This
But for Edward, life hadn't always been this miserable. He had a good life as a surgical resident in his town's hospital. He'd found the perfect balance between work and school and had a thriving social life.
His family was loving and supportive, his friends and colleagues were respectful, and his apartment was among the best in town. But one thing had always been missing.
The Game Of Love
You see, for Edward, the game of love had always been an elusive one. Although he was in his late twenties, he'd only been in a romantic relationship once. And that was back in high school when he had no idea what love was.
He struggled with meeting new people and socializing with them. He was the awkward, shy guy at parties, the lone kid sitting alone at movie theaters and in restaurants. Well, that was until he met Chloe.
The Woman In Question
Chloe was everything Edward wanted in a woman. She was intelligent, strong-willed, and charismatic, with these breathtaking eyes that always made him say “Yes” to anything.
Her sense of humor, dark and unhinged, was unlike anything he'd ever encountered. And her smile was enough to disarm anybody standing in her way. But that wasn't all.
She Is Perfect
Chloe was tall and curvy, ticking two of the three final boxes on Edward's list. The last box was how supportive she was, which Edward couldn't wrap his head around because Chloe adored his likes and interests as much as he did. She was perfect!
He couldn't believe she'd agreed to go out with him and couldn't wait to introduce her to the people in his life. His mom, who always barraged him with "Get out of that apartment and find a girlfriend, I want grandkids," and "You're 28. That girlfriend won't find herself," would be the first to meet her.
The Lunch Date
Edward organized a lunch date between him, his mom, and Chloe. His mom couldn't believe he had a girlfriend. She even insisted on covering the lunch bill. But the pride in her eyes and her unwavering smile would melt away an hour after meeting Chloe.
Edward was heartbroken when he noticed. Did his mom not approve of who he was with? Wasn't she supposed to be happy now that he finally had someone to share his life with?
Caramel Tea
The sixty-year-old wasn't afraid to air her grievances after meeting 'Sweet Chloe,' as she'd called her throughout lunch. "She's hiding something," she said flatly over the phone. "I can feel it, Edwardy. And I don't like it. I don't like her either."
She paused mid-sentence, seemingly lost in thought, before adding, "I dislike her more than I dislike caramel tea." Edward should've considered that a sign because his mom hated caramel tea.
She's Different
Instead of analyzing his mom's words, he continued dating Chloe, even introducing her to his inner circle of friends and colleagues. But although they loved her at first glance, they all started calling him to the side, each throwing in a different warning.
"Are you sure she's the one?" Joel, a close workmate, asked. "She is… different." "Different, how?" Edward whispered. "The kind of 'different' you don't take home to see your mom," Joel answered, and Edward had to stifle a wince.
He Didn't Listen
Another friend told him he found Chloe to be self-centered and boorish. But Edward insisted that was just her signature dark humor. Another mentioned that Chloe had been flirting with her husband at the year end meeting, but Edward dismissed it as "she's friendly like that, my Chloe."
It was only after four years that things started to go awry. Thinking back to all of it, Edward wished he had heeded the warnings.
It Begins
Edward had always assured his family, friends, and colleagues that Chloe was an angel. Well, she was in his eyes. That was until he noticed the copious amounts of cash she always requested.
A loving boyfriend, he never thought much of it. Although he didn't make much at work, he usually found a way to send her the cash she needed. But that was only the start.
The Rabbit Hole
The financial requests continued flowing in as the months went by. But none of it seemed to make sense. Chloe would ask for money to visit her hair stylist but visit Edward with her hair unchanged.
She'd ask for cash to clear her house bills or rent, but a week later, Edward would receive calls from her landlord asking for the money. So what did he do?
Now And Forever
Edward got on one knee and popped the golden question, of course. He'd gotten so close to Chloe over the three years they'd known each other that he saw this as the best course of action for their relationship.
He'd spent more than fifteen thousand dollars on Chloe so far, seeing it as a long-term investment. If only he knew what she was doing with the money.
Husband And Wife
Chloe and Edward's engagement only lasted a month. They couldn't wait to live as husband and wife and quickly tied the knot as the year ended.
Married life was everything Edward ever wanted. Chloe, now his forever, was the angel he thought her to be. Everyone who had ever doubted her sent in an apology. But eleven months after the wedding day, the unseen chinks in their relationship finally burst open.
Car Repair
Edward came home one night to a worried Chloe pacing all over the living room. She told him that her car had been giving her trouble and needed $3000 for the repair.
The request struck Edward as odd. After four years of knowing Chloe, he was more than familiar with her car and knew her explanation for the issue didn't hold any water.
The Engine Part
Still, he gave her the cash, pretending to understand her problem. But after she went to sleep that night, Edward hurried to the garage to examine her car.
He took a long look at the engine part of the vehicle she'd claimed was faulty. To his surprise, it was working fine. Sitting on the floor, he wiped his sweat-slicked forehead. Something was terribly wrong.
Thinking It Through
Edward had never been a nosy person. He rarely meddled in matters that didn't concern him. But now, he burned with curiosity, wondering why his wife would lie about needing $3000 for a car part that was working fine.
But slowly, his mind began considering a possibility that made him sick to his stomach. What if Chloe wasn't being faithful to him and the vows they exchanged on the altar?
It's Sickening
Edward almost curled on the floor, anger, worry, and the crippling sense of betrayal churning inside him. What would he do if Chloe was truly being unfaithful to him?
She was supposed to be the mother of his children, the woman he was meant to build a life with. She was perfect, an angel in his life. Hoping he was wrong, he did the only thing he could.
Taking Matters Into His Hands
Edward went straight to their bedroom, finding Chloe fast asleep. But beside her bedside table was her phone, peacefully charging.
He slipped the charger out and hurried into the living room with the gadget. If something were going on outside his marriage, he'd find it inside Chloe's phone. If only he knew what he was about to uncover.
The Text Message
On a hunch, Edward went straight into her messages and searched for the exact amount Chloe had asked for. Like clockwork, the phone pulled up a text from a guy she'd previously dated.
A fiery sickness burned through Edward's body, pulling him to the carpet. His head heated, and he had to force down the urge to hurl. He couldn't lose his wits now, not when the truth was about to lay itself bare.
The Full Truth
Edward reined in his heartbreak. He scrolled up the chat page with trembling fingers, learning all he could.
Chloe's ex-boyfriend had reached out to her, asking for help with his car. He needed precisely $3000 for a new engine part he'd blown while on a trip. Reading through their messages, Edward noticed something else that had his eyes stinging with tears.
Thinking Back
Edward remembered all those times Chloe had asked for money. He realized he had been paying for this other guy's expenses all this time, and his stomach filled with bile.
Reading further into the evidence, it was clear that Chloe played him like a fool. A bitter chuckle bubbled up his throat, and he started laughing hysterically. Everyone was right. How about that?
Perpetual Twilight
Edward thought about what to do. The clock was inching toward 3 AM now, and he'd been sitting in the living room all this while, stuck in the realization that his marriage was a sham.
He would be stuck in this perpetual twilight for weeks, unsure what to do. He couldn't even concentrate at work, which was quite dangerous, given his chosen profession. He needed to solve this matter fast, or he'd lose his mind agonizing over it.
Weeks Down The Line
It didn't take long for Edward to come up with a solution. His mind was clearer now, and his heart cooled over the long weeks he spent analyzing everything.
He bided his time until one night when Chloe was fast asleep, her phone left charging on the bedside table. Taking it, Edward read through the recent messages, already knowing he was about to set his revenge in motion.
Time To Play The Game
He discovered that Chloe was still in contact with her ex-boyfriend. In fact, they were planning to scam Edward out of some more money. Posing as Chloe, Edward told him she'd had one too many glasses of wine and needed to confess a few things.
Although he didn't say much, he shared that Chloe was not over him and was having second thoughts about her marriage to Edward.
Now We Wait
He asked the man not to talk about any of this again but asked if he was willing to start life with her. Edward then deleted the texts and returned the phone to the bedside table.
All he had to do now was wait and watch. If there were something between Chloe and her ex-boyfriend, her reaction and how she proceeded would tell Edward everything he needed to know.
An Agonizing Wait
As expected, the two fell right into the trap. It killed Edward to read through the texts each week for three months straight, watching as Chloe inched away from him day by day.
He didn't blow his cover until he was sure Chloe was spending physical time with the man in hotels all over town. Without warning, he struck.
Leave
Edward filed for a divorce out of nowhere. Without speaking, he placed the papers before Chloe, telling her he needed her gone by evening.
Since she didn't own much inside their home, it didn't take long for her to leave. But the painful part was that she didn't try to deny or defend herself. If anything, she was happy that their marriage was over. She should have known that Edward was far from done with her.
The Divorce
Edward and Chloe divorced, dividing up about $9,000 worth of assets they'd bought together. The divorce was quick and to the point.
Since Edward was still pursuing his surgical residency, he fell into his work with everything within him to kill the pain. He hoped to put all this behind him, but his mom shared some news about Chloe that had everything rushing back.
The Chips Fall Into Place
"I heard she remarried," Edward's mom said over dinner. "To the guy whose underachievements you've been funding, no less," she giggled. "Ah, Edwardy. I'm sorry. Life will get better. I promise."
Edwards lips curled as he listened to her. He should have told her he left Chloe with a parting gift so grand she'd remember him in this life and next. Her new husband would also enjoy the gift, after being forced to divorce her. But that was a story for another time.