Ch. Mr.chatterbox for her, Mr.Icebox for me? Ice melts and so did my love. 39 Mr.chatterbox for her, Mr.Icebox for me? Ice melts and so did my love. 39

Chapter 7 

The whole thing got filmed and posted online. 

Headline: 

[Band Director’s Affair with Wife’s Best Friend Exposed] 

Hit a million views overnight. 

Comments tore Cade and Riley apart. The band got dragged too. 

Investors pulled funding the next day. 

The international tour got canceled. Refunds opened up. Staff got termination notices. 

The board met for three hours. Final call: Cade had to resign. 

When he walked out of that meeting, his phone rang. 

My mom. 

He’d been trying to reach me nonstop since I left. Even called mutual friends. 

He hesitated, then picked up. 

Her voice was calm. 

“Cade. I had Maya’s things moved out. Leave the keys at the front desk. And stop trying to contact her.” 

Before he could say anything, she hung up. 

He sat in his car scrolling through his contacts. 

Realized that almost everyone he knew, he knew through me. 

My coworkers. My friends. My business contacts. 

He couldn’t think of a single person he could actually talk to outside of my circle. 

That’s when it hit him what I’d really given up in this relationship. 

Chapter 7 

It wasn’t me revolving around him. 

It was him living off my world and pretending it was his own. 

He spiraled after that. Didn’t even move out of the apartment. 

Funny thing was, Riley kept showing up. 

Cade was slumped on the couch one night. The coffee table covered in empty bottles. 

She leaned in close and heard him mumble, 

“Maya… I’m sorry…” 

She froze. 

Then she shook him awake. 

“Cade. Do you love me or not?” 

He squinted at her like he was trying to figure out who she was. 

Her voice started shaking: 

“You came on to me first. You looked at me first. So what’s with the act now?” 

He shoved her hand off and stumbled to his feet. 

“Where are you going?” 

She blocked the door. 

“You going to find her again? She’s gone! She doesn’t want you anymore!” 

He finally stopped and looked at her. 

“You know what the difference is between you and Maya?” 

She stared. 

He laughed-sharp, bitter. 

“I’ll admit it. You were exciting. Like some weird new flavor. At first, yeah, it was a rush.” 

“But that thrill? That was because of Maya. Without her, you’re just another calculating woman trying to climb her way up. I’ve seen plenty of those.” 

15:54 

Mr. Chatterbox for Her Mr. Icehere for Me? Ice Melts and So Did My Lovel 

31.59 

Chapter 7 

Riley instantly grabbed a bottle off the table and smashed it. 

“You’re a fucking asshole, Cade!” 

He smiled. 

“Yeah. I’m an asshole. I’m trash. That’s why I lost Maya. But aren’t you the same?” 

He walked past her and left. 

The door slammed shut. 

Riley stood there listening to his footsteps fade down the hall. 

Then she slid down against the door, buried her face in her knees. 

At the same time, I was sitting in a salon near my parents’ place, staring at myself in the mirror. 

“What are we doing today?” 

“Short. I’ve always wanted to try it.” 

The stylist ran her fingers through my hair-long, healthy, perfectly maintained. 

“You sure? This is really nice hair. You’ll regret cutting it.” 

I only kept it long because Cade liked it that way. 

Truth is, I always preferred it short. 

She could tell I wasn’t changing my mind. 

The scissors started snipping. Hair fell in clumps onto the floor. 

I watched the person in the mirror become a stranger. Then slowly, she became familiar again. 

Something in my chest loosened. 

That night I deleted every photo of Cade and Riley from my phone. 

Took me hours. 

After that, I started running. 

Every morning at six, five kilometers along the river. 

Chapter 7 

At first I could barely do it-walked half, jogged half. 

Eventually I could finish the whole thing. 

When I was running, sweating, I didn’t think about anything. Just breathing. Just steps. 

My mom cooked for me every day. Different dishes. 

Good food fixes a lot. 

Two weeks later, I finally called the lawyer I’d already lined up. 

“Divorce agreement’s drafted. Sent it to your email. Look it over, and if it’s good I’ll send it to Cade.” 

I opened the attachment. 

Four pages. Everything spelled out. 

Asset division. Property. Debt. 

I read through it line by line. 

No issues. 

“Let’s move forward.” 

The lawyer worked fast. Next morning, Cade got a package. 

Thin envelope. Divorce papers inside. 

He flipped to the last page. 

My signature was already there. 

He stared at it for a long time. 

Long enough for Riley to walk over and pull the papers out of his hands. 

She skimmed them and laughed. 

“Having second thoughts? Too bad. Knowing her, she’ll never forgive you.” 

Cade didn’t say anything. He sat on the couch, bent over, hands on his head. 

Riley sat down next to him. 

Chapter 7 

“What you said last time-I figured you were just upset.” 

“But you know, from now on, it’s just us. Can’t we make it work?” 

After a long silence, he finally spoke. His voice barely made it out. 

“She won’t even say a word to my face anymore.” 

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