Ever After

Copyright @ 2023 Mia Skye. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Edited by: Victoria Ellis of Cruel Ink Editing + Design Cover Design by: Cady Verdiramo of Cruel Ink Editing + Design Formatted by: Victoria Ellis of Cruel Ink Editing + Design To my husband who has always encouraged me to keep going. CONTENTS Prologue 1. Chapter 1 2. Chapter 2 3. Chapter 3 4. Chapter 4 5. Chapter 5 6. Chapter 6 7. Chapter 7 8. Chapter 8 9. Chapter 9 10. Chapter 10 11. Chapter 11 12. Chapter 12 13. Chapter 13 14. Chapter 14 15. Chapter 15 16. Chapter 16 17. Chapter 17 18. Chapter 18 19. Chapter 19 20. Chapter 20 21. Chapter 21 22. Chapter 22 23. Chapter 23 24. Chapter 24 25. Chapter 25 26. Chapter 26 27. Chapter 27 28. Chapter 28 29. Chapter 29 30. Chapter 30 31. Chapter 31 32. Chapter 32 Epilogue About the Author My husband and I are supposed to be fixing our marriage while on this getaway, but instead, I needed time to clear my head. Now that I’m in a better headspace, I head back to the Hilton hotel where Aiden and I are staying. The place is beautiful but I’m alone. I square my shoulders, and maybe it’s the drinks talking, but I came here to solve our problems, not create new ones. We’ve always said we are each other’s happily ever after. I can’t give up now. I press the button for the elevator to take me up. My anxious butterflies are coming back. The closer I get, the stronger they get. I walk into the elevator and press the button for floor twelve just as a family joins me. The quick, upward motion of the elevator going up hits the pit of my stomach. The jolt isn’t helping my anxiousness. Sensing someone staring at me, I turn my attention from the floor and find a little girl’s wide-eyed stare on me. A smile stretches across her face, and I feel the corners of my own lips turning upward as I give her a slight wave just as the elevator signals that we’ve reached my floor. Once in front of the door, I swipe my card and disregard the do not disturb sign. The door catches on something, and confused, I push harder. A shuffling sound comes from the bedroom. “Aiden, are you up?” I call out. A gasp echoes in the room as I step over a shirt. Not a shirt... a dress. I pick it up and look at it. It’s cheap polyester fabric and covered in pink leopard print—definitely not mine. Am I in the wrong room? I panic before seeing my black suitcase right by the closet where I left it. Drunk or not, I’d recognize that beat-up old suitcase anywhere. My breaths turn shallow as I slowly walk toward the bedroom. Once there, my heart drops as I flick the light on. The room is spinning. Is this seriously happening right now? I’m grossly fixated on what's in front of me. This definitely isn't what I was expecting. Everything suddenly registers, alcohol swarming through my veins or not, the pieces all start to fall into place. I run over to Aiden just as he stands, and I slap him as hard as I can manage. “What the fuck is this?” I scream. His eyebrows shoot up as all the color drains from his face. Before I can even fully comprehend what I’m doing, my palms are hitting his chest over and over, and screams are pouring from my chest. Tears run down my face before I can stop them. “I didn’t know he was married,” the stupid bitch whispers. I look over at her. “He’s wearing a wedding ring!” I grab his hand and shove it in her face so she can see his ring better. She stares at me wide-eyed. “Get the fuck out!” I yell. She moves, but not fast enough. I grab her by the hair and drag her ass toward the door. “What about my clothes?” She squeals as she tries to fight me off of her, but it’s no use. “You should have thought about that when you decided to sleep with my husband.” I shove her out the door. I don’t fucking care if she walks out naked. Hopefully this teaches her a lesson. Look for a damn wedding ring next time, lady. I spin back around as Aiden walks up to me. He’s put on some shorts. I don't know what to say so I just stand here. My head pounds as the room spins. It must be the alcohol and adrenaline mixing and forming a terrible cocktail inside of me. Aiden grabs my hand but I pull it away from him and stare in disbelief. “I don’t know what to say.” I’m going to pass out. There is a glass of water in front of me. My hands shake as I reach over and grab it. I raise the glass up to my mouth, spilling water all down my chin. I turn to Aiden. “Why would you do this? This is our trip to work on our marriage, and you’re in bed with someone else?” “I don’t know what I was thinking. Everything happened so fast. I should have stopped it. I didn’t think this would happen. Believe me,” he says, pleading. Is he serious right now? Who says that? “What the fuck? You sound as stupid as the bitch you stuck your dick