Chapter 77
Bed Friends
Carter’s POV
“Are you kidding?” I blurted before I even realized it. “You know I’m married right?”
“When has that ever stopped men?” She shrugged. I stared at her, unable to say anything because it hit me too hard,
It was the very same thing that led Veronica and I to where we were today. Infidelity.
I let my stupid drunk ass mess up and made things worse by acting nonchalant towards her. My gaze returned to Arie who was busy sipping her drink.
I couldn’t tell if she was joking or not. Yes, Arie and I were bed friends at some point and Orthon kicked heavily against it bit we only stopped after she went off to the army.
I didn’t think after everything she’d been through, she’d be back here demanding the same thing that ruined her life.
“I’m up for a quickie
“Are you going to say yes or no?” She ask he added with a
too. I don’t mind bending over this counter
smirk.
“Is this some kind of test? Like you did with the company?” I asked and her smirk faded.
Chapter 77
“The company was not a test. I was just showing you how easy it is to run away from your problems and you actually tried to. I should kick your ass,” she quipped. “Sex, however, is a matter of choice. Yes or no? Chose wisely, sweetheart.”
“I… I think I’ll pass,” I grabbed my own drink and down in one gulp to escape the awkward moment that was coming but it didn’t come.
“That’s sad, though. I am quite a catch. Most men like girls who are freaky in bed,” she winked. I gulped hard and poured myself another glass.
She knew what she was doing. It was her expertise and she just needed to remind me of that.
“You should stop what you’re doing, Arie. You’re trying to bait me and I know at the end of it, you’re going to smack me,” I said and she laughed.
A very big confirmation that I had indeed escaped what she had planned for me.
“At least something scares you since the sanctity of marriage is nothing. So when were you going to tell me about the hottie Orthon is hiding?” She asked and my mood immediately dampened.
“Hottie?” I repeated.
“Yes, what was her name again? Veronica, ahh yes! That’s it,” she said and my mood dropped more drastically. She seemed to have noticed it because she stopped smiling the minute she saw my face.
“What is it?” She asked.
“She’s my wife,” I informed her.
“What?” She gasped.
17.841
“You heard me right, Arie. Veronica is my wife yet she left me for him. not caring how I feel. I begged her to come back but she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t even accept my gifts. Then she served me divorce papers out of the blue,” I told her. My heart felt heavier with every word that left my
mouth.
“You mean Veronica is with Orthon while she is still married to you?” Arie asked.
“Apparently,” I chuckled sadly.
Arie stared at me, her brows knitting together as she took in my words. I wasn’t sure if it was pity, disappointment, or pure disbelief in her eyes, but whatever it was, it made me feel even more pathetic than I already did.
“Damn,” she muttered, exhaling sharply. “That’s cold, Carter. Even for me.”
I scoffed and took another sip of my drink, letting the burn settle in my chest. “Tell me about it.”
She tapped her fingers against the counter, lost in thought. “So, let me get this straight, your wife, the woman you claim to love, left you for Orthon, ignored your attempts to get her back, and now she’s acting like you never existed?”
I nodded. “Pretty much.”
“And you’re just… sitting here, drinking yourself into oblivion instead of doing something about it?”
“What the hell do you expect me to do, Arie?” I snapped, my patience wearing thin. “I already tried everything. I begged. I apologized, even for
41.04%
Chapter 77
things that weren’t my fault. I sent gifts. I gave her space. Nothing worked. She still wants a divorce.”
me
Arie tilted her head, studying Then she smirked, shaking her head. “God, you really are an idiot.”
I frowned. “Excuse me?“”
“You heard me.” she said, tossing back the rest of her drink. “You’re sitting here drowning in self–pity while your wife is out there playing house with another man. Have you ever considered that maybe, just maybe, she’s waiting for you to fight for her instead of rolling over and giving up?”
I clenched my jaw. “I did fight for her, Arie. But she…”
“Clearly, not hard enough.”
JJ
Her words hit me like a slap. I wanted to argue, to tell her she was wrong, but a part of me, the part that wasn’t too drunk or too broken, knew there was some truth in what she was saying.
“I don’t know,” I muttered, rubbing my temples. “Maybe she’s happier without me.”
Arie groaned in frustration. “Men. You’re all the same. You screw up, you feel guilty, and then instead of fixing things, you sulk until the woman in question makes the decision for you.”
I sighed. “And what exactly do you suggest I do?”
She leaned forward, her expression turning serious. “If you really want her back, stop moping and start acting like a man who deserves her. Find out why she left. Fix whatever the hell went wrong. And if she still wants a divorce after that?” Arie shrugged. “Then at least you’ll know you did
64.131
Chapter 77
everything you could.”
I swallowed hard, her words settling in. “And if she’s already moved on?”
A slow smirk curled on her lips. “Then make her regret it.”
I let out a dry chuckle. “That almost sounded like good advice.”
Arie winked. “Because it is.”
I sighed, pushing my glass away. Maybe she was right. Maybe I’d given up too easily. Maybe it was time I stopped drowning in regret and did something about it.
I glanced at Arie.
“Are you… maybe friends with her now?” I asked.
“Yeah, something like that,” she answered and relief washed through me. This was going to be a lot easier than I thought.
“Will you help me win her back?”
