Chapter 1
On the day I returned to my old school for its hundredth anniversary, my assistant sent me a screenshot of a social media post.
It read, [Hope my girl's first time on stage at eighteen goes well.]
In the photo, a girl I didn't know was wearing the custom dress I designed, standing backstage, looking just like a swan.
The post was from my husband, Danny Fisher, and he'd made sure I couldn't see it.
Looking at the photo, I was about to call and confront Danny.
The very next second, that girl stepped onto the stage for the school's anniversary, while I was sitting right in the front row.
She was dressed exactly like in the photo, singing the song Danny wrote for me.
I paused for a moment, pulled out my phone, snapped a picture of her performance, and sent it straight to Danny.
I texted, [Hey babe, guess what? I just spotted my missing dress and necklace at school.]
[And she's up there singing the song you wrote for me.]
[Honestly, if you didn't know any better, you'd think she's my number one stalker.]
[Tell me, if I called the cops now, how many years do you think she'd get?]
*****
As soon as I sent the messages, the stage lights swept across the audience, and there was Danny, his face lit up for everyone to see.
He appeared on the big screen, holding a huge banner packed with messages cheering for that girl.
Without missing a beat, I stood up, turned to Danny, and flashed him a smile.
I called out to him, "Hey, babe, what a coincidence."
Our eyes met, and Danny's face went dark in an instant.
But I just played it cool, looking at him with concern.
"Danny, what's with that face?" I asked. "Feeling sick or something?"
Frank Hart, the principal, stood up beside me, eyeing us both with curiosity.
"Vanessa, do you know Mr. Fisher?" he asked.
He pointed at Danny, his eyes full of admiration. "Mr. Fisher is our school's newest big donor.
"Those two brand new teaching buildings and all the latest lab equipment were donated by Mr. Fisher.
"One of the buildings is even named after him."
Frank turned to Danny again, all smiles.
He said, "Mr. Fisher, why didn't you let us know you were coming? We could've set up a VIP seat for you in the front row."
Maybe it was too noisy for him to catch me calling Danny "babe."
I smiled and slipped my arm through Danny's, who looked stiff as a board.
"Mr. Hart, we're not just acquaintances," I said with a grin.
"We're actually husband and wife," I added, playfully dragging out the words.
"Isn't that right, Danny?" I teased, turning to him.
Danny's body jolted, and he managed a strained smile.
"I was just passing by, saw the school was celebrating, so I popped in. Didn't want to trouble anyone," he replied.
He stammered his way through talking to Frank, then took the chance to introduce me.
"This is my wife, Vanessa White," he said.
He looked so guilty that he could hardly look at me.
I didn't call him out on his clumsy lie right on the spot.
Instead, I turned toward the stage, acting all curious.
"Mr. Hart, who's that girl up there on stage?" I asked.
"That song sounds amazing..." I drawled, stretching out the words.
Frank's eyes lit up with genuine admiration as he mentioned the girl on stage.
He began, "You mean Stella? She's a real rising star.
"Her family's not well-off, but she's incredibly talented, definitely one of the top students this year."
"Mr. Fisher's her sponsor. Ever since Stella joined, he's been showering the school with donations," Frank added, practically beaming.
I nodded, playing it cool, and just went along with the story.
After the celebration wrapped up, Frank enthusiastically brought Stella over to us.
"Stella, come meet our school's distinguished alumna, Vanessa," Frank said warmly.
"She started the famous New Horizon scholarship," Frank went on, beaming.
"Isn't that a coincidence? Your benefactor just happens to be Vanessa's husband," Frank laughed.
Stella immediately greeted us, politely expressing her admiration for me and her gratitude to Danny.
Her voice was soft and timid, but the calculating and contemptuous look in her eyes was impossible to hide.
I fixed my gaze on the dress she was wearing and spoke up, my tone light and casual, "Stella, with your family's situation, how'd you end up in a custom dress like that?"
"Isn't it strange? It looks almost exactly like the dress I lost at auction a few days ago," I added, stretching out the words.
Stella's face went pale as a sheet, and she gave Danny a pleading look for help.
Danny shot her a warning glare.
She instantly ducked her head, her voice barely above a whisper, sounding all pitiful as she tried to explain.
"I, I made the dress myself, stitch by stitch, just copied it from the auction photo," she mumbled.
"The pearl necklace is just a fake, too," she added, her voice even shakier.
"Yeah, it's all fake stuff, but I just wanted everything to look perfect on stage," she mumbled, voice trembling.
I just let her talk and didn't expose her.
Then I turned to Danny and smirked at him knowingly.
"Babe, I really loved that dress and necklace," I said, my tone sweet but with a hint of danger.
"If I ever find out who was dumb enough to steal them, I'll make sure they pay back a hundred, no, a thousand times over," I added, my voice sharp.
Danny looked so wrecked, and words couldn't even begin to describe how bad it was.
He suddenly grabbed my wrist, his voice all strained and urgent.
"Vanessa, the celebration's over. Let's go home," he said, sounding like he couldn't wait to get out of there.