Chapter Two

Emma's POV

When Carter and I first got together, his company was still in its infancy.

Back then, we lived in a small apartment. Life was hectic, but we were happy.

Carter spent his days running around trying to get his business off the ground, while I taught art classes and took on design projects to help cover our living expenses.

Neither of us had much money saved, but we believed that as long as we had each other, our future would only get brighter.

That was when Chloe entered our lives.

I first met her at a small restaurant.

She worked there, spending her days serving customers and clearing tables while preparing for her college entrance exams at night.

Then, one day, the restaurant owner suddenly disappeared with everyone's wages, shutting down the place overnight.

Chloe never received the money she was owed. Worse, she was behind on rent and was on the verge of losing the roof over her head.

I happened to come across her when her landlord was confronting her outside her apartment.

She stood there clutching her backpack, her eyes red as she repeatedly promised that she would pay him back.

I couldn't bear to watch her struggle.

So I offered her a place in our home.

"You can stay with us for now and help with cooking and some basic household chores," I told her. "I'll pay you a regular salary. Once you find a better job, you can decide whether you want to move out."

Tears immediately spilled down Chloe's cheeks.

"Thank you, Emma. I promise I'll work hard."

When I brought her home, Carter wasn't pleased.

He had never liked strangers invading his personal space, especially when we were just starting our business and barely had enough room for ourselves.

"Aren't you worried she might have ulterior motives?"

I put the vegetables I'd just bought into the refrigerator and laughed.

"She's a student. What could she possibly want from us? We're giving her a job, not handing over the keys to our entire lives."

Carter didn't argue further, but he reminded me not to be so naive.

At the time, I barely gave his warning a second thought.

After all, I never imagined that the girl I'd taken in out of kindness would eventually become the woman who destroyed my marriage.

At first, Chloe really was hardworking.

Her cooking suited Carter's tastes, and she had an excellent memory. She remembered every dietary preference he casually mentioned. Even when he worked late into the night, she would reheat his dinner and leave it waiting on the table.

Sometimes, when I saw her rushing around trying to finish everything, I'd even help her with the chores.

She would always take my hand gratefully.

"Emma, you're so good to me. I'll definitely repay your kindness someday."

I would smile and tell her there was no need to take such little things to heart.

As the days passed, Chloe gradually settled into our home and began talking to Carter more often.

At first, she would bring him coffee and use the opportunity to ask questions about his company.

Later, she'd linger around while he worked, keeping him company. Occasionally, she would take a business term she didn't understand into his study and ask him to explain it.

Carter had never been particularly patient, especially when he was working. He hated being interrupted by questions he considered irrelevant.

Yet, for some reason, he was remarkably patient with Chloe.

I once teased him about it.

"Since when did you become such a good teacher? You used to get annoyed whenever I asked you a few questions."

He merely glanced at me.

"She's still a student. She doesn't know much about the world yet. There's nothing wrong with asking a few extra questions."

I didn't pursue the matter.

Back then, I trusted him without reservation. It never crossed my mind that I should doubt the relationship we'd spent years building because of a girl temporarily living under our roof.

Until one day, I came home earlier than expected and found Chloe standing in front of the mirror wearing my clothes.

It was a red slip dress Carter had bought for me.

She heard the door open and hurriedly turned around, but not before I caught the smile on her face.

"Emma, you're home."

My eyes fell on the dress.

"What made you decide to try that on?"

She looked down and nervously smoothed the fabric.

"I just thought it was beautiful and wanted to see how it looked on me. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken it out without asking you."

She started to change out of it, but I had no intention of making a big deal out of something so trivial.

"Just ask me next time."

She nodded repeatedly before disappearing into her room.

I quickly forgot about the incident.

But after that, Chloe began paying more attention to her appearance.

She stopped wearing nothing but oversized T-shirts and jeans. Before going out, she would carefully apply makeup and choose her outfits.

One day, I couldn't help asking Carter, "Don't you think Chloe has been acting a little differently lately?"

He didn't even look up.

"What's so strange about a young woman wanting to look pretty?"

"That's not what I mean."

He finally put down his documents, a slight frown creasing his forehead.

"Emma, since when did you become so suspicious of everything?"

I looked at him, then swallowed the words I'd been about to say.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Noah listened to my story before finally asking, "So that's when you started suspecting her?"

I shook my head.

"No."

I gazed out the window, my voice so calm that even I barely recognized it.

"Not long after that, I fired her."

Noah turned to look at me, clearly surprised that things had escalated so quickly.

"Why?"

I fell silent for a moment before answering softly.

"Because of a necklace."