A Strategy For Sweet Revenge

For five years, I was the secret wife of Caleb Thorne, Hollywood's A-list action star.

Yet, he brazenly announced his new relationship on social media.

The media painted me as a crazy, obsessed fan.

His fans crucified me all over the internet.

My cheating husband was portrayed as a devoted hero, while I became the villain.

Did he really think I was just some ordinary brand consultant?

He forgot who put up the five million dollars that launched his brilliant career.

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1

I had just wrapped up a brand launch in New York when my phone started blowing up with calls from my family.

"Genevieve! What the hell is going on?" The first call was from my sister, Clara Sterling.

"What? What are you talking about? Is everything okay?"

Her frantic tone threw me.

"Oh, well, if you don't know, then never mind. As long as you're okay. I was… just calling to ask about the launch." She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when she heard how confused I sounded.

The second call was from my best friend, Piper.

"Gen! Are you okay? Please tell me you're holding up." Her voice was tight with anxiety.

"What?"

My confusion deepened.

"Oh, you haven't heard? Then... never mind," she said quickly. "I was just calling to check in! You know, since you're all the way across the ocean."

Then, Piper stammered through a few bad jokes, laughing a little too loudly, before abruptly hanging up.

Next was a video call from my mom.

"Genevieve! Are you all right?" she asked, her voice tinged with tears.

"Okay, that's it. What the hell is going on?" I'd finally had enough.

My mom fell silent for a few seconds, seemingly startled by my reaction. Then, she blurted out, "Genevieve, you haven't seen? Caleb and that influencer... they went public! And someone leaked your info—they're saying you're some psycho trying to ruin their relationship!"

"The entire internet is tearing you to shreds!"

"Caleb Thorne?" I muttered, my brow furrowed. "He wouldn't dare."

"Genevieve, you stay out of this, you hear me? Your dad, Julian, and I already have the family's legal team on standby!" my mom commanded.

I pressed my temples, feeling a wave of exhaustion. "Mom! Wait, don't do anything rash. Tell Dad and Julian to hold off, too. Let me figure out what's going on first. I can handle this."

It took some convincing, but my mom finally agreed to stand down.

I opened Instagram, and the trending topics were all over my feed.

"Caleb Thorne's Relationship Revealed!"

"'The Human Cannonball' Finds True Love."

"Caleb Thorne and Skylar Chase's Passionate Kiss at Charity Gala."

TMZ had published a photo. In it, Caleb was at a star-studded gala, locked in a passionate kiss with popular influencer Skylar Chase.

To twist the knife, Skylar had also posted a photo of herself wearing a bracelet—a one-of-a-kind piece I’d had custom-designed for our wedding. Her caption read: "The best gift."