Chapter 6 That night , I pleaded with him to remember the love we shared and to break it off with Wendy . Antonio was on the couch , fiddling with his phone . Wendy mustve texted him something funny , because he was grinning , his eyes all warm and fuzzy . Then he turned to me , cold as ice . Lila , why do you always spoil the fun ? Cant you not take relationships so seriously ? No one is indispensable , and its really stressful the way youre always checking up on me . I lay awake all night . Honey , can you forgive me ? Seeing I wasnt biting , Antonio begged with tears in his eyes . I nodded . Antonios eyes lit up . Seriously ? Youre really going to forgive me ? Babe . I said , Forgiving you doesnt mean Im calling off the divorce . Ill see you in court . And with that , I walked out the door , not even turning back to see Antonios face drain of color as he sat there , floored . That night , Antonio caught a late flight back . 13.21 Chapter A few days later , Wendy hit me up again . She sent a bunch of pictures with Antonio . All the anger and sadness from before was gone , replaced by a cocky pride in her messages . I knew it . Once he got out there , hed realize Im the best , the one who loves him the most . Look at this huge diamond ring he bought . Its all sparkly and gorgeous . By the way, were heading to Adaleth for a holiday in November . Lila , Ill snap some pics for you . I kept my cool and replied , Get a move on with the divorce , and claim your spot as his legal wife . So you can sleep easy , without the threat of someone else sneaking in . The moment I sent the messages , Wendy lost it , unleashing a tirade . Youre a natural born sucker for getting played , and youve got . it coming . Im just glad Im not stepping into your mess . I let her rant , and then quietly turned off notifications . I didnt block her because I had a hunch . I was sure Wendy would hit rock bottom before me . Six months later , my hunch paid off . 13240 Chapter Antonio and Wendy had a major blowout . It turned out Antonio got wise to Wendys game , figuring out . she was after his cash instead of loving him . A man with his standards for love couldnt tolerate this . So , Antonio had Wendys kid , just four , whisked away in the night . He played the kid card to force Wendy into signing the house back over to him . And that new Mercedes ? He made Wendy unload it and hand over the money . Wendy just lost it right then and there . She ditched all concern for her image and ripped into Antonio in the cafe . Youve got more money than you know what to do with , so why are you pushing me to the edge ? Does it even matter if I love you or not ? Havent I been right here for you the whole time ? It does ! Love is important , Antonio shot back , playing the part of a romantic lead . But he was no romantic hero . He was just too grasping , wanting everything under the sun . What he wanted was a woman who was totally devoted to him and loved him wholeheartedly . When we were a couple , I gave him all my love . 13.24 But once he had me , he wasnt cool with the idea of being locked down by marriage .. I recalled catching Antonio making out with Wendy in his car . It made me feel sick , and I lost it . Antonio just looked at me with a cold stare , completely unfazed . Ive married you . Arent you content ? Every guys got his side gigs . Isnt that what makes a man ? he argued . That night , it dawned on me that even though Antonio had a solid , blissful marriage , he was still after the rush of the new and the freedom to play the field He even craved the rush of first love . So once Wendys husband was out of the picture , Antonio was all over her , throwing money at her like there was no tomorrow . The reason he could act so shamelessly was because he was using my love for him as a way to keep me on a leash . Yet , he had forgotten that love , no matter how deep , could run dry . When I dropped the D word , Antonio flipped out . Antonio wasnt stupid . He got that a solid marriage beat a one- night stand . He was also aware that I loved him more than Wendy ever could . So he came crawling back , even down on his knees , pleading . 13 24 Chapter 6 But no matter what he pulled , I was done trying to patch things . up , just aiming for a split . When it came to Antonio getting Wendy to sign over the house and fork over the cash from the car sale , that was no surprise to me . From the reduced dowry , it was clear that Antonio had secretly put a price tag on everyone around him . Wendy was just a flavor in his steady go . Once that steady go was gone , Wendy turned into dead weight . Without value , why would Antonio even give Wendy a second glance ? From start to finish , Antonio had been nothing but consistent , loving only himself . I figured the farce with Wendy and Antonio was about wrapped . Three months later , Janessa filled me in that Antonio had a new girlfriend , a senior college girl . Sweetie , its 3 PM . Time to dig into the dirt . Didnt we all figure Antonio gave Wendy the boot because she wasnt feeling him , and that was why he got her to hand over the house and the car ?