Chapter 1

At 3 a.m., my phone suddenly buzzed.

When I picked up my phone, I found a hotel selfie sent by Emily Scott, secretary to my husband Richard Monroe.

The king-size bed lay bathed in warm lamplight, and there was his unmistakable profile.

I smiled.

With a tap, I sent the photo straight to the executive group chat at Richard's company.

I added a message: [Congrats, you two. Wishing you a lifetime together and a baby on the way.]

After sending it, I turned off my phone.

Two hours later, I was already on a flight to Barriston.

All I left behind was a flood of confused messages and an office scandal ready to explode.

*****

At 3 a.m., my phone gave a soft buzz on the nightstand.

I opened my eyes. Without turning on the light, the screen's glow was piercing in the darkness. I opened it.

It was a photo from an unknown number, but the profile pic told me everything I needed to know. It was Emily, my husband Richard's so-called confidante and his secretary.

The backdrop was a five-star hotel suite, complete with a king-size bed, soft lamplight casting a warm glow, and crumpled sheets scattered across the mattress.

Emily was draped in Richard's oversized white shirt, her collarbone barely visible, her makeup flawless, her gaze hazy, and a winner's smirk tugging at her lips.

Behind her lay Richard, sound asleep with his features relaxed and his guard completely down. This was the very face I had known for seven long years.

Seven years had passed since our marriage of convenience. We'd joined forces and pushed both of our companies straight to the top of the industry.

I wore a faint smile amid the quiet of my bedroom.

Turned out, the so-called seven-year itch wasn't about losing patience. It was about the other person running out of restraint first.

I left the photo right where it was. And I didn't even bother replying to that number trying to stir things up.

My fingers tapped the screen with icy calm. I showed not a trace of the scorned wife who had just uncovered her husband's affair.

I found the directors and execs group chat for Richard's company. The chat was dead silent. Everyone was still asleep at this hour.

I forwarded the photo Emily sent me straight into the group.

I slowly typed out: [Mr. Monroe's been working himself to the bone on the project, and Emily's been right there, taking care of him.

[All that hard work and dedication deserve some recognition. Congrats, and here's to a lifetime together and maybe a little one on the way.]

I tapped the send button. The message went through.

I looked at the photo and the message, both blazing in the group chat like a neon sign in the dark.

I could already picture the group blowing up in a few hours.

I could imagine Richard's expression when he woke up and checked his phone. It was going to be spectacular.

Once I was done, I yanked out my SIM card and tossed it right into the toilet. I pressed the flush. With a swirl of water, the card was gone.

I stood up and walked into the walk-in closet. Without turning on the light, I relied on memory to retrieve a suitcase I'd prepared long ago from deep inside the safe.

There was a passport, a visa, a few untraceable bank cards, and a folder of papers.

I slipped into some comfortable clothes, not taking a single luxury item from this house with me. All that designer stuff was never what I truly wanted. What I wanted was fairness.

When I went downstairs, I saw a row of luxury cars parked in the garage. I grabbed the plainest one, fired it up, and rolled out of the villa.

By the time I hit the airport highway, the sky was starting to lighten. A new day was dawning. For me, it was a fresh start.

For Richard and Emily, it was the beginning of their reckoning.

Two hours later, my flight was already slicing through the clouds. I leaned against the plane window, watching the city grow smaller beneath me, then pulled out a new phone and powered it on.

There were no messages, nor calls. It was a brand-new number, a brand-new start.

I messaged my lawyer, Olivia Quinn. [Proceed as planned.]

She replied, [Okay.]

I turned off my phone and slipped on an eye mask.

Behind me, Richard's life was about to be thrown into chaos. Trouble loomed large at work and at home alike, a double disaster waiting to erupt.

And me? I was off to Barriston to live my life.