Ruining My Husband With the Dangerous Outcast

I shifted the heavy glass baking dish to my left hand, wiping a smudge of flour from my spotless pink vintage dress.

"Careful there, Mel," my mother-in-law, Susan, chirped from a nearby lawn chair. "Julian hates messes."

"I've got it," I told her, forcing a bright smile.

Five hours. That was how long it took to pit the cherries, simmer the filling, and weave the lattice crust perfectly.

Fifty of our closest friends and family milled about the backyard lawn, sipping mimosas and picking at catered hors d'oeuvres.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" Julian tapped his champagne flute with a silver spoon.

The chatter died down instantly. I stepped forward, holding the warm pie like an offering. Five years of marriage. This was supposed to be his grand toast to us.

Instead, my husband reached out and wrapped his arm around the waist of our next-door neighbor, Chloe Ashford.

"Thank you all for coming," Julian said, his voice projecting easily over the manicured hedges. "I have an announcement."

I froze on the flagstone patio. Chloe leaned into his side, resting a manicured hand over her flat stomach.

"Chloe and I are expecting a child," Julian declared.

A pin drop would have sounded like a gunshot. My fingers cramped around the glass rim.

"Julian?" I whispered.

He didn't look at me. He kept his gaze fixed on his mother, who had gone completely pale. "Melody and I are divorcing. It’s been a long time coming."

"Divorcing?" The word tasted like dry dirt. I took a step toward him. "You told me you loved me this morning."

"I didn't want to ruin the party prep," he replied smoothly. "But now that everyone is here, it saves me making fifty phone calls."

"Are you joking right now?" My brother-in-law, Mark, stepped out of the crowd. "Julian, what the hell is this?"

"Stay out of it, Mark," Julian snapped.

Chloe offered a pathetic pout, looking directly at me. "I'm sorry, Mel. We didn't plan for this to happen. The baby just... happened."

"You're my friend," I said to her. My voice didn't rise. It came out flat, hollow.

"And Julian is my soulmate," Chloe shot back, dropping the fake sympathy in a heartbeat. "He needs a real family. Not a housewife who plays dress-up."

Julian finally turned his cold, blue eyes on me. "I want you out of the house by tonight, Melody. Leave the keys on the counter. You're getting nothing."

"I built this house with you," I said.

"My name is on the deed." He took a casual sip of his champagne. "Pack your bags."

"You can't do this," I said, my chest tightening. "We share bank accounts. We share a life."

"I already emptied the joint accounts," Julian informed me, a smug smile touching his lips. "My lawyer filed the paperwork on Friday. You're broke, Melody. It's over."

"You planned this," I said. "You waited until today on purpose."

"It makes a clean break," he said. "Everyone knows now. No messy