I had underestimated Amanda's persistence—she actually tracked me down.
That night, a knock echoed through my apartment. When I opened the door and saw Amanda standing there, frustration twisted in my chest.
"What do you want now?"
I thought I had made myself perfectly clear.
This marriage was already dead, and I had no intention of prolonging the agony. There was no point in torturing each other any further.
Amanda didn't care. Without hesitation, she shoved past me, marching inside like she owned the place. Her eyes flicked around, scanning every corner. Only when she confirmed there were no signs of another person living here did she finally relax. Crossing her arms, she looked at me with barely concealed impatience.
"You've made enough of a scene. Come home with me now, and I'll forget all about it."
I stared at her, momentarily stunned by the sheer audacity of her words. Then, I let out a low, humorless chuckle.
For the first time, I saw Amanda for what she really was—a woman so convinced of her own righteousness, she had no concept of shame.
"Amanda, do you really think I don't know about you and Ethan?"
"Do you think I'm asking for a divorce just for the hell of it?"
"We've been married for five years. I walked away quietly because I didn't want things to get ugly. Can you at least have the decency to do the same?"
"Or do you need to drag this into complete and utter humiliation before you're satisfied?"
Amanda's face darkened, her lips tightening. "How many times do I have to tell you? I only see him as a younger brother—"
I let out a cold laugh, cutting her off.
"A younger brother?" My voice dripped with disdain. "Does a younger brother pin his sister to a bed and fuck her?"
The blood drained from Amanda's face.
"I... I..."
She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
She knew there was nothing she could say—no excuse that would erase what had already been done.
Even if Ethan hadn't sent me the pictures, I could see it in her eyes every time she looked at him. That burning, unrestrained desire.
Everything that had happened between them, every lie she had fed me, only made one thing painfully clear—Amanda was no longer the girl who used to look at me like I was her entire world.
Now, she was stunning, successful, and confident.
And younger men noticed.
I could almost understand why she did it.
What I couldn't understand was how she still had the nerve to stand here and act like none of it mattered.
"Don't bother lying," I said, my voice steady, almost eerily calm.
"Maybe you don't realize it yet, but I know you better than you think."
"Amanda, let it go. Stop chasing after me."
She hesitated, as if still searching for some way to twist this in her favor. But before she could speak, her phone rang.
She glanced at the screen.
A flicker of guilt crossed her face—so brief, I almost missed it.
Then she answered.
"Babe, my leg hurts so much," Ethan's voice whined from the other end. "Can you come back and take care of me?"
Amanda's fingers tightened around her phone.
She could never say no to him.
"I'm busy right now," she said after a pause, her voice softer, almost tender. "I'll come back as soon as I'm done, okay? Be good and don't move too much, or you'll make it worse."
On the other end, Ethan's tone turned petulant.
"Babe, are you abandoning me? You even got mad at me the other day... I was really upset, you know?"
A young, good-looking guy, full of energy, who knew exactly when to act needy—what woman wouldn't fall for that?
And Amanda?
She didn't even realize how her voice changed, how it became that much sweeter, that much more indulgent.
"Alright, alright, it's my fault," she cooed. "When I get back, I'll make it up to you, okay?"
She hung up.
And just like that, any trace of guilt in her eyes vanished.
It was as if Ethan's voice had wiped away whatever shame she might have felt, erasing it completely.
She slipped her phone back into her purse and looked at me.
"I was just bored," she said with a shrug, as if none of it mattered. "It was just a bit of fun. Do you really have to take it so seriously?"
Then she smiled, almost playfully.
"I promise, you'll always be my husband. No one will ever take your place. Isn't that enough?"