Chapter 1

The weight of Andrew's jacket felt like lead in my hands. I hadn't meant to snoop—I was simply hanging it up after he'd carelessly tossed it onto our bed before rushing off to another "emergency meeting." But when the inner pocket gaped open and a small stack of hotel receipts fluttered to the floor, something made me pause.

My fingers trembled as I gathered them. The Four Seasons. The Ritz-Carlton. Places where Andrew claimed to meet clients. Dates that matched nights he'd told me he was working late. I should have put them back. After seven years of marriage, I'd perfected the art of looking away, of making excuses for the lipstick stains, the lingering perfume, the missed anniversaries.

But this time, I kept looking.

Behind the receipts was a small envelope. Inside were photos—intimate ones. My stomach lurched when I recognized the woman entwined with my husband.

Ivanna. My sister-in-law.

The room spun around me. I sank onto the edge of our king-sized bed, the same bed Andrew and I had shared for seven years. Seven years of me trying to fix what was breaking, of believing his promises to change, of ignoring the signs of his worsening addiction.

I don't know how long I sat there, the evidence of his betrayal clutched in my hands, before I made the decision to confront Ivanna. Not Andrew—he would only lie, as he always did. But Ivanna... I needed to hear it from her.

I found her at the country club, lounging by the pool like she didn't have a care in the world. Like she hadn't destroyed my life.

"We need to talk," I said, my voice steadier than I expected.

She glanced up, pushing her designer sunglasses to the top of her head. "Faye! What a surprise. Care to join me?"

I dropped the photos onto her lap. Her smile faltered, then hardened into something cruel.

"Well," she said, gathering the photos with manicured fingers, "I suppose this conversation was inevitable."

"How long?" I asked, fighting to keep my voice from breaking.

Ivanna leaned back in her lounger, studying me with cold amusement. "Does it matter? A year, maybe more. It's not like he was faithful to you before me."

The casual cruelty of her words struck me like a physical blow. "He's my husband."

"And I'm pregnant with his child."

The words hung between us, sharp and final. I stared at her flat stomach, trying to process what she'd said.

"You're lying," I whispered.

She smiled, a slow, victorious curl of her lips. "Twelve weeks. We've already heard the heartbeat. Andrew was quite moved."

I walked away before she could see me break. I wouldn't give her that satisfaction.

Three days later, I found myself in Andrew's home office while he was away on business. I told myself I was looking for financial documents, preparing for what I knew now was inevitable. But deep down, I was searching for more truth, more evidence of how completely my life had been a lie.

His desk was meticulously organized—Andrew had always been controlling about his space. I found what I was looking for in the wall safe behind his awards. The combination was my birthday, a bitter irony that wasn't lost on me.

Among the documents was his updated will. My hands shook as I read the pages, each word another knife in my heart. Andrew had named Ivanna's unborn child as his primary beneficiary. Not me. Not our future children—the ones I'd spent years hoping for while he pursued his endless string of affairs.

I replaced everything exactly as I'd found it and closed the safe. Then I called Solana.

"I need a good divorce lawyer," I said when she answered. "And I need you not to ask questions right now."

There was a brief pause before she responded, "I'll text you a name. And Faye? Whatever it is, I'm here."

Two days later, I sat across from Patricia Winters, a divorce attorney with kind eyes and a reputation for ruthless efficiency.

"I want this to be quiet," I explained, sliding the folder of evidence across her desk. "I don't want a scandal or a fight. I just want out."

She reviewed the documents, her expression remaining professional despite the sordid details. "With this evidence, we can secure you a very favorable settlement."

"I don't care about the money," I said. "I just want to be free of him."

As I left her office, I felt something I hadn't expected—a small flicker of hope. For seven years, I'd been drowning in Andrew's lies, trying to save a marriage that had been broken from the start. Now, finally, I was choosing myself.

I just had no idea how dangerous that choice would prove to be.