Bestie's Tape Was Budget Content

My best friend, Cecilia Vick, "loved" me so much she hooked up with my husband, Luther Boyd, in the pajamas I bought her. Then sent me the video. [Did you enjoy it?] I left her on read. After watching that trash-fire masterpiece, I posted it online for twenty bucks. Sharing is caring, right? Then I put my phone on airplane mode and headed into the mountains with my team for fieldwork. A week later, I turned my signal back on. Boom. 999+ messages. Then Cecilia called. She was full-on spiraling. "I'm begging you! Delete the video. Now!" Chapter 1 Cecilia's voice blasted through the phone, raw and ragged. "Jolene, please! Delete the video!" I lounged back in a chair at the lodge, tracing the rim of my coffee mug. "Why would I do that? Honestly, the video's not bad. Good lighting. Good angles. Seems like a waste to delete it. Besides, you sent it to me. I don't keep things that aren't worth something." Silence. Two seconds later, she lost it. "Do you even know that's illegal? Jolene Johnston, what the hell is wrong with you? Luther and I are in love, and you still tried to destroy us! I was so stupid to be your best friend for seven years!" I laughed. Best friend? On my third wedding anniversary, she'd climbed into bed with my husband wearing the silk pajamas I'd bought her for her birthday. In my bed. Then she'd recorded it and sent me the video. [Did you enjoy it?] Yeah. Real best-friend behavior. She stabbed me in the back, then somehow turned herself into the victim. "Jolene? Did you hear me? Say something!" I held the phone to my ear. "Then wasn't it illegal for you to send me a private video of my husband just to piss me off? Want me to call the cops and ask whether that counts as distributing obscene content or violating someone's privacy?" Dead silence. Then the call disconnected. Cecilia had hung up. I lowered my phone and looked out at the mountains rolling across the horizon. The breeze carried the scent of grass and trees. It didn't help. Nothing could. But that was fine. This was just the start. My screen barely went dark before it lit up again. Luther. I answered. "Jolene, you've gone too far." His voice sounded exhausted, but the anger underneath was obvious. "Do you have any idea how much damage that video caused?" "How much?" I leaned back. "Be specific. Did your company's stock tank? Is the board getting ready to kick you out?" Bullseye. The line went quiet. When he spoke again, his voice had gone cold. "I'm giving you one last chance. Take the video down. Then make a public statement saying it was an AI fake. Tell everyone you're mentally unstable and spread false rumors on purpose. Do that, and I'll consider forgiving you. "I might even let you keep your position as Mrs. Boyd." Forgive me? Let me keep my position? I laughed. "Lucky me." My voice dripped with sarcasm. "Don't bother. Let's get divorced." Chapter 2 "What did you say?" Luther snapped. "Don't push your luck. Without me, you're nothing." "That's not for you to decide." I hung up. The second I set my phone down, the team chat blew up. The usually dead chat was suddenly alive. Someone cautiously tagged me. [Jolene, is everything okay? We saw what's been going around online and got worried.] My DMs blew up too. Some wanted the tea. Others were faking sympathy. I skimmed through them and dropped two words into the team chat. [I'm fine.] Then I packed my bags, checked out of the lodge, and headed back to the city. The scenery blurred past outside the window. I rested my head against the glass and smiled. How could I not be fine? I was about to tear every one of those hypocrites apart. I'd be better than fine. *** I didn't go back to that so-called home. Instead, I checked into a hotel and spent a day recovering. After a shower and a full night's sleep, I stood in front of the mirror. My eyes were bloodshot. But there wasn't a trace of defeat in them. The next morning, I grabbed the divorce papers I'd prepared long ago and headed straight for Everluxe Ventures. The receptionist froze when she saw me. She looked like she wanted to stop me. I walked right past her. All across the office, people stopped what they were doing to stare. Some looked curious. Some looked smug. Some looked sympathetic. Others looked entertained. Whispers followed me down the hall. "That's Mr. Boyd's wife, right? I heard she sold the video online. Brutal." "Seriously. And Ms. Vick was her best friend. That's rough." "Mr. Boyd really screwed up this time. Guy had a wife and still cheated. Guess it finally caught up to him." I ignored them. My heels clicked across the floor as I headed for Luther's office. Knock. "Come in." His voice was already irritated. I pushed open the door. Luther wasn't alone. Cecilia was there. She wore a white dress, her eyes red and watery like she'd been crying for hours. Curled up against Luther's side, she sniffled softly. The second she saw me, she stiffened. Then she lowered her head and wiped away a tear. The perfect victim. Luther's face darkened immediately. "Jolene, what are you doing here? Haven't you embarrassed me enough?" I walked to his desk and dropped the divorce papers in front of him. Slap. The sound cut through the room. "Divorce." I looked him straight in the eye. "And you're leaving with nothing." Luther laughed. Like I'd just told the funniest joke he'd ever heard. He shot to his feet and planted both hands on the desk. "You want me to leave with nothing? Have you lost your mind? You think you can do that? Based on what?" I didn't blink. "Because the startup money for this company came from me. "Because every major crisis this company survived over the last three years was solved through my connections and resources. "And because you cheated on me with my best friend during our marriage." I held his stare. "Need more reasons?" Chapter 3 My words hit hard. Luther went pale, then red. He opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again. Still nothing. Then Cecilia suddenly stood and came over. She grabbed my hand, sobbing, putting on her best guilty act. "Jolene, I'm sorry. This is all my fault. Don't blame Luther. I seduced him. I couldn't help how I felt. Please don't divorce him, okay? I don't want you two fighting because of me. I don't want to wreck your family. If you and Luther make up, I'll leave the city tonight. I'll disappear from your lives forever." Tears rolled down her face. Anyone else might've bought it. I looked at her fake, teary eyes, pulled my hand free, and smiled. "Cool. Then disappear." Cecilia froze. Clearly, she hadn't expected that. I added, "But Luther still pays. It takes two people to end up in bed. You both starred in that video, so you both deal with the fallout. "Cecilia, your little games don't work on me." Her face went white. Even her tears stopped. She just stood there, lost. Luther shook with rage. Before he could snap, someone knocked. His secretary hurried in. "Mr. Boyd, the board members are here. The meeting room is ready. They're waiting for you." Luther sucked in a breath and swallowed his anger. Then he glared at me like he wanted me dead. I looked between them. One humiliated and furious. One ghost-pale. Honestly? Beautiful. I grabbed my bag and turned for the door. "Jolene Johnston, just wait!" Luther's voice followed me, sharp and threatening. "I won't let this go." I stopped and looked back. My smile stayed cold. "I'll be waiting. But you should sign the papers. Trust me, you don't want to find out what happens if you don't." *** After leaving Everluxe Ventures, I went back to the hotel and started gathering evidence. Luther's transfer records. His messages with Cecilia. Hotel check-in records. I had backups of everything. I just never thought I'd use them. Back then, I still cared about my marriage. I still cared about our friendship. Now? That was a joke. A one-sided one. I expected Luther to come after me first. Cecilia beat him to it. That night, while scrolling through my phone, I saw the long post she'd dropped online. The title was hard to miss. [Seven Years of Friendship—Why Destroy My Life?] In it, she painted herself as the sad, loyal victim. She admitted she and Luther were "truly in love," but claimed my marriage had been dead for years. She said I was cold, that I'd shut Luther out emotionally, and that I was so controlling he couldn't even talk to other women. She even claimed I tried to control his job. The video? According to her, it was just one tragic mistake between two people swept up by passion. Meanwhile, I had supposedly sold it to an adult site out of jealousy and revenge. Chapter 4 To make her story more believable, Cecilia even came with "receipts." Screenshots of my texts with Luther. Except they'd been carefully edited. She cut out all the important parts and left only the messages where I reminded him to come home or asked about work, turning concern into control. She also posted proof that I'd missed family dinners and get-togethers because of work. According to her, that meant I didn't care about my marriage. The post blew up almost immediately. The comments were a war zone. Some people called her out for sleeping with her best friend's husband and then playing the victim. Most weren't that smart. They bought every word. [Her best friend went way too far. Yeah, her husband cheated, but selling the video online is crazy.] [Seven years of friendship and she does this? She's cold.] [Based on those screenshots, the friend seems super controlling. I'd be miserable in that marriage too.] [Honestly, the husband and Cecilia are the real couple here. The wife sounds like the third wheel.] As the drama spread, people started digging into my life. My phone number. My social media. Even the research institute where I worked. My phone wouldn't stop buzzing. Some messages were insults. Some were threats. Others were self-appointed Luther and Cecilia fans, demanding an apology, demanding I take down the video, and demanding justice for their favorite couple. I scrolled through the garbage without blinking. Then I saved screenshots of Cecilia's post. And every hateful message that followed. One by one. Someday, every single screenshot would come in handy. The next morning, I requested extended leave from the institute. Then I gathered my evidence and headed to a law firm. I'd assumed finding a divorce attorney would be easy. I had proof. I had evidence. I had a cheating husband. Turns out, none of that mattered. I went to three firms. Every attorney turned me down. Some were polite about it. Others weren't. But all of them avoided looking me in the eye. At the fourth firm, a female attorney finally pulled me aside. "Ms. Johnston, it's not that nobody wants to help you." She lowered her voice. "The Boyd family has already contacted every major law firm in the city. Anyone who takes your case becomes their enemy." I froze. My grip tightened around the folder in my hands. I hadn't expected Luther to go that far. He'd blocked every road he could find. After thanking her, I walked out onto the crowded street. The sun was bright. It didn't make a difference. Was I really supposed to let them get away with this? Let them rewrite the story? Let them take everything while I walked away humiliated? No. Luther. Cecilia. You wanted me to lose. You wanted me destroyed. Too bad. I pulled out my phone and started looking up attorneys in the next state over. Before I could book a ticket, my phone rang. Luther. I answered. His voice carried a smug satisfaction he wasn't even trying to hide. "You've been to quite a few law firms, haven't you? Funny how nobody will take your case. "If you're smart, come home tonight and let's discuss the divorce like adults. Stop wasting your time. You're not beating me." Of course I knew better. This wasn't a discussion. It was a setup. They'd already prepared something. Now they were waiting for me to walk straight into it. Chapter 5 But I didn't have much of a choice. I had to go. Besides, I wanted to see what kind of trap they'd set. After hanging up, I went back to the hotel, packed my things, and clipped a hidden camera to my collar. Then I took a cab to the Boyd estate. When I pushed open the front door, the living room was bright. Still felt cold. Luther sat on the couch, his face dark. Around him were my father, my stepmother, and a bunch of relatives from my side. Every single one looked at me like I was the problem. I had barely stepped inside when one of them snapped, "Jolene, why are you being so difficult? What did Luther even do to you? He made the kind of mistake all men make. Did you really have to blow it up and embarrass the Boyd family?" Another jumped in. "Exactly. Luther's career is taking off. After your stunt, his whole future could be ruined. That's vicious. Did you even think about your husband?" Someone else scoffed. "You're too sensitive. Too petty. A man as successful as Luther is obviously going to have women around him. Besides, he didn't bring her home. That means he still cares about you and this family." "Know when to stop. Delete everything online and go back to Luther. Let it go." The blame came from every side. I stood there, silent. Not one of them cared about the truth. Not one asked how much it hurt. All they knew how to do was blame me and protect Luther. In their eyes, a successful man could do whatever he wanted. His wife just had to take it. Otherwise, she was difficult. A problem. Eventually, they ran out of things to say. The room went quiet. That was when Erica spoke. "Jolene, I know you're hurt. Luther was wrong." She took my hand, all fake concern. "But he knows that. He's willing to make it up to you. Stop making this bigger than it needs to be, okay? Keeping the family together matters most." My father nodded. "Erica's right. Stop obsessing over it. Go back and live a good life with Luther. Focus on being a good wife and mother instead of causing trouble." I stared at their fake faces. My heart went cold. I didn't nod. I didn't argue. I just stood there. The second they saw I wasn't giving in, their patience snapped. My father's face darkened. He stared at me, his voice dropping into a threat. "Jolene, I'm trying to be reasonable. Don't forget, your mother fought hard to arrange this match before she died. She pulled every string she had for your future with Luther. If you divorce him now, how will you face her?" He paused. His eyes went colder. "And one more thing. If you keep pushing this, if you insist on divorcing Luther and destroying everything, then I'll have to reconsider whether you get your mother's ashes back."