Shattered Vows, Renewed Dreams.

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Giselle sat in front of her mirror; a brush moved through her curly, honey-blond hair in slow, mechanical strokes. Each stroke of the brush was distant, disconnected, as if her hands remembered the rhythm but her body and mind were elsewhere.

Her eyes, rimmed red and glassy, didn’t see her reflection in the mirror; instead, they stared past it as if searching for something lost.

The house was silent, but the silence around her screamed. Grief, pain, and exhaustion had emptied her, but she decided to survive the only way she knew how; by doing what she remembered doing before everything fell apart. She went back to work.

She heard the entrance door open and then shut with a loud bang, followed by hurried footsteps. Her best friend, Rina, had arrived.

Giselle had called Rina while she was still in the hospital. And immediately, Rina heard the news; she booked the next flight to New York from Milan, where she stayed due to her job.

‘Or was it possible that Evan had come back?’ She thought to herself with a hopeful flicker, which made her turn expectantly towards the door.

“Where is he?” Rina burst through the door, fire in her eyes and war in her stance. “Where’s that good-for-nothing bastard?”

“He’s gone!”

“Gone? Gone where?” She asked with scrunched brows, taking in Giselle’s appearance with a nod of approval.

Giselle shrugged. “He left before I was discharged from the hospital, said he needed space to clear his head. I don’t know where he travelled to.”

“Slimy ingrate. After all that you have done, this is how he treats you? He always wants to clear his empty head, and now, when you need him the most, he’s nowhere to be found.”

Giselle sighed and shook her head, then stood up and carried her designer briefcase, all hope of him coming back soon vanishing. “Let’s just go, Rina. My company has arranged for an official private jet, so I’ll travel to Paris and be the representative for the global PR conference. You can come with me.”

Rina gave Giselle a once-over, then whistled and nodded with approval. “Giselle Beaumont, look at you being all boss lady-ish, looking classy and elegant. Paris. Private jet. Global conference. Hell yeah! I’m all in!”

“Always a clown.” Giselle shook her head with a smile curving her lips.

She was grateful for Rina showing up because her larger-than-life personality always rubbed off on those around her fast.

Giselle thought that the journey to Paris and the global conference would be tortorously bleak, but thankfully Rina’s presence brought some color. During the conference hours, Rina found fun spots to entertain herself, and when the conference wrapped up for the day, she dragged Giselle to the fun spots.

The conference ended on a Friday, and when they wrapped up, Giselle decided to stop by her villa in Monaco for a weekend staycation before heading back to New York.

“A staycation in Monaco?! Yassum! I’m down for it!” Rina shouted excitedly as the private jet flew them to the beautiful city. “I can’t wait to discover all the fun spots in that city and drag you there with me as usual. You, my dear girl, need to have some fun. You need joy and color in your life, and who better to bring all that than your girl, Rina?”

“I don’t know how we’ve been friends since we were teenagers. We are so different.”

“Fashion.” Rina leaned back on her seat in the private jet, sighed, then smiled fondly as she reminisced. “Our shared love for fashion brought us together, but life kept us together.”

“The only way I still hold on to fashion is through my outfit, accessories, and jewelry,” Giselle replied with a blank look in her eyes. “Unlike you, I had to give it up partially to be Evan’s trophy wife, then give it up some more to fend for Evan’s needs. With each time I had to give it up, it was as if a part of me died.”

Rina squeezed her hand. “You work in the corporate world, but the media and fashion world won’t stop gushing about your fashion styles. You still have it in you, G-girl. If you decide to come back to the fashion world, we’re waiting for you with enthusiasm and open arms.”

Giselle was saved from replying when the pilot announced that they had arrived at their destination.

Fashion was her first love, but like many other things in her life, marriage to Evan took that part of her.

Evan hated seeing her on TV or in elite magazines for any form of news. He always had one excuse or another, but Giselle suspected that he was jealous of her. Had always been, and that was why he always looked for ways to dim her shine.

They descended from the jet and entered a rented luxury jeep, which took them to Giselle’s villa.

Giselle dialed her housekeeper’s number on her phone, then frowned. “This is the fifth time I have tried Jacobo’s number, but for some weird reason it’s not connecting.”

“It could be his network. He may not be expecting us because we’ve not been able to inform him, but I am certain that we’ll meet the house organized, clean, and intact. Jacobo is good at what he does.”

Rina’s assurance calmed Giselle, and she instead decided to focus on the fun weekend they would have in Monaco.

When they arrived at the villa, Rina jumped out with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Let’s surprise Jacobo, Giselle. He doesn’t know we are here, so let’s show up unannounced.”

Giselle shook her head. “That old man keeps saying that you will be the death of him.”

“He’ll love it. He misses us and loves having us around.”

Jacobo and his grandkids were more like family to Giselle and Rina than a housekeeper.

They left their luggage on the balcony and quietly made their way into the villa, but when they opened the door, an exotic scent and romantic scene made their brows crease.

Scented candles and beautiful florals were lined on the floor from the door up the stairs to the master bedroom. R&B music played from the rooftop speakers.

“Are you thinking what I am thinking, Giselle? Is old man Jacobo getting some in your home?” Rina whispered.

“Eeew, that thought is disturbing, Rina, but if it’s true, I am not sure how I’ll react.”

“It could be someone else. Maybe he leased your home temporarily.”

“That’s even worse, but let’s find out.” Giselle pulled the handle of her bedroom door and pushed the door backwards, then gasped loudly with bulged eyes and an open mouth.

“What the hell is this?!” Rina shouted as she took in the scene before her. “Hell no! Hell no! Nobody will save you from my wrath this time.”

Naked Evan and the naked woman who was riding his d**k cowgirl style pulled apart as if stung then rolled off the bed.

“Giselle?” What..what.. are you doing here?” He stammered while trying to cover his naked body with the bedding.

Rina forcefully dragged a lampstand from a nearby table, which caused its light to twitch before going off. She headed for Evan with angry strides.

Evan’s s*x partner screamed and raced behind him, still naked.

“Put a leash on her or something, Giselle.” Evan pointed at Rina while trying to protect the woman behind him, and that was when Giselle caught a good view of her face.

“Jessica?”

“You know her?” Rina paused and turned to look at Giselle.

Giselle gave a maniacal laugh, then clapped her hands slowly. “Of course, I do, and it quickly solved this puzzle for me. Looking at them right now, and knowing the kind of man my husband is, I only feel sorry for her.”

“I don’t understand.” Rina looked from Giselle to Evan and his lover.

“Let’s just go home, Rina.”

“Nah!” She advanced towards him with the lamp still in her hand. “Let me just roughen them up a bit.”

“Rina! Let it go!”

Rina flipped Evan off, then followed Giselle to the door.

They both stopped and turned when they heard Evan call Giselle’s name loudly.

“There’s a package waiting for you back home in New York. Do well to respond accordingly.” He stated in a nonchalant tone, then turned and headed for the bathroom.