Betrayed by His Affair with Her Sister

Synopsis

I was never meant to see it. The moment wasn't intended for my eyes, but fate has a cruel way of revealing truths we've spent years avoiding. The crisp autumn air kissed my skin as I stepped into Le Bernardin, Manhattan's crown jewel of fine dining. Alexander had texted that he was running late for our anniversary dinner—our sixth year together. Six years of loving a man who had never once looked at me the way he was looking at her now. I'd arrived early, hoping to surprise him with a vintage watch I'd spent months tracking down. Instead, I was the one ambushed by reality. Weaving through the sea of white tablecloths and crystal glasses, I spotted them tucked away in a corner. I instinctively slipped behind a decorative pillar, my heart hammering against my ribs as the scene unfolded before me. Alexander Dropkin—my Alexander—was on his knees. Not in celebration. Not in joy. But in desperate supplication before Victoria Cross. "Please, Vic," his voice cracked, something I'd never heard in all our years together. "I've been paying for that mistake every day since you left. You have to believe me." Tears—actual tears—glistened in his eyes. In six years, I had never seen Alexander cry. Not when his father died. Not when we lost our first pregnancy. Not once. "I don't know if I can trust you again," Victoria whispered, her delicate fingers brushing his cheek in a gesture so intimate it made my stomach clench.