Chapter 1

The elite kindergarten called to congratulate me on my son passing the interview, and then the receptionist asked when I would pay the tuition.

My mind went completely blank. I had been married for three years and only had a daughter, so I wondered where this son had come from.

I called my diplomat husband right away, but Charles Evans just laughed softly and told me it was definitely a scam.

After I hung up, I took a rare leave from the military and went home before calling my father, General Richard Goodman.

"Dad, Charles is cheating on me," I said. "Get me the best lawyer you can find because I want him to walk away with nothing."

Then I leaned forward in the car. "Driver, take me to the diplomatic compound on the west side. Step on it because I need to catch my husband in the act."

The driver perked up when he heard that, his eyes practically sparkling. He spun the wheel, and the high-performance military SUV shot forward like an arrow.

"Hold on tight," he said.

What should have taken over an hour was squeezed into just twenty minutes.

The car pulled up smoothly outside the heavily guarded residence, and I strode straight to the guard post.

"Hello, I'm here to see Charles," I told the guard.

The guard looked me up and down, his gaze full of scrutiny. "Do you have an appointment? Mrs. Evans is home today, and she's instructed that no visitors are allowed."

A cold laugh bubbled up inside me when I heard that title.

I scoffed and flashed my ID. "I'm his wife, Grace Carter."

The guard glanced at the card, and his confusion only deepened as he grew suspicious.

"Ma'am, please don't joke like that," the guard said. "We see Mrs. Evans every day. She's the famous pianist, Vivian Lane."

My mind reeled at the name.

Just then, a woman dripping in jewels and designer clothes strutted over and shot me a look full of contempt.

"Everyone wants to ride coattails these days," the woman sneered. "Honey, Charles's wife is Vivian. I just had tea with her. Did you come here to apply as a nanny? What a shame, because even their help dresses better than you.

I recognized her as another diplomat's wife, a woman infamous in our circle for being a total snob.

My fists clenched so tight that my nails dug into my palms. Charles and Vivian truly made quite a pair.

Vivian was the poor girl I had pulled out of a dirt-poor town. I had paid for her college, and she used to cry and promise she would pay me back one day.

So this was how she decided to repay me.

I couldn't be bothered to waste my breath on this clueless woman, so I looked past her and locked onto someone hurrying out the door.

Vivian was decked out in a Chanel couture suit. The Patek Philippe watch on her wrist was the exact third-anniversary present I had given Charles.

Her face went ghost-white the second she saw me, and she nearly tripped over her own feet.

"Grace, w-why are you back?" she stammered.

I crossed my arms and gave her an icy glare. "What, do I have to report to you before I come back to my own house?"

Vivian turned pale as she side-eyed the nosy diplomat's wife who was shamelessly listening in. She rushed over, reaching for my arm in desperation.

"Grace, this isn't the place to talk," she whispered. "Let's go to a cafe, okay? Just hear me out, please."

I yanked my arm away so hard that she stumbled back several steps.

"Explain yourself right here," I demanded. "Or are you hiding some dirty little secret in this house I designed myself, afraid I'll find out?"

My voice wasn't loud, but Vivian flinched as though I had slapped her.

She leaned in close, her voice barely audible and thick with tears.

"Grace, it's not what you think," she said. "Charles saw how hard things were for me out there, always getting harassed, so he let me stay here for a while. Nothing is going on between us, I swear."

Did she really think I was a three-year-old child who would believe that story?

The fury raged inside me, and I spoke through gritted teeth. "Nothing going on? Then why won't you let me in? Open the door."

Vivian hadn't expected me to come at her so hard. Tears shimmered in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to budge.

My patience snapped completely. "You have three seconds. If you don't open this door, I'll blow it to pieces myself."

Vivian was shaken by the deadly edge in my voice because she knew I was not bluffing.

With shaking hands, she finally entered the code on the keypad.

The door swung open with a loud beep. I didn't spare her another glance and strode right in.