Chapter 548

May's brow furrowed as she ducked out of sight. The second Tyler hopped into his car, she flagged down a cab and tailed him. While in the cab, she dialed his number. "Hey, Tyler, where you at?"

"Still at the bank," Tyler said, all cool and collected.

May's frown deepened.

Liar.

"I swear I heard a car," she pressed.

"Just some noise outside. Gotta run, got a meeting. Catch you later tonight," Tyler said, then hung up.

May clung to a tiny shred of hope that maybe, just maybe, Tyler was planning some kind of surprise. But when the cab pulled up in front of a bar and Tyler strolled inside, her heart sank.

A bar.

Seriously?

May was about to leap out of the cab and follow him, but the driver stopped her. "You gotta pay first, lady."

She fumbled for cash, and by the time she got inside, Tyler had vanished.

May scoured the bar, but no sign of him. So she headed for the private rooms.

She peeked through the small windows of each room, scanning the scenes inside.

Finally, in the last room down the hall, she spotted him.

Tyler was kicking back with a bunch of slick-looking dudes, each one with a hot hostess draped over them, some even had two.

A chick in leopard print was all cozied up next to Tyler, pouring him a drink.

Tyler pulled her into his lap.

May's eyes went wide, rage bubbling up inside her. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

So this was his "overtime" and "meeting"?

May grabbed the door handle, ready to storm in and bust him, to give him a piece of her mind.

But in that split second, fear gripped her.

If she called him out now, their wedding plans would be toast. Everyone knew she was dating a bank VP, and her friends were green with envy. How could she explain a sudden breakup?

Where would she find another guy as good as Tyler?

If they split, she'd have to watch Susan's happiness from the sidelines, all alone...

A whirlwind of fears spun in May's head, making her freeze.

She turned and bolted.

All the way home, she tried to convince herself this wasn't cheating; guys had to network, and it was normal to play along.

She kept repeating it, but she couldn't stop shaking.

Her phone buzzed.

Midnight.

May had been sitting on her bed, zoned out, for two hours. She glanced at her phone; it was a text from Tyler, [Just got home from my meeting. Exhausted, will contact you tomorrow.]

May couldn't help but scoff at the message. A meeting? At a bar? Yeah, right.

All men are liars.

She thought Tyler was different, that he was a stand-up guy, but he was just a pro at faking it!

May's eyes welled up, and she gripped her phone, itching to call and rip into him.

Her fingers shook with the effort to hold back.

Why hadn't she seen through him from the start? There was still a chance to bail back then, but now...

She couldn't bring herself to break up right away, but knowing what kind of guy he was and sticking around felt like diving into a living hell.

What should she do?

"May, May? The cup's overflowing," Susan quickly shut off the water dispenser. "What's up with you?"

She was taken aback by the dark circles under May's eyes, even worse than yesterday.

"May, did you not sleep at all last night?"

How could May sleep? Even if she managed to doze off from sheer exhaustion, she'd immediately dream of Tyler cozying up to that woman in the private room.

"May, what's on your mind? Did you and Tyler have a fight?" Susan asked, worried about May's pale face.

"Is Tyler tight with Mr. Eilish?" May shot back.

"Didn't we already cover this? They met at a business dinner years ago and hit it off."

"Good friends, huh?"

Susan frowned, "Caleb has no reason to lie to you."

"How well does he really know Tyler?"

"Pretty well, I guess, or he wouldn't have introduced him to you."

Know him? Does Caleb know Tyler's a cheating, lying scumbag?

Was Caleb duped by Tyler, or did he not know him well and just set her up with anyone?

Or worse, did they deliberately set her up with a liar?

May's thoughts spiraled darker and darker, feeling more and more like a victim.

"May?" Susan gently patted her, snapping her out of her thoughts. May reacted violently, shoving Susan away and shouting, her voice raw with anger, "Don't touch me!"

The cup went flying.

Susan's face went pale, "May, what's wrong with you?"

May's outburst was terrifying.

"What happened? Did you and Tyler have a fight?"

May didn't answer Susan, just shoved her aside and dashed back to her room. Her phone was ringing; it was Tyler.

May took a deep breath. The phone rang for ages before she finally picked up, trying to keep her voice steady.

"May, May?"

"I'm here," May said, licking her lips.

"Sorry, I was supposed to call you back yesterday, but the meeting ran late. I got home at midnight and didn't want to wake you, so I just sent a text. You don't mind, do you?"

May couldn't help but sneer. 'His tone's still so sweet, just shows he's a pro at lying.'

"You had a meeting until midnight?"

"Yeah, didn't I tell you? I was at the bank the whole time, last one to leave."

"And after work? Did you go straight home?"

Or did you take some chick to a hotel, or even bring her home?

Once trust is shattered, everything Tyler said felt like a lie, and he seemed like a total scumbag.

"Of course, I went home. Worked all day, was dead tired, just wanted to crash. Got up this morning and went back to work, just now got a break to call you. You don't believe me, do you?"

May rolled her eyes and asked, "Do you think I should believe you?"

"Of course, every word I say is true. I'm busting my ass for our future. If you don't believe me, it'll break my heart. You gotta know I'm carrying the weight for both of us."

The more sincere he sounded, the colder May felt. How much had he lied to her?

"Alright, I know I've been too busy to care for you. I'll come see you tonight and apologize. How about we have dinner together?"