Pampered by my Billionaire CEO Husband
Chapter 102: A new friend

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: A new friend

A look of betrayal crossed her face as she stumbled backwards in shock, disbelief written all over her face. "It can’t be..." she mumbled to herself, her voice barely above a whisper, denial evident in her voice. "I mean... How did you know?" She asked, her eyes darting around anxiously.

I took out the pictures that Bryce had given me earlier and handed it over to her. "This woman is the same woman who stole my ex-husband from me too. I know your pain. I was once in your position."

"But... but..." she stammered, struggling to get the words out of her throat as her voice trembled.

A mixture of anger, sadness and betrayal was swirling in the depths of her eyes as she stared at the pictures she was clutching in her hands, almost crumpling them up with sheer force. Seeing the pictures with her own eyes, she knew she couldn’t deny it any longer, she had to accept the harsh truth that she was thrown into all of a sudden.

"He had always been so busy with work and projects," she recalled as her mind raced with thoughts. "How did he get the time to... do all these? To betray me and our kids for another woman?" Tears were starting to form in the brim of her eyes, threatening to fall any second as she bit onto her quivering lower lip.

"Unfortunately, those business trips and overtime... they were all spent with her. He was lying to you."

She dropped the pictures onto the floor as a soft gasp left her parted lips. Her hand flew to cover her mouth. "Oh god..." she choked on her own words and tears started streaming down her face as she broke down crying. "We... We have been... married for over 5 years now. How could he do this... to me..." She said in between sobs, her voice strained as she stuttered as though there was a lump stuck in her throat.

"Mama..." her daughters wrapped their fingers around her legs, with a concerned expression that masked their features, their tiny brows furrowed together and their lips downturned. "Mama, are you okay?" They asked in a worried tone, tears also glistening in their big round eyes as they continued to tug at her legs.

She got down on her knees to meet her children’s eyes. "Mama’s... okay..." she managed to get the words out as she tried her hardest to hold her tears back. "I’m okay, don’t worry."

Watching this unfold before my eyes, I found myself also getting down on my knees so that we were looking at each other eye to eye. I reached out to pull her into a hug, wrapping my arms around her, comforting her.

"I’m sorry," I murmured next to her ear, guilt evident in my voice. "I didn’t mean to..."

She pulled away, wiping off the tears that stained her rosy cheeks. "It’s alright. It’s not your fault," she assured, cracking a slight smile. She placed her hand on my shoulder. "Thanks for telling me."

I gave her a small smile. "Of course. That’s the least I could do. I cannot stand knowing that he is out there cheating on you while you are staying home with your kids. It doesn’t sit right with me. You deserve to know the truth."

She let out a breath and her arm fell back to her side. "Yeah..." She muttered under her breath, then it hit her. A defeated look was now etched onto her face as reality sank in. "But what do I do now? I am a stay-at-home-mother. I have no savings of my own. And this house, it was bought solely by him. He made me sign a prenup before our marriage. I will lose everything if I ask for a divorce. I can’t raise my two kids alone. I don’t want them to grow up struggling financially. I have been through that, I don’t want them to go through what I went through."

My gaze softened as I looked at the pitiful look that was now plastered across her face. I put both hands on her shoulders and our eyes locked, emotions running wild in both of our eyes.

"Don’t worry about this. I will help you, I promise."

"Why are you helping me? I’m just a stranger to you. I can’t accept your help, this is too much," she quickly said. "I will figure something out on my own," she said with a hint of determination that laced her voice.

"Please," I pleaded as I kept my gaze on her, watching as she shook her head lightly, insisting on doing it on her own. "Just let me help you. You are not a stranger anymore. You are my friend now."

There was a brief moment of pause before I continued. "You know, I introduced myself earlier, but I haven’t got to know your name yet."

She pursed her lips. "I’m Serena," she finally introduced with a small smile.

The corners of my lips curled upwards into a smile as well as we locked eyes. "Hi Serena, I was just wondering what are your thoughts on revenge?"

***

It was a busy weekday evening for the restaurants downtown. The place was filled with chatter and a lively buzz as soft pop music played in the background, drowning out the sounds of the metal utensils clanging against each other.

Bryce was sitting opposite of me as he poked at his steak.

"So, how did it go?" He asked, his dark eyes swimming with curiosity and anticipation as he looked up from his plate of food to meet my eyes.

"It went great actually," I said. "I made a new friend."

He arched his brow at me, leaning back into his seat. "Oh, really?" He asked, with a smile playing on his lips. "How’s your new friend then?"

"She’s amazing," I commented with a smile etched onto my face. "I have decided that I’m going to help her."

"To get revenge on her stupid cheating ex-husband?" He immediately said as soon as the words tumbled out of my mouth, almost as if he was trying to complete my sentence.

A chuckle emerged from my throat. "Well, yeah," I agreed. "That, and also she is a stay-at-home mother with two kids. She needs a place to stay and a job that can feed herself and her kids without worrying about the cost."

"Right... how did I forget about that..." he muttered under his breath. "I know you feel like you could trust her... but be careful. Don’t reveal too much of your plan, she might change her mind and back out one day and ruin everything you planned. It’s better to be safe than sorry," he warned out of concern and I simply nodded.

"Yes, Bryce. Don’t worry about it," I assured with a smile. "I know what to do."

There was a moment of pause as silence lapsed between us for a while, until he spoke up.

"Anyway, there is something I have been meaning to tell you..." he started, his voice trailing off. There was a cautious look swimming in his eyes as his eyes darted around, scanning the place before they finally landed back on me.

I raised my brow at him, questions were starting to swirl inside my head. I leaned in closer, our faces were now barely inches apart from one another. "What is it? Tell me," I urged as my heart started beating louder inside my chest.

But before he could utter another word, a familiar high-pitched voice pierced through the air and reached my ears.

"Oh my god, Aurelia, is that you?"