Chapter 3

"Lucas, listen to me, it's not what you think." Evelyn's tears started flowing on cue, her voice pitching high with panic. "That's for a friend. I was picking it up for a friend, I swear."

The excuse wouldn't fool a child.

Lucas's face was thunderous. He walked over slowly and took the paper from my hand.

The words Prostatitis printed on it might as well have been a slap to his face.

No man tolerates that kind of humiliation.

"A friend?" Lucas's laugh was hollow. "Which friend needs you to pick up their urology report for them?"

Evelyn had no answer. She just kept crying.

"Get out." The word was ground out between his teeth.

Evelyn stared at him, tears streaming. "Lucas, how can you not believe me? We—"

"I said get out." His voice cracked like a whip, veins bulging at his temples.

Evelyn flinched hard. She didn't dare say another word. She grabbed her purse off the floor and fled.

The room fell silent. The air was thick enough to choke on.

I kept my eyes lowered, playing the part of a stunned and bewildered wife.

After a long moment, Lucas spoke, his voice rough. "Thank you."

I looked up, feigning confusion. "For what?"

He stared at me, something complicated flickering in his eyes. "If it weren't for you, she might have actually set me up."

I gave a faint, bitter smile. "I just didn't want someone tearing our family apart."

My grace under fire seemed to strike something in him. Guilt flickered across his face.

He was quiet for a moment, then said, "I've got work. I need to go."

I watched his retreating back as he practically fled. Sinking back onto the sofa, I let myself breathe. Round one, I won. But we were far from done.

*****

That afternoon, an unfamiliar number flashed on my phone. It was Lucas's mom, Hadley Reed.

"Serena, what is wrong with you? Can't you even keep your own husband satisfied? Why would Lucas cheat? What kind of wife can't hold onto her man?" she snapped.

The accusations came pouring out the second I picked up, not a word of concern, no comfort. In her world, when a man cheats, it was always the woman's fault.

My heart turned to ice in my chest. This was the woman I'd once bent over backwards to please.

"Grandma is so unfair. She secretly gave Dad forty thousand to buy that bad Evelyn a bag. And now she's yelling at you." My baby's indignant voice rang in my head.

What a joke. I gripped the phone tighter, nails biting into my palm.

The anger burned hot in my chest, but when I spoke, my voice cracked with tears. "I'm sorry, Mom. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have fought with Lucas and pushed him away.

"Please don't be upset. I'll fix this. I can't let your grandchild grow up without a father."

I wept with such raw sincerity that even she was moved. A woman wronged, yet still holding the family together.

Sure enough, Hadley's voice softened. "As long as you know what you did wrong. Men get tempted sometimes. You just have to be understanding. The Reed family can't afford the shame of a divorce."

I hung up and wiped away tears that had never really existed.

Her call had reminded me of something, though. If I wanted to truly win Lucas back, playing the devoted wife wasn't enough. I needed leverage.

"Mom, Dad's been looking into something called BitLink. He really believes in it, but he doesn't have the money to invest," my baby said.

BitLink? I pulled up my laptop and searched for the term. It was new, volatile. One of those fields where fortunes were made and lost overnight.

But Lucas was a programmer. He understood technology better than most people. What he was optimistic about might really have a promising future.

Then I remembered the card I'd hidden away, a hundred thousand from my deposit. It was my last safety net.

I'd never touched it before. But now, it was the time.

*****

When Lucas came home that night, I didn't greet him like I usually did. I waited for him in the study.

He stopped short when he saw me. "What's going on?" he asked.

I didn't answer. I just slid the bank card across the desk toward him. "Here are 100 thousand. They are my deposit," I said.

He frowned. "What's this?"

"I overheard you on the phone earlier." I met his eyes, my voice steady. "I know your project got taken away. I know things are hard right now.

"I can't help you with the technical stuff. But this money, take it. Use it for what you believe in. I trust you."

Lucas froze. He stared at the card, then at me, his expression cycling through shock and disbelief.

He probably thought I would use this money to negotiate terms with him, or make a scene, crying and demanding that he come back to the family.

But I didn't. Instead, I gave him everything I had, without reservation. This was unconditional trust. It was also the most masterful strategy for winning a person's heart.

It took him a long time to find his voice. "Why?" he asked, his voice dry.

I laughed, "Because I'm not just your wife. We have a child. And I'm betting that you can give us a future."

The words hit him like a physical blow. His eyes reddened.

I watched the walls around his heart begin to crack.