He Left Her in the Cold

Kendall shrieked. The expensive red wine soaked her white cashmere sweater, staining the fabric a murky red as it trickled down her collarbone and into her cleavage.

My accusation was drowned out by a chorus of whistles and jeers.

"Whoa! Kendall's all wet!"

"I thought this was a group hang! Why should Spencer have all the fun?"

"Yeah, don't be selfish! Take off the blanket and let us get an eyeful!"

Spencer's face darkened. He quickly shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around Kendall. Pointing at the others, he sneered, "You think you're worthy of touching Kendall?"

Kendall shivered in his arms, but over Spencer's shoulder, she shot me a defiant, raised eyebrow. The expression was so nauseating it made my stomach churn.

She struggled against his hold. "Don't be like this, your jealous wife is watching. Aren't you worried she'll cut off your company's funding when you get back?"

"Besides, what's wrong with the guys seeing me? We've all been to nude beaches together. It's not like you're the only one who gets to look, right?"

At that, Spencer held her even tighter. I was so furious I could barely stand, and a sharp pain lanced through my abdomen.

Yet my own husband, instead of showing a flicker of concern, snapped at me, "Annelise, I brought you here to relax and meet my friends. What the hell is your problem? You don't embarrass me like this in public!"

I stared at Spencer, stunned. I was carrying his child, had just watched him commit a lewd act with another woman, discovered my anniversary gift was stolen, and was publicly ridiculed. And me throwing a glass of wine was what embarrassed him?

I stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face. "You make me sick, Spencer Porter. I'm not even dead yet, and you're already lining up my replacement?"

He clearly hadn't expected me, always so poised, to strike him in public. His face curdled with anger and humiliation. "I had Kendall explain! We were just playing around! What more do you want, Annelise? For me to cut off all my friends? To be chained to you at home like some prisoner? Will that make you happy?"

I stared at him, a vise tightening around my chest. We had been married for two years. He had been a broke kid with nothing but a slick PowerPoint deck, facing rejection after rejection. It was my family's network and capital that funded his failing tech company, elevating him from a nobody to a CEO.

I had insisted on having his child, even when my doctors warned me against it. And this was how he repaid me?

I pressed a hand to my aching stomach and laid down my ultimatum. "I don't feel well. You can either take me back to our suite right now, or you can stay here with your 'soulmate.' Make your choice, Spencer."

He could remain the Hawthorne family's son-in-law or face ruin. It wasn't a difficult decision.

Just as Spencer reluctantly started toward me, Kendall pressed her chest deliberately against him. She tugged his earlobe, rolling her eyes. "Jesus, Spencer, why do you always let these controlling bitches walk all over you?"

"If I had actually wanted you, do you think that baby in her belly would even exist? You're a rising star in Silicon Valley now! I'll give you five minutes. If you walk out on me today, we're done."

The others stared at me with open disdain. "This is why we hate it when people bring outsiders," one of them muttered. "They're so high and mighty just because they have money."