Chapter 31

Philip's POV

From our private booth in the upscale bar, the city stretched out below like a carpet of lights. The half-empty bottle of scotch commanded more of my attention, its amber depths promising temporary relief from thoughts I couldn't seem to shake.

"You might want to slow down there, Phil." Allen's voice carried that irritating note of concern from across the table.

"Did you know," I said, ignoring his suggestion, "that Annie bought Howard a tie?" The words burned worse than the scotch. "Navy jacquard.With some kind of pattern on it."

"A tie?" Allen exchanged glances with James and Marcus. "That's what's got you drinking like this?"

"Six years of marriage..." My glass hit the table harder than intended."She used to spend hours picking out my ties, matching them with my suits.She knew exactly what I liked." I took another sip, the memory of Annie's thoughtful smile twisting something in my chest. "And now she's doing the same thing for Howard. Like those six years meant nothing."

"And Sarah doesn't pick out your ties?" Marcus's question hit a nerve. "Sarah?" I laughed bitterly. "Sarah doesn't even help Brian pick out his clothes for school. This morning he wore the same shirt as yesterday because she was too busy shopping for herself. Annie would've..." I caught myself,draining the glass instead of finishing that thought. Marcus leaned forward in his seat. "Phil, buddy, is this really about a tie?" "You don't understand." The alcohol was making my tongue loose, my carefully constructed walls beginning to crumble. "She used to spend all her time taking care of our home, making everything perfect for me and Brian. And now..." Another sip. "Now she's working for Howard. Howard Thompson."

I stared into my glass, the bitter taste in my mouth having nothing to do with the scotch. The thought of Annie in Howard's world, in his company,made something twist painfully in my chest.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" James cut in. "For her to move on?"

"Not like this," I muttered. "Not with him."

"I thought you wanted the divorce," James pointed out carefully. "Wasn't that the whole point? To marry Sarah?"

The mention of Sarah's name sent an uncomfortable ripple through my stomach. Or maybe it was the scotch. "Sarah," I muttered, "keeps maxing out my card at high-end stores. Twelve thousand dollars last week. For shoes."

"At least Annie was practical," I continued, the words spilling out unchecked. "Always budgeting, making grocery lists... God, I used to find that so embarrassing. The CEO's wife, using coupons..." Allen's eyebrows drew together. "Speaking of Annie... there's something I've been meaning to ask. That video with Robert-the one that triggered the divorce.Was that really..." "There's video evidence!" I snapped, but even to my own ears,the protest sounded hollow. "She slept with him!""Did she?" Marcus's voice was quiet but pointed. "Because last time you were this drunk, you said something about Sarah setting the whole thing up."

The room seemed to tilt slightly. "That's not... I mean..." I reached for the bottle again, but Allen moved it out of reach.

"What I don't get," James mused, "is how she went from being your supposedly unfaithful ex-wife to Howard Technologies' new creative director. That's quite a career jump."

"Howard," I spat the name like a curse, "keeps giving her everything. The job, the office... Did you know Brian's private school tuition is probably more than Annie's old annual salary? And she just..." I waved my hand vaguely, "She just gets it all handed to her!"

"Handed to her?" Allen's laugh held no humor. "Phil, she's been working on children's books for years. Those sketches she used to do for Brian?The ones you called a waste of time? Turns out they were pretty valuable after all."

My head was swimming, memories blurring together. Annie at her deskin our old apartment, working late into the night on her illustrations. Annie trying to show me her portfolio, while I checked emails. Annie's face when I told her to focus on being a proper CEO's wife instead of chasing pipe dreams...

"She's supposed to be struggling," I mumbled, slumping against the seat."She's supposed to regret leaving me..." "Leaving you?" Marcus's voice seemed to come from very far away. "That's not how I remnember it." The room was spinning now. I closed my eyes, but that only made itworse. Through the alcoholic haze, I heard my friends' voices growing distant:

"You know what's really ironic about all this?"

"What's that?"

"Philip thought divorcing Annie would punish her. Instead,he basically gift-wrapped her a better life. Have you seen how Howard looks at her?"

"Better than how Sarah looks at Philip's bank statements, that's for sure."

"Speaking of Sarah, did you hear about her ex-husband's latest scandal?"

"Robert? Yeah,apparently..."

The voices faded into a dull roar as consciousness slipped away. My last coherent thought was of Annie - not the polished professional who now moved so confidently through Howard's world,but*my* Annie,sitting cross-legged on our old couch, sketching while Brian napped beside her.The memory carried a sharp ache Icouldn't quite blame on the scotch.

\---

"Should we call him a car?"

"Already done. His driver's waiting downstairs." I surfaced briefly to find Allen and Marcus supporting me toward the elevator.Everything blurred into indistinet shapes through my half-closed eyes. "You know," Allen's voice floated somewhere above my head, "for someone who claims to be happily remarried, he sure spends a lot of time thinking about his ex-wife." "The best part?" Marcus's reply felt like a final twist of the knife. "Annie's probably not thinking about him at all."

The truth in those words hurt more than any hangover could.