When Henry stepped out of the store and saw the words scrawled across his car, his entire world came crashing down. “Hope She Was Worth It.” The bold, unmistakable message taunted him, cutting through the happiness he had felt just moments ago. He turned to Emily, his pregnant wife, but instead of trust, he saw doubt flicker in her eyes. He swore up and down that he had never cheated, but the damage was already done. The truth, however, was far worse than betrayal—this wasn’t the work of a scorned lover. This was an attack from someone much closer to them.

Emily trembled in his arms, sobbing into his chest, gripping onto him as if he might vanish if she let go. Her voice was muffled, but her words cut straight through him. “I’m sorry, Henry. I didn’t want to believe it, but I just… I didn’t know what to think.”

He held her tighter, pressing his lips against the top of her head, wishing he could erase the past twenty-four hours. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “None of this is your fault, Emily.”

But someone was to blame. And she was standing right in front of them.

Claire shifted uncomfortably under Emily’s teary, piercing gaze. Her arms were crossed, her expression unreadable. But Henry could see it in her eyes—regret. Maybe not entirely, maybe not in the way she should. But she knew she had crossed a line.

Claire had been Emily’s best friend for years, present at every major moment in their lives. She had stood by them through thick and thin. But somewhere along the way, she had convinced herself that Henry wasn’t the man Emily believed he was. That he was hiding something. That Emily deserved the truth—even if that truth was one Claire had fabricated herself.

“I thought I was protecting you,” Claire said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Emily inhaled sharply, taking a step back as if she had been physically struck. “Protecting me?” she echoed. “By turning me against my husband? By humiliating him?”

Claire’s eyes flickered toward Henry. “I just—Emily, you don’t see what I see. The way women look at him. The way he talks to them. I thought…” She hesitated, her conviction faltering. “I thought I was helping you.”

Henry clenched his jaw, fists curling at his sides. “You thought ruining my marriage was helping?” He exhaled slowly, trying to steady himself. “You vandalized my car, Claire. You wanted Emily to see those words and believe them.”

Claire swallowed hard. “I didn’t slash your tires.”

Henry studied her, searching for any sign of deception. The words on his car were one thing. The damage to his tires, another. Something about her expression told him she was telling the truth—at least about that part.

Emily wiped at her face, her body trembling from the weight of it all. “If you didn’t do it, then who did?”

Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.

Then, as if on cue, Henry’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw an unknown number flashing across the screen. He hesitated before answering.

“Hello?”

A deep chuckle echoed through the speaker. “Bet you didn’t see that coming, did you?”

Henry’s blood ran cold. He didn’t recognize the voice, but the malice was unmistakable.

“Who is this?”

A pause. Then, the voice continued, dripping with smug satisfaction. “You took something from me, Henry. So, I took something from you.”

Emily’s hand found Henry’s, squeezing tightly. “Who is it?” she whispered.

But Henry already knew.

“Tyler,” he said through gritted teeth.

Tyler. An old coworker. The kind of man who thrived on making others miserable. The kind of man who didn’t take losing lightly. Henry had gotten the promotion Tyler wanted—months ago, back when this all started.

“You think you can just walk away with my job, my future?” Tyler continued. “I figured it was time you lost something, too.”

Henry’s grip on the phone tightened. “You framed me. You made my wife think I was cheating.”

Another laugh. “Didn’t have to do much. Just a little paint. A few well-placed words. The rest? That was all human nature.”

Henry’s stomach twisted. He could feel Emily’s heartbeat against his arm, her breathing shallow. “I should call the cops,” Henry said.

“You could,” Tyler mused. “But would it change anything? The doubt is already there. Can you ever really get rid of that?”

The line went dead.

For a long moment, Henry just stood there, phone pressed to his ear, mind racing. Then, slowly, he turned to Emily. Her eyes were brimming with tears, but there was something else there now. Understanding. Regret. And most of all—love.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I should have never doubted you.”

Henry pulled her into his arms, holding her like he never wanted to let go. “It’s okay,” he murmured into her hair. “We’re okay.”

But as Claire stood frozen in place, shame etched across her face, Henry knew one thing for certain.

Not everyone deserved a second chance.

And Tyler? He wasn’t going to get away with this.