Chapter 2

The front door opened softly.

I had not slept all night.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the address on Preston’s tablet and the words:

For our first night together.

But by the time he entered the penthouse, I had hidden every trace of what I knew.

“Stella?” he called.

I walked out of the bedroom in my slippers.

Preston stood in the foyer wearing the same custom-made shirt he had worn the previous evening. His tie was loosened, and carefully measured shadows darkened his eyes.

He looked exactly like a man who had spent the night working.

“Why are you awake?” he asked.

Before I could answer, he crossed the room and pulled me into his arms.

The familiar scent of cedarwood cologne surrounded me. Beneath it lingered the faint sweetness of an unfamiliar jasmine perfume.

My stomach twisted.

“You said your stomach hurt,” I replied. “I was worried.”

His arms tightened around me.

“My wife is too good to me.”

He kissed my forehead.

“I spent the entire night untangling those overseas contracts. When the pain got bad, all I could think about was coming home to you.”

The lie came effortlessly.

I stepped out of his arms before my composure broke.

“There’s warm porridge in the kitchen.”

Preston followed me to the marble island and sat down while I placed a bowl in front of him.

He ate with visible satisfaction.

“This is exactly what I needed.” He looked up at me and smiled. “No one takes care of me the way you do.”

No one except the pregnant woman living in Penthouse 3201.

I lowered my gaze so he would not see the hatred beginning to replace my grief.

“Oh, I almost forgot.”

Preston reached into his briefcase and removed a dark blue velvet box.

“Happy birthday, my queen.”

Inside was an aquamarine pendant surrounded by diamonds.

“It’s beautiful,” I said.

“I saw it at Sotheby’s last month and immediately thought of you.” He took my hand. “I hated missing our anniversary, but finishing everything last night means today belongs completely to you.”

For one dangerous moment, my heart remembered the man I thought I had married.

Then I remembered the orders.

The hotel.

The pregnant woman.

And the ultrasound report hidden in my handbag.

“I love it,” I said.

Relief crossed his face. He believed my smile meant I suspected nothing.

Preston walked behind me and fastened the necklace around my neck.

In the mirror, the stones glittered like ice.

His phone lit up on the island.

The sender’s name had been replaced by a single heart.

I caught only the preview:

The doctor said the baby is doing well. I missed you after you left. When are you coming back?

Preston quickly turned the phone facedown.

My fingers closed around the edge of the counter.

He had not spent the night at his office.

He had spent it with her.

“I need to stop by the company and sign one handover document,” he said smoothly. “It should only take half an hour.”

He put on his jacket and adjusted his cuffs.

“Wear your favorite black dress. I’ll pick you up at ten, and we’ll go to the restaurant where we had our first date.”

“Will it really be just the two of us this time?”

The question escaped before I could stop it.

Preston paused.

Then he smiled and touched my cheek.

“Who else would there be?”

I looked into the eyes of the man who had lied to me for 1,652 days.

“No one,” I said. “I’ll be ready.”

He kissed my forehead again and left.

The moment the door closed, I removed the necklace and placed it carefully back inside the velvet box.

I would not destroy it.

I might need the purchase record later.

From the window, I watched Preston’s car leave the underground garage.

He had promised to return by ten.

I waited thirty seconds, picked up my handbag and car keys, then opened the location app.

The blue dot was not moving toward his office.

It was heading directly toward Riverside Crown.

I slipped on my sunglasses and followed him.