Fair Play

Chapter Three: Shattered Dreams

Catherine stood at the doorway of the study, listening as James spoke on the phone, his voice low but unmistakable. She couldn’t make out every word, but the excitement in his tone was hard to miss. Her heart fluttered with hope as she caught the word “Bali” and heard him mention travel dates. Could this be it? The surprise she had been waiting for?

For as long as she could remember, Catherine had dreamed of visiting Bali. She had told James countless times about her desire to visit the beautiful island—its serene beaches, vibrant culture, and tranquil temples. She had hoped they would travel there last winter as a family, spending time away from the chaos of James' business empire. But James had refused, dismissing her wishes as trivial. The disappointment had lingered, but now, maybe, things were different.

Her pulse quickened. Was he planning a surprise anniversary trip? Their wedding anniversary was only a few weeks away, and though things between them had been tense, Catherine had secretly hoped that James might remember. Perhaps this was his way of making amends for everything.

Summoning her courage, Catherine came towards him with a soft smile on her face, as he stepped out of the study, a briefcase in one hand.

“James?” she asked, her voice filled with hesitant hope. “I overheard you talking about Bali. When are we going?”

James slowly lowered the case to the floor and turned to her with a look of disdain that drained the warmth from her body. He narrowed his eyes as if she had said something foolish. Catherine felt a knot of unease twist in her stomach.

“What are you talking about?” James replied, his tone flat, as if the mere question irritated him.

She swallowed hard, still clinging to the thread of hope. “Bali… I thought maybe you were planning a trip for us, for our anniversary. I’ve always wanted to go, and… I was just thinking, I could start packing—”

A cold, harsh laugh cut her off. James leaned back in laughter, the mocking sound reverberating through the room. He looked at her like she was nothing more than an inconvenience, a thorn in his side.

“Our anniversary?” he scoffed, his expression twisted with amusement. “Do you really think I’d waste a trip like that on you?”

Catherine’s heart sank, her excitement crumbling into ashes. She blinked, unsure if she had heard him correctly. “But… I thought—”

“Of course, you did,” James interrupted, shaking his head. “God, you’re pathetic.”

Her breath caught in her throat as he took a step towards her, his towering figure casting a shadow over her. “You’re not worthy of following me anywhere, Catherine,” he said coldly. “Especially not to Bali.”

Catherine felt her chest tighten, the sharp sting of his words piercing through her like a blade. She stood there, unable to respond, her dreams of a romantic getaway slipping through her fingers like sand.

As she tried to make sense of what he had just said, there was a knock at the door. James didn’t even glance her way before calling out, “Come in.”

The door swung open, and Catherine’s heart sank further as a tall, striking woman entered the room. It wasn’t the same woman she had caught him with in the office—this was someone else. Younger, glamorous, and wearing an air of confidence that sent a chill down Catherine’s spine.

“Right on time, baby,” James said smoothly, his voice softening in a way that it never did with Catherine. He walked over to the woman and pulled her close, placing a possessive hand on her waist and a kiss on her lips.

Catherine stood frozen, her mind spinning. This woman looks beautiful and tall like a model. Catherine wonders if this is what captivates James. The woman is slender while she is on the plumbier side. But he has never complained about her weight. Or has he?

The woman smiled at her and held out her hand for a handshake.

“Hello, I’m Nancy.”

Catherine was too shocked to respond to her greetings. “Nancy Sinclair?” was all that came out of her mouth. So this is her, the woman of his dreams.

The woman nodded and smiled slightly while withdrawing her hand.

“Oh forget that bi*tch,” James said as he casually passed her a plane ticket. “Here’s the ticket babe. Hope you are ready for our trip?”

“Yes, I am,” she replied.

“Good. We are going to have lots of fun, babe,” James said, brushing a strand of the woman’s hair back with the kind of tenderness that Catherine hadn’t experienced in years. “We’re all set for Bali. I can’t wait.”

Catherine’s breath hitched in her throat as she thought, He’s going to Bali with her?

James hadn’t even looked at her again. He had dismissed her as if she were invisible, as if her presence in the room didn’t matter at all. He picked up his briefcase, turned toward the door with his arm around the other woman, and Catherine, still too shocked to move, watched helplessly as they prepared to leave together.

The moment they reached the doorway, James glanced back at her, his blues eyes hard and devoid of any empathy.

“Next time, don’t assume you’re invited,” he said coldly. Then, without another word, he moved swiftly outside, his girlfriend following closely behind.

The sound of the door closing echoed in the house, leaving Catherine standing alone, her body trembling with a mixture of shock and devastation. This isn’t happening, she told herself, trying to grasp the reality of what she had just witnessed. But it was. James wasn’t just having an affair—he was parading his mistress in front of her, humiliating her at every turn.

Something inside her cracked.

With trembling hands, Catherine walked over to James’ desk. Her mind raced, a storm of emotions swirling within her —anger, humiliation, sadness. She needed to know. She needed proof of just how deep this betrayal went.

She sat down at his computer and luckily he had forgotten to log out. Or maybe he didn’t mind if she saw anything. She moved her fingers quickly across the keyboard, her heart pounding in her chest as she navigated through his emails. What she found made her stomach turn.

There were messages—dozens of them—between James and different women. Arrangements for meetings, flirtatious exchanges, even plans for weekend getaways at various hotels. Catherine’s chest tightened as she read each email, her heart breaking a little more with every line.

It wasn’t just one affair. James had been with multiple women. Yes, he spent more time with this Nancy, but he was having affairs with many other women. The realization hit her like a freight train, and she felt the weight of it crushing her.

Shaking, Catherine left the computer and began searching through his things. In his coat pockets, she found hotel receipts—more proof of his infidelities. The names of different hotels, some she recognized as high-end places James had promised to take her to but never did. Each receipt felt like another nail in the coffin of their already broken marriage.

She collapsed onto the floor, surrounded by the damning evidence of James’ affairs. Tears welled in her eyes, but this time, they weren’t tears of sorrow. They were tears of rage.

How long has this been going on? How many times had he lied to her, dismissed her, made her feel like she was worthless while he chased after other women?

Catherine stood up, her hands trembling with fury. This was it. She had had enough. James had humiliated her, cheated on her, and treated her like she was nothing more than an object to be owned. But she wasn’t going to be his victim any longer.

Wiping the last of her tears away, Catherine took a deep breath, the storm inside her finally settling into something cold and unbreakable.

“He thinks he owns me,” she thought, her jaw clenched tight with resolve. “But he’s wrong.”

As she stood there, alone in the empty mansion that no longer felt like a home, Catherine knew one thing for certain—this was the beginning of the end. She wasn’t going to let James destroy her any longer. It was time to fight back.

And this time, she would make sure he regretted every single choice he made.