Fan and Trisha exchanged wide-eyed glances, shocked by what they had heard.

“I feel sorry for her husband,” Trisha said, her disapproval evident. “He is a good man.”

Meghan added disapprovingly, “These women who go after older rich men forget that these men eventually get older and can’t keep up with them. But who am I to judge? Money makes the world go round.”

“How did she react when her husband caught her?” Trisha inquired with a furrowed brow.

“Well, she couldn’t care less. It seems like she doesn’t care about his thoughts or feelings. Poor Pete remained calm, but I could see the sadness in his eyes. He took her hand and said, ‘Jen, I think we should go home.’”

“You reap what you sow,” Fran remarked, checking her watch. “We really should be going. Shall we?”

The next day, Trisha woke up early, surprisingly well-rested. She closed her eyes and smiled, still in disbelief that she had danced the entire night with Sid, the charming “Mr. Eye Candy” she thought she’d never see again. After finding the right candidate, she had never expected such an encounter. Turning to look at her nightstand clock, she noticed it was only 9 a.m. Trisha decided to indulge herself with an additional 15 minutes in bed and dozed off again. Just as she was drifting, her phone began to ring. Annoyed, she checked the number—it was Karan. Why was he calling so early?

The phone finally stopped ringing, but she couldn’t fall back asleep. Her phone started ringing again. This had to stop.

“Hello,” Trisha answered groggily, keeping her eyes closed.

“Good morning, Trisha. Are you still sleeping? That’s unlike you,” Karan said.

Trisha let out a sigh. “What do you want, Karan?”

“I’d like to know if we could have lunch together, like friends. Are we still friends, right? What time should I pick you up?”

“Karan, we are not friends, and I’m not going out for lunch with you.”

“Why not, Trisha? You used to love our Sunday lunches, remember?”

“That was in the past, Karan,” Trisha replied irritably. “When we were happily married, but then you decided to cheat on me, remember?” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “And stop calling me ‘princess.’ I am not your princess.”

“Trisha, my dearest Trisha. I made one mistake. A stupid mistake, I agree. Please don’t be so harsh on me. Please, let’s make a new start. We can’t just pretend that we didn’t have some wonderful years together,” Karan pleaded desperately. “I was thinking; maybe we can start seeing each other again and see how it goes?”