Ditching Me for His 'Soulmate'? His Loss. Next Stop: My New Life novel Chapter 64

Chapter 6

That night, Lauren chose to stay by my side, offering a quiet comfort that I desperately needed.

Later on, Ryan reviewed the security footage and finally saw that I hadn’t lied. Without hesitation, he sent someone to deliver a brand-new phone to me.

I didn’t refuse it. After everything, he at least owed me that much.

But what truly infuriated me wasn’t the phone itself—it was how swiftly he believed Jessica’s lies.

How easily he turned his back on me.

We’d been together for years, married for almost a year now.

And yet, he had never truly trusted me.

Jessica, it seemed, had been so “traumatized” and overwhelmed by the pressures of her singing career that she admitted herself to a hospital.

Her pathetic little act worked like a charm.

At last, Ryan agreed to the divorce.

“Don’t forget this, Melanie—once we’re divorced, you mean nothing to me.”

He stood outside the county clerk’s office, dressed in a sharp suit, his eyes boring into mine like daggers.

I almost laughed. Bitterly.

The truth was, I’d never really meant anything to him—not in the way I had hoped.

“You could still apologize, you know. I’d listen if you wanted to explain.”

He didn’t realize how every word he spoke dripped with condescension, as if I were nothing more than a pet—expected to be loyal, obedient, and useful.

The moment I became “difficult,” he labeled me broken.

I brushed past him without a glance.

“You’re a busy man, Mr. Caldwell. I wouldn’t want to waste your precious time.”

Clutching the divorce papers tightly, I walked away.

The path ahead was going to be tough.

But everything that had come before this moment was dead and buried.

Today, I was starting over.

I threw myself into growing my livestream business, honing my skills day by day.

Slowly but surely, I began to gain momentum.

Eventually, I opened my own studio and hired seasoned professionals to help me.

Then came the big break—an invitation to the New Media Forum.

I arrived there, smiling politely, shaking hands, and handing out business cards.

Things that used to terrify me now felt natural, thanks to Lauren’s patient coaching.

While I was deep in conversation with a representative from an investment firm, Jessica suddenly appeared—arm in arm with Ryan.

I was mid-handshake when I spotted them, and my smile froze instantly.

Jessica strutted right up to me, snatched the business card from my hand, and crushed it under her heel.

A nearby guest, a little tipsy, pointed at me.

“Hey, isn’t that your wife, Ryan? Or… ex?”

Ryan glanced at me but said nothing.

A couple stormed onto the stage.

“Scammer! My wife got sick eating those organic cranberries you sell!”

“You’ll do anything for money, you lying bitch!”

The man hurled a wine bottle straight at me.

Lauren lunged forward and shoved me out of the way.

I stumbled backward in my heels, crashing into someone’s chest.

Steven—the event’s co-founder—caught me before I fell.

“You okay?” he asked, steadying me.

Then he turned to the couple, his voice cold as ice.

“You weren’t even on the guest list. Assaulting a speaker? That’s jail time.”

The bottle missed me, but the wine splashed all over my face and chest.

I must have looked like a drenched clown.

Pandemonium broke out around us.

Ryan stood frozen, while Jessica clung to his arm, eyes blazing as he stared down at me.

Steven gestured toward the microphone.

“Want to step down and deal with this, or…?”

I wiped the wine from my face with the back of my hand.

“No. I said two minutes. I’m going to finish what I came here to say.”