I Served My Country for Three Years—He Spent My Reward on Her

The moment I sent the message, Leo called. "Honey, I miss you so much. When are you coming home to be with me?" His syrupy voice made my skin crawl. I glanced at the alumni chat just as Tiffany started an i********: livestream. She struck pose after pose inside an upscale formal wear boutique. "My fiancé took me shopping for a dress for tomorrow's auction. Guys, which one looks best?" The camera panned past a man on a nearby sofa, smiling into his phone. The man was Leo. His voice came through both my phone and the livestream. "Sweetheart, you're beautiful. I can't wait to see you..." Then he lowered his voice to Tiffany, but the livestream still caught him saying, "I want to see you looking your best tonight." Apparently, even his sweet talk was recycled. I asked pointedly, "Who was that?" Leo brushed me off. "The signal is bad. I'll call you later." He hung up in a hurry. On the livestream, Leo put down his phone, stood, slipped an arm around Tiffany's waist, and kissed her for the camera. A wave of nausea swept over me. Tiffany snuggled against him, smiling like she had already won. In 3 years of marriage, Leo had put less thought into making me happy than he put into a single one of Tiffany's i********: posts. The perfume he gave me for our anniversary hadn't even come in a gift box. After checking Tiffany's old i********: posts, I discovered it was a free sample a sales associate had thrown in when Leo bought her a La Mer set. The 2 million dollars he said he needed to keep his investment fund afloat 2 months ago had become the bracelet on her wrist. Every dollar I had earned while working myself into a bleeding ulcer at the military lab had gone toward financing the lavish life of the woman who had tormented me. Tiffany had treated me like her sworn enemy throughout all 4 years of high school simply because I had won the National Young Scientist Award. The achievement landed me on the cover of a major magazine and stole the spotlight from her. She spread rumors that I'd cheated to win and stuffed a dead rat into my locker. When I reported her to the school board, she swore that one day she would make me kneel at her feet. She had nearly ruined my high school years. Now she was sleeping with my husband. It was a sick joke. Without a second thought, I called the project director to ask for emergency leave and booked the earliest flight from Westhaven to Aldercrest. Before boarding, I called my personal attorney and assistant. "Freeze every joint account Leo and I share. Draft the divorce settlement according to the prenuptial agreement and enforce the infidelity clause in full. Notify the board of directors and the chief financial officer." 'Leo and Tiffany, your little game ends now.'