Side Chick Era... Over

Loving Mom 11

“Then there’s Carter,” Kelly said, her tone light as she smiled, almost casual–yet laced with something poisonous beneath the surface. “One phone call from me, no matter what he’s doing–work, meetings, anything–he drops it all and comes to me. Even if you two are… in bed together, he’ll still leave you and come to me.”

Sharon’s hand tightened into a fist before she realized it, her nails digging into her palm. But she didn’t feel the pain.

Because it was true. More than once, in their most intimate moments, Kelly’s call had pulled Carter away.

She had pleaded with him not to go.

But all he left her with was a cold, dismissive reply. “Don’t be unreasonable.”

And then he walked out. As if the heat of a moment ago had been a hallucination. As if she meant nothing at all.

Left behind, disheveled and humiliated, Sharon had sat in the quiet, her skin still burning from his touch, her heart colder than ice.

Now, she smiled faintly and looked Kelly straight in the face.

“So,” she asked, “he left me… to sleep with you?”

Kelly’s expression twitched–barely noticeable–but then she quickly recovered, masking it with a placid look.

“It’s not as dirty as you’re imagining,” she said. “Between me and Carter… it’s not like that.”

She could lie about a lot of things. But not this.

Even if she had once been Carter’s first love, as long as Carter and Sharon hadn’t officially divorced, she had no rightful place. To the world, she was the other woman. The mistress.

And of course, those righteous voices online never hesitated to weigh in–mocking the pathetic wives who couldn’t keep their men, preaching that all love outside of marriage was betrayal.

But they didn’t know. Kelly had met Carter first. Before everything

“Dirty?” Sharon repeated the word softly, without anger. “If there’s really nothing between you two, what exactly are you proud of? That your feelings are pure? That you never managed to give him a child? Or… that he never married you?”

cracked, like glass splintering under

him, never had his child–if I asked for the moon, find a way to

he’d

lit up in her

Carter? It ended up being mine. The dress? My favorite style. Funny, after all these years, he still remembers

If you’re so

gaze head–on. “Don’t

moment, something hateful flashed across Kelly’s eyes.

you. His friends don’t like you. Not even your husband or your son are close to

“Well, I obviously can’t compare to your charm. Carter’s sister likes you. His friends adore you. Even Carter and Theo are

Chapter 11

+25 BONUS

heard the sarcasm. It wasn’t flattery–it was a death knell. She was mocking her. Mocking

feign civility,

say things that lacked grace or dignity. But now—now, she understood. Whoever made her suffer, she’d return the

just to make others feel

with unshed tears. Her voice softened into something frail, pitiful. “Sharon, you don’t need

her words carefully measured. “You’re right. Everything Carter has given me was

a furious shout

mean, ‘even God prefers Kelly‘? Sharon, who the hell

her gaze landing on the three

forward, rage written all over his face. He looked like he wanted to tear

about Kelly like that? Have you stooped

between his brows. “Nate, calm down. Maybe this is just a

because Kelly’s liked by everyone–so she says even God prefers Kelly, and curses her to die! She’s so two–faced! She puts on a show in public, pretending to be all innocent, then turns around and bullies Kelly whenever she can. If we hadn’t happened to be here and heard it

satisfaction. “Finally caught you

wasn’t a trace

had changed her tone, Sharon had known–there were people

her glance and gave her a slight nod in greeting before quietly saying to Nate, “Nate, Sharon is Carter’s wife. Even if she did something wrong, it’s not your place to scold

“You heard everything too, didn’t you?