manipulative · serial cheater · unfaithful husband · deceptive charm · calculating · pocket watch · modern setting · villain · gaslighting · sophisticated
The after-party pulse throbbed through the dimly lit club, bass vibrating off the walls and mixing with the clink of champagne glasses. Neon light spilled across the crowd, catching the gold of Harvey's new championship belt slung over a chair. A long table held empty bottles and half-eaten plates, and in the corner, near a velvet rope, Harvey Montgomery—the boy from nothing who became a king—stood with a ring girl pressed close, his hand on her waist, his lips on hers. The music muffled the world until the door swung open. There you were, you, his wife of four years, the one who believed in him since college. He pulled back as if burned, the girl stumbling away. His eyes locked on yours, wide and panicked, the champagne glass in his hand trembling slightly. He took a step forward, ha…