His Horse Her Betrayal My Billion Dollar Exit

It was my birthday. Spencer Reid had just posted on social media, teasing the “big surprise” he had planned for me that evening.

A few hours later, I saw the photo.

It was of him and his assistant, Hailey Miller, riding one of my horses together. His collar was open, exposing a patch of chest where an angry red cluster of fingerprints stood out against his skin.

The caption read: [My first time, thanks to him.]

The comments section was a chorus of suggestive jokes: [Jealous of anyone who gets to touch that chest.] [That’s a tricky position to master.]

Spencer had specifically Liked that last one.

My heart went utterly cold.

I had always thought he just loved riding horses. I hadn’t realized he enjoyed riding that kind of horse.

I personally bathed the horse, washing away every trace of the afternoon. Then, I signed the stables over to him, free and clear.

“You can give the rest of the horses to whoever you want. Pick and choose.”

Watching the look of pure, unadulterated delight on his face, I finally agreed to the family alliance marriage my father had been pushing.

1

I arrived at the Hudson Valley stables just after three.

I parked my car and immediately saw a man and a woman on horseback in the distance. Spencer’s shirt buttons were all undone. Even the snap on his jeans was open. Even from this distance, I could see the fresh marks on his chest. Those raw, red trails that only a woman leaves in a moment of passion.

Anyone who wasn’t blind knew exactly what had just happened.

I snapped a picture and sent it to Spencer.

He glanced at his phone and spun around. When he saw me, his brow furrowed in a sharp, irritated crease. As he swung down, Hailey, the assistant, lost her balance and tumbled straight into his embrace. She muttered something in his ear. Spencer’s tense expression softened, and he laughed, saying a few casual words to her.

When he finally walked up to me, he still wore that faint, easy smile.

I watched their casual, oblivious intimacy, the way they moved as if the rest of the world were just scenery. It was in that moment that I finally understood: everything had been my own self-deception. The surprise was never for me.

I thought of how I had spent the morning preparing for my “surprise.” Pushing all my meetings, canceling all my engagements. I had even had the house professionally cleaned and bought the vintage sports car Spencer had been hinting at. Today wasn’t just my birthday; it was our eight-year anniversary.

Spencer had forgotten all of it.

Not only had he forgotten, but he had allowed another woman to ride my prize show horse—a horse I had personally nursed and cared for.

Had he stopped belonging to me too?

I clenched my fists, pressing down the violent surge of rage in my chest.

Hailey stepped forward, planting herself between Spencer and me, and offered a practiced apology.

“Ms. Bennett, the client we’re pursuing is a huge equestrian enthusiast. Spencer only brought me here to help me develop my skills for the company. You aren’t mad, are you?”

The way she framed it—making it seem like all her actions were for the good of the company, and any anger from me would be an irrational outburst—almost made me laugh. It had been years since anyone dared to speak to me with such thinly veiled condescension.

“Not at all. I’m not mad. Just know that if that deal falls through, you’ll be resigning for cause.”

Hailey froze. “Ms. Bennett, securing the deal depends on the terms of the agreement, not on me personally.”

I gave her a cold smile. “So, how exactly does riding the horse help the company?”

“I—”

My gaze iced over as I looked her up and down. “You seemed quite skilled just now. Had lessons before?”

Hailey clearly didn’t know what game I was playing, but she had to answer. “A few times, when I was a kid.”

She was skilled enough to know about horses. She would certainly recognize my Quarter Horse—the champion racer I’d acquired a few years ago for two million dollars.

I was about to press her further when Spencer cut in. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me toward the parking lot. “Enough, Row. I brought her to give her an experience. Don’t make such a big deal out of this.”

“Besides, you only own these horses; you hardly ever ride. We just took one out for the afternoon. You certainly don’t mind.”

I stopped dead, pulling myself out of his grasp.

“I do mind.”

I looked him straight in the eye. “I bought that horse as a foal. I’ve cared for him meticulously. I wouldn’t even ride him myself. Hailey doesn’t have the right to touch him, much less ride him without my permission.”

My voice was low and deadly. “You brought someone here to my property without asking. Did you show me any respect?” I gestured to the saddle. “What’s on the leather? Should I send a sample to a lab?”

The air immediately thickened.

Hailey quickly dropped her head. “I’m sorry, Ms. Bennett. It was my fault.” Then, she pivoted back to Spencer. “Spencer, please don’t fight because of me. It’s not worth it.”

She knew I was angry due to jealousy, but she immediately spun it into a corporate drama, positioning me as the unreasonable boss fighting with the hardworking assistant. It was a clever maneuver.

I saw the welling tears in her eyes and couldn’t help but smile.

“Hailey, you love riding so much? I’ll buy you a horse. You can ride it whenever you want.”

She looked up, eyes wide with disbelief.

I kept my voice low and cutting. “But remember your place. You are an assistant. You are not to take anything that doesn’t belong to you.”

Spencer finally realized I was truly enraged and rushed to appease me.

“Rowan, I’m sorry. It’s our anniversary, and your birthday.” He leaned in, whispering in my ear. “I didn’t get you a gift this year, but I thought… I’d give you myself.”

He subtly turned his neck, showing me the small silk bow tie he had tied around his collar.

I’ve known Spencer for ten years, and we’ve been together for eight. Whenever he forgot my birthday, he always used this move to beg for forgiveness. Eight years, seven times I’d fallen for it.

I thought this year would be different. This was the last year before our agreed-upon wedding.

But I was wrong. The same pattern was the only consistent thing. From the very beginning, I was the one investing the most.

I was silent throughout dinner. He tried to charm me, telling jokes and asking about my day. But after only two attempts, he grew impatient and withdrawn.

It wasn’t until we got home that his easy demeanor returned. He kissed me lightly on the mouth. “I’m going to shower first. Wait for your gift.”

I followed him into the bedroom and saw the spread of toys and props scattered across the bed. Clearly, for later.

This was the other reason I had been so devoted to him. He always knew exactly how to manipulate my anger back into submission.

My gaze darkened. I grabbed a pair of underwear and headed to the guest bathroom to wash up.

The moment I stepped in, I knew something was wrong.

In the trash can were a pair of discarded women’s lace lingerie and a thong. Used. The daring cut and floral lace were styles I had repeatedly refused to wear, despite his urging over the years.

My heart plummeted. It hit the floor and shattered.

I sat on the edge of the bed and waited for him.

Spencer emerged wearing a sheer, silk shirt and picked up a pair of fuzzy cat ears, placing them on his head.

“Rowan, help me with the tail, okay?”

I held the faux tail, unmoving. “Why are there women’s underwear and lingerie in the guest bathroom trash?”

Spencer froze, his eyes widening in obvious panic.

“That… I don’t know. I’ll ask the cleaning service tomorrow if they accidentally left something behind.”

“The cleaning crew is a team of professionals, Spencer. They don’t wear lace thongs. And you know what the lace looks like.”

“I…”

He quickly stood up, his panic palpable. He fumbled for an excuse but couldn’t find one. Then, his phone rang, sharp and intrusive.

He picked it up, and after two sentences, his face went white. He tore off the cat ears, grabbed a jacket, and headed for the door.

I grabbed his arm. “Where are you going?”

“Hailey was in a car accident on the way home. She doesn’t have any family here. I have to go to the hospital.”

I didn’t let go.

“Call HR. Tell them to send a representative. You don’t need to go personally.”

Spencer’s face contorted in anger. “Rowan, can you stop being so self-centered? She’s struggling in this city, she’s all alone, and I’m just trying to help her. Are you seriously going to be jealous over that? God, you’re so immature!”

His fury made all my efforts feel pathetic. My last sliver of hope evaporated into disappointment.

As he stormed out, I called my father.

“Dad. I agree to the alliance.”

After Spencer left, I looked around the house we had shared for five years. I bought it and gave it to him the year the company went public. I wanted it to be our home, not just a house.

Ten years ago, I fell for Spencer at first sight. It took me two years of relentless pursuit to get him to agree to date me. After graduation, I cut ties with my family, refusing my father’s order to return and take over the empire. I left my childhood friends, my environment, and started over here with him.

He just said Hailey was alone in this city. Was I not alone, too?

What had I gotten in eight years? His lies, and a distance that grew wider every day.

Because I had severed ties with my father, I couldn’t touch the family business. I had been forced to pivot to an industry I barely knew: entertainment and media.

In the early days, we built the company side-by-side, scrambling daily just to keep the lights on. That was when our relationship was at its best.

Then, the company went public. Everything changed. He met more people, his ambition swelled, and he started to resent my cautious strategy. He called me a drag on the company’s growth.

Fine. I wouldn’t drag him down anymore.

I spent the entire night packing my things.

At dawn, I received a text from Spencer.

[Hailey’s leg is hurt. I’ll be at the hospital taking care of her for the time being.]

I replied with two words: Up to you.

The next day, I went into the office and started an audit. I contacted our lawyers to initiate the equity division. When we founded the company, I had initially planned to give him all the shares. But he insisted he didn’t want to take advantage of me, so we signed an agreement stating that the equity could be split 50/50, with the final decision resting with me, no further consent needed.

I signed my name right next to his signature from eight years ago. Time felt like an illusory arrow, flying across eight years to pierce my heart.

I was busy until two in the afternoon before realizing I hadn’t eaten.

Spencer walked in, followed by Hailey, who was leaning heavily on crutches.

He set a takeout container on my desk and told me to eat.

“Your secretary said you’ve been working non-stop and haven’t eaten. Why are you doing this again?” He looked at me with an air of exasperated disappointment. “Didn’t you promise me you’d take care of yourself?”

I looked at Hailey. “I thought you were hospitalized?”

Spencer gave a slight smirk. “She said the company is too busy, and she felt bad taking leave. She even closed a major deal this morning. Rowan, Hailey is genuinely talented. Can you please drop the attitude about yesterday?”

I stood up, moving toward the food.

“Fine.”

Since I was leaving, there really was no point in arguing.

As I walked past Hailey, she reached out and grabbed my sleeve.

“Mr. Reid—I mean, Ms. Bennett. I know you’re still upset with me, but I promise I will remember my place from now on.” She lowered her voice. “Could you please rescind the disciplinary action? Everyone in the office is gossiping about me.”

Spencer frowned. “What disciplinary action?”

Hailey showed him her phone notification. “HR wrote me up for malicious absence yesterday.”

Spencer instantly pulled out his own phone, ready to call the HR department.

“She was absent. That’s a fact. Calling them now will only make the gossip worse.”

My calm observation made Spencer’s face darken.

“Why are you doing this?”

“I’m following company policy. She was absent.”

Spencer suddenly slammed his hand on the desk, rising to his full height. “Don’t use policy to control me! You’re the CEO! You make the rules! You know I’m the one who took her out. What you’re doing now is making me look like an idiot!”

I took a slow bite of my food. “Collateral damage. My apologies.”

“You!”

Hailey looked between us, her expression shifting from panic to distress. She rushed to apologize. “I’m sorry, I’ll take the punishment, Ms. Bennett. Please don’t be angry at Spencer because of me… Ah!”

Her body twisted, and she fell directly onto the glass coffee table. The food and soup scattered, soaking her clothes.

“Ms. Bennett, why did you push me?” Spencer shoved me away, his face etched with horror and rage. He immediately crouched down beside Hailey. “Are you okay? Where does it hurt?”

He looked up at me, his face twisted with accusation. “Rowan Bennett, take your anger out on me! Why involve an innocent third party?”

I was caught completely off guard by his push and fell backward onto the shattered pieces of the ceramic cup.

“I didn’t push her.”

Spencer glared at me, his eyes shining with fury. “Did she just fall on her own, then?”

I managed to sit up, carefully moving away from the broken glass. Blood welled up from my palm and dripped onto the white carpet, spreading quickly.

Spencer registered the blood for a split second, but Hailey’s pained cry cut him off.

“Spencer, my leg hurts so much.”

He immediately panicked, pulling out his phone to dial 911. “I’m taking you to the ER right now.”

He shot me one final, venomous look. “Rowan Bennett, I’ll deal with you when I get back.”

When the paramedics and nurses came to lift Hailey onto the gurney, Spencer didn’t spare a single minute to ask them to look at my hand.

“Spencer, Ms. Bennett is hurt, too…” Hailey murmured as they wheeled her away.

Spencer scoffed. “It’s just a scratch. She won’t die. She brought it on herself. If she hadn’t pushed you, none of this would have happened.”

I closed my eyes silently. When I opened them again, every trace of doubt was gone.

Leaving was the only choice left.

For the next week, Spencer didn’t come home, nor did he check in. The only message I received was the text he sent the day Hailey was hospitalized.

[Because of your shove, her fractured leg is now fully broken. Rowan, I never knew you were such a cold-blooded person. You’ve been so cold that I’m starting to doubt if our relationship was the right choice.]

I was already set on leaving, but the words still caused a sharp, painful ache in my chest. He had condemned me, based only on Hailey’s word. He didn’t even bother to check the security footage.

I typed out my response, word by word: [If that’s the case, let’s break up.]

But when I hit send, I received a red exclamation mark.

He had blocked me.

I tossed my phone aside and officially began the process of transferring my equity. My half of the company was worth at least a hundred million dollars now, and I wasn’t leaving it behind. I transferred all my shares to a trusted friend.

Before signing, the friend asked me repeatedly, “Are you sure you want to give us these shares? This is the final step; you and Spencer will be done for good.”

“You loved him for so many years. You were planning the wedding. Can you really let go?”

I signed my name with a steady hand. “We’re done.”

It wasn’t just that I wanted to end it. Spencer no longer wanted me.

Over the next few days, I saw Hailey’s posts constantly on social media.

[His homemade chicken soup is delicious, but he’s working too hard. I hope to be the one cooking for him soon.]

[Caring for a patient is hard. I promise I won’t let myself get hurt again, because I hate seeing him suffer.]

[He looks so cute when he sleeps.]

The last post, from the night before, finally included a blurry photo. It was Spencer asleep next to her in the hospital bed. The picture was slightly obscured, but I recognized him instantly. More importantly, I recognized the necklace lying on the bedside table. I had made it for him myself on our one-year anniversary.

He had never taken it off. Until now. He had taken it off for another woman.

I thought for a moment, then posted my own update.

[Who knew leaving the city I’ve called home for ten years could be this simple.]

After hitting Post, I turned and walked into the airport.