Chapter2

I didn't sleep a wink that night. Kael never came home.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw it all.

His fake tenderness and terrible lies—he had a son with my friend.

The reality hurt me like shattered glass. I lay shivering under the covers. My blood turned to ice.

Dawn broke. I sat up and hugged my knees against my chest.

I stared out the window. I felt like the world's biggest joke.

He wasn't busy with work.

He was playing house with his mistress and secret son.

Meanwhile, I sat here guarding this massive, empty mansion.

I was guarding a marriage that had rotted from the inside out. I was a complete fool.

The front door clicked at 8:00 AM.

I threw myself back onto the pillows and squeezed my eyes shut.

The bedroom door creaked open.

Kael walked in, bringing a cold draft with him. He was still in his suit.

He set a box of my favorite dark chocolate on the nightstand.

His voice was sickeningly sweet.

"Are you awake? I'm so sorry, baby. The servers crashed. I was up all night fixing them."

I looked at his face. I just wanted to vomit.

I knew exactly where he was last night.

He wasn't at the office. He was at his other home.

He could whisper sweet nothings to me while holding another woman and her child.

His hypocrisy made me physically ill

I forced back the bile.

I managed a weak smile.

"I'm feeling better. You work too hard."

Kael’s eyes softened.

He pulled a set of blueprints from his briefcase and smoothed them out on the bed.

"Let's give it one more shot next month.

Just one last round of IVF. If it doesn't take, we'll adopt. We'll find a quiet, sweet kid."

I glanced at the floor plan for the guest room. The blood drained from my face.

Corner protectors. Toddler-height furniture. A specific square footage for a playpen.

These specs were for a one-year-old.

He was already planning to move them in. He never wanted to have a baby with me.

He just needed a solid excuse. He wanted to manipulate me into adopting his bastard.

He wanted me to be the perfect, unsuspecting nanny.

He didn't want our child. He wanted a shield for his perfect reputation.

I traced the paper with my finger. My voice was deadpan.

"Kael. If I can never give you a child, would you cheat on me?"

Kael went completely rigid.

A second later, he pulled me into a bone-crushing hug.

"Stop overthinking. It will always be you. I would never let anyone else be my wife. You're all I need."

His secret son was practically walking.

Yet he lied right to my face without missing a beat.

His devotion. His promises. His vows. They were all just tools to keep me in line.

8:00 PM. A high-society gala at the Plaza.

The entire city's elite were there.

Kael was instantly swarmed by his business partners.

I sat in the VIP lounge. A flock of wealthy wives surrounded me.

One cooed, "Your husband treats you like a princess."

"You are seriously the luckiest woman alive," another sighed.

I took a slow sip of my wine.

I beamed a picture-perfect smile. Inside, I felt nothing but grief and disgust.

The more they envied me, the more pathetic I felt.

Everyone saw the gleaming facade. Nobody saw the bullet holes in my marriage.

Right then, the lounge doors swung open.

Celeste strutted in. She wore a plunging crimson gown.

Every eye in the room snapped to her. But nothing was as blinding as her neck.

A sapphire necklace on her collarbone. It had auctioned for thirty million just last month.

Someone gasped loudly. "How did you get that?"

Celeste dropped onto the velvet sofa right beside me.

She locked eyes with me. Her smirk was lethal.

"A gift from my husband," she announced proudly

"Our son inherited his deep blue eyes. He said only this sapphire was worthy of me."

The lounge erupted into frantic whispers. Everyone was stunned.

She leaned in close and placed a single square of dark chocolate next to me.

Her voice dropped to a venomous whisper meant only for me.

"He picked it up on his way home from spending the night with us. Enjoy."

I stared at the chocolate.

The bottom dropped out of my stomach. My fingertips trembled violently.

He didn't go out of his way for me.

My special treat was just a guilt-purchase from his mistress.

It was all a lie.