Chapter 3

That night, after leaving the Whitmore family chat, I sent in my resignation from Daniel's company.

I'd helped him build it from the start. We'd visited clients together and worked through the night on proposals. In the worst months, we'd practically slept at our desks.

When we first made a profit, Daniel told the entire staff, “Claire's more than my wife. She's the partner who kept us going when things were hardest.”

My resignation was another move in his game now.

He responded with one line.

“Approved. When you're finished with the drama, come back.”

The fifth day of Natalie's week as “Mrs. Whitmore” fell on the company's anniversary. It was also my final day at work.

I came to return my badge and turn over my projects. The anniversary video played on the lobby screen. My name had disappeared. So had every photograph of me from the early years.

No footage of me filling orders in the warehouse. No trace of the client dinners where I'd drunk so much I ended up with a bleeding stomach. None of the nights I'd spent over our proposals.

The last image was Natalie clinging to Daniel's arm.

“To Mrs. Whitmore—thank you for standing beside us from the start,” the caption read.

Daniel knew I'd been the wife invited to the celebration. He still let Natalie wear the dress I'd chosen for it.

She stood with him wearing the family bracelet, helped him cut the cake, and joined him in a toast. Whenever someone addressed her as “Mrs. Whitmore,” she blushed and glanced his way.

He let every one of them say it.

“We're on day five. Why spoil it by stopping now?”

I didn't join the celebration in the event hall. I worked in the office, finishing my handoff.

As I passed the hall on my way out, an employee who'd been with us since the beginning spotted me.

“Mrs. Whitmore!”

He glanced at Natalie on the stage.

“Hold on. Who's that, then?”

The room fell silent.

The guests finally understood that the woman beside Daniel wasn't his wife.

People began whispering.

“Why's she wearing their family bracelet if they're not married?”

“She's living in his wife's house and showing up here as Mrs. Whitmore. Isn't that an affair?”

Someone near me interrupted before the whispers spread further.

“Haven't you seen Natalie's post? Claire won't move on. Mr. Whitmore's making it perfectly clear who he wants, but she keeps hanging around because she helped start the business.

“It's pathetic. She can't stand losing the title.”

A phone made its way from guest to guest until it reached me.

In the video, I was crying as I grabbed my nightgown back. In the next clip, I stood outside the primary bedroom, tearful, telling Natalie to get out. Another showed me leaving a Whitmore family dinner in distress.

Edited together, they made me look unreasonable.

Daniel wasn't in the clips explaining that it was just a game. They'd cut out the part where he held me and told me I had nothing to worry about.

The caption said, “Some women can't accept that it's time to move aside.”

I kept looking at it, remembering the last three years.

Whenever I broke down, they pushed until I said what they wanted to hear.

“I got upset because I love him so much.”

Daniel had kept their bets on his phone. When would I cry? Would I smash something? How long before I apologized to Natalie?

For three years, they'd been collecting videos of me coming apart for their own entertainment. I finally understood that.

Before I could speak, Daniel approached and lowered his voice.

“We've come this far. We should finish it. Natalie only agreed to help me. I'm not letting her reputation get destroyed over this.”

I looked at him and gave a small laugh.

“But mine can be?”

He frowned.

“Enough, Claire. None of this would be happening if you hadn't made such a big deal out of the game.”

I left my badge and resignation paperwork at reception without responding.

“Everything's been handed over.”

Then I passed him and stepped into the elevator.

That was when his temper broke. With the guests watching, he summoned his lawyer.

“Prepare a divorce settlement. At the end of the seven days, she can choose in front of everyone. Let's see how committed she is to this performance.”