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?”

finally cracked, like glass

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

he’d

in her

supposed to have with Carter? It ended up being mine. The dress? My favorite style. Funny,

you’re so capable, why didn’t you

head–on. “Don’t

a moment, something hateful flashed across Kelly’s eyes.

you. Not even your husband or your son are close to you. Sharon, maybe it’s time you

obviously can’t compare to your charm. Carter’s sister likes you. His friends adore you. Even Carter and Theo are bewitched by you. Seems even God

Chapter 11

+25 BONUS

flattery–it was a death knell. She was mocking her. Mocking her…

not bothering to feign civility, stabbed directly at

have held back, unwilling to say things that lacked grace or dignity. But now—now, she understood. Whoever made her

destroy herself just to make others

something frail, pitiful. “Sharon, you

gaze, the sorrow in her words carefully measured. “You’re right. Everything Carter has given me was fake… I’m sorry. That wedding… it should’ve

settle, a

mean, ‘even God prefers Kelly‘? Sharon,

calmly, her gaze landing on the three figures standing just a few

face. He looked like he wanted to tear

you talk about Kelly

his brows. “Nate, calm down. Maybe this is

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 for ourselves, who knows

with satisfaction. “Finally

wasn’t a trace

Kelly had changed her tone, Sharon had known–there were people watching. Kelly was using her

and gave her a slight nod in greeting before quietly saying to Nate, “Nate, Sharon is Carter’s wife. Even if she did

toward Carter. “You heard everything too, didn’t you? Are