Chapter 1

In the third year of my engagement to Michael Goldman, he pursued a college student with fervor and made sure everyone knew about it. He also allowed her to sit on his lap and kiss him while I watched. He laughed and told his buddies, "Women are always better when they're wilder. Carissa is just too obedient." Later, his youngest uncle, a soldier who had always kept his distance from all women, shared a story on his Instagram. It was a photo of me with my arms around him as we made out passionately. He captioned it, "She's wild enough for me." Michael came knocking on my door, drenched from the rain and looking crazed. His uncle answered the door, his neck covered in the hickeys I'd left behind. "It's not exactly nice to try to disrupt someone's married life, Michael." … It had been three months since Michael started his high-profile pursuit of a college student. When I went to look for him at a bar, I saw her sitting on his lap and sweetly saying, "Mike." He laughed while boldly caressing her waist, which made the college student giggle and kiss him. They made out passionately and without a care for their surroundings—I could even see their saliva. Michael's buddies whooped and cheered. "What's going to happen to Carissa now that you have a new girlfriend, Mike?" "It's always better to date a woman who can be wild. Carissa's too obedient. If not for my grandfather forcing me into this and her refusal to leave me alone, I would've kicked her to the curb ages ago," Michael said. I entered the room at that moment and heard everything he said. Silence immediately descended upon the room—the people who'd been messing around earlier settled down. One of Michael's buddies got up to smooth the situation over. "Mike was just having a bit of fun, Carissa." I ignored him and looked at Michael. The college student was still perched on his lap with her arms around his neck. She gave me a challenging smile. I asked Michael, "Are you serious about her?" He didn't seem bothered by my presence. He kept his arm around the college student and smiled at me. "Quinn is great, but you don't have to worry about anything. I'm only having some fun with her. You'll still be Mrs. Goldman." Quinn Lane wasn't too happy to hear that. She pinched his waist, which only pleased Michael more. He looked down at her and comforted her, whispering sweet nothings into her ear. I bet having two women fighting over him was such an ego boost. In the past, Michael had messed around with celebrities, college students, and even female employees in his company. I'd never interfered in his matters because they'd never provoked me. Quinn was different, though. She'd sent me photos of her and Michael being intimate and presents he'd bought her. Today, I'd gone to the bar to catch Michael and Quinn red-handed because she'd texted me. I watched their public display of affection and looked around at the people watching the show unfold. Michael said he liked wild women, but he and everyone else had probably forgotten how no one in Nord City dared to piss me off when I, Carissa Johnson, acted wildly. I grabbed a beer bottle from the table and emptied it all over Michael and Quinn. The cold liquid poured over them, making Quinn scream. Michael was pissed off. "What the hell are you doing, Carissa?" He glared at me. How could a goody-two-shoes like me dare to pour beer all over him?