Chapter 1
Emily Summers could sense Brian Carter growing tired of her.
Five years as lovers, three years as husband and wife. Once inseparable, they now could not meet each other's eyes without lingering resentment.
On their anniversary, she put on the dress she'd worn back in their courtship. She kept their wedding rings on her finger and prepared an entire feast. Then she waited.
She waited from sunrise to sunset, kept warming up the food and letting it cool down, until everything ended up as a soggy lump.
It was only then that Emily finally gave up completely.
*****
Emily sat at the dining table, looking at the mess in front of her. For some reason, her heart didn't stir at all.
There were a few toppled wine bottles beside her, and her glass still held half a glass of wine.
But the wine was no longer clear; instead, it looked murky.
With a hint of disdain, she poured the wine down the sink. As it disappeared, Emily felt as if her emotions were drained away with it.
Emily glanced toward the window. The wind chime was gently swaying, and the sunlight bounced off the decorations, casting shimmering flecks into her eyes, making them look breathtaking. Only the shadows beneath her eyes marred the enchantment.
Outside, the sun was up, and its rays finally laid bare the chaos scattered all over the floor.
At that moment, the door finally creaked open, and the footsteps Emily used to long for rang out, crisp and clear in the quiet apartment.
"Sorry, my experiment hit a snag. I got back late," Brian's exhausted voice came from the doorway.
He paused, taking in the chaos scattered across the floor, and suddenly, the whole place went completely silent.
"Brian, yesterday was our third wedding anniversary." Emily's voice was hoarse from staying up all night. "But last night, you didn't send a single message."
Looking at the mess all over the floor, Emily wondered why she didn't feel any pain at all.
Emily had watched this place come together from scratch, personally overseeing every detail. She went through five different design drafts before she and Brian finally picked one they both loved.
And now, the greasy mess had landed right on her favorite rug.
"I told you, I was caught up in an experiment and lost track of time," Brian said, his brow tightly furrowed and his face so pale that Emily couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
But that faint feeling of compassion slowly froze over as the familiar scent of his cologne lingered in the air.
It was a scent Emily had grown to dislike five years prior, yet it had always been Brian's longtime favorite.
"Who were you with last night?" Emily asked, her voice flat and drained of energy. She slumped back in her chair, shooting Brian a look that was more annoyed than anything else.
"I was in the lab all night with my advisor and a couple of juniors. I don't know what you're talking about," Brian replied.
He was visibly irritated, having gone two days without sleep. His eyes were barely open, and he looked like he could pass out any second.
Seeing the mess all over the place pushed his irritation over the edge.
"Whatever, I'm going to bed," Brian said tiredly.
Without another word, Brian headed straight for the bedroom, leaving Emily alone in the living room. Moments later, the sound of water running came from behind the closed door.
After the bedroom door closed behind her, Emily looked around and, for some reason, this place suddenly felt like a stranger's home.
She and Brian had picked out all these decorations together, but now, looking at them made her feel sick for no reason.
Noticing the greasy stains around her, Emily frowned and, with a sigh of annoyance, unlocked her phone and called her butler, William Moore. "William, get a cleaner to come over to Stonefield Estate. If anything's got oil stains, toss it. Replace everything with new ones.
"Right, don't ask me about the details. Make sure everything's spotless. I'll send you the password later. The replacements don't have to match the old ones. Make sure they're clean."