Chapter 2

I waited until Jude's breathing deepened into sleep before slipping out of bed. The digital clock on the nightstand read 2:17 AM. Perfect timing.

I padded silently across our bedroom—no, my bedroom now—and locked myself in the master bathroom. The click of the lock echoed in the darkness. I flipped on the light, squinting against the sudden brightness.

My reflection stared back at me from the mirror. The woman looking back seemed like a stranger—mousy brown hair pulled into a tight bun, minimal makeup, eyes downcast. The perfect picture of a submissive wife.

"You've been playing this part too long," I whispered to myself.

I reached for the makeup remover wipes and began slowly wiping away the facade. With each swipe, I felt something inside me awakening—a lioness stretching after a decade of hibernation.

When my face was bare, I opened the vanity drawer and pressed against the back panel. It popped open, revealing a hidden compartment. Inside lay a burner phone, untouched for years, still charged and ready.

My fingers trembled slightly as I pulled it out. This phone represented everything I'd been running from—and everything I needed to embrace now.

I dialed the secure number from memory, my heart pounding against my ribs.

Three rings, then a voice—deep, professional, familiar: "This line is secure."

"Gabriel," I said, my voice shifting from the soft, hesitant tone I used with Jude to something stronger, more commanding. "It's time. I want to burn it all down."

A pause, then: "About time, Ms. Campbell."

---

Central Park was shrouded in morning mist when I slipped into the blacked-out SUV. Gabriel Watson sat in the driver's seat, his posture rigid as ever. The man hadn't changed in the ten years I'd known him—still the same steel-gray eyes, still the same unwavering loyalty to the Campbell family.

"You look like hell," he said by way of greeting.

"I feel like hell," I admitted. "But that's about to change."

He handed me a thick manila folder. "Everything I've gathered on Harrison. Financial records, meeting schedules, hotel receipts."

I flipped through the pages, my stomach churning at the evidence of Jude's betrayal. "You've been tracking him all this time?"

"I suspected something was off," Gabriel said, his voice betraying the slightest hint of relief. "But I needed your authorization to intervene. You've always insisted on handling him yourself."

"I was a fool," I said, closing the folder. "But no more."

Gabriel nodded, a ghost of a smile crossing his face. "So what's the plan?"

"Divorce isn't enough," I said, my voice hardening. "I want him destroyed. Legally. Financially. Socially."

"That will require using Campbell resources," Gabriel warned. "It means dropping your cover."

I stared out at the misty park, where early morning joggers passed by oblivious to our conversation. "Yes. It's time."

---

"Remember, we have exactly forty minutes before he returns," I told the team of technicians posing as HVAC repairmen. "I want 4K cameras in the living room, bedroom, and his office. Audio bugs in every room except the bathrooms."

The lead technician—a woman named Chen according to her fake ID—nodded professionally. "We'll be done in thirty, Ms. Campbell."

I directed them through our penthouse, pointing out Jude's favorite hiding spots—the hollow book in his study, the false bottom in his desk drawer, the secret compartment in our bedroom where he kept gifts for Blair.

"Here," I said, opening the closet in his home office. "He thinks I don't know about this safe."

The team worked with military precision, installing devices that would be virtually undetectable to the naked eye. I watched them work, feeling a strange mix of violation and vindication.

The intercom buzzed suddenly, making everyone freeze.

"Ms. Campbell?" It was the doorman. "Mr. Harrison is on his way up. He forgot some documents."

"Everyone hide," I hissed at the technicians. "Now!"

They scrambled into the vents and closets as I smoothed my hair and checked my reflection. The submissive wife mask had to go back on—fast.

I opened the door just as Jude's elevator arrived. "Jude? What are you forgetting now?"

He brushed past me, irritation evident in every line of his body. "Just some files for the merger. Why are you still in your robe?"

"I was cleaning," I lied smoothly. "Can I get you coffee before you go?"

As I poured his coffee, I could see Chen's foot protruding slightly from beneath the bookcase. Jude turned, and for one heart-stopping moment, I thought he'd noticed something amiss.

But then he took the coffee with a distracted nod and headed back to the elevator.

"See you tonight," I called sweetly, waving as the doors closed.

The technicians emerged from their hiding places, and I locked the door behind Jude.

"He almost saw me," Chen murmured.

"He almost lost everything," I corrected her, my voice cold as steel. "But we're just getting started."