Chapter 3

My phone screen lit up with a message from my best friend: [Vee! You made it to the finals of the Millfield World Jewelry Design Competition!

[The organizers sent you an invitation. There's a local networking event at Vertex next week. Are you going?]

I stared at the words, and for a second, a flicker of light cut through the fog of my red, puffy eyes.

Of course, I was going. Why wouldn't I?

For the past ten years, my entire universe had orbited around Bennett.

I let go of the chance to study at the Millfield Institute of Design. I said no to offers for design director positions at the country's top jewelry houses.

I slipped quietly into the role of Mrs. Sinclair, burying my passion for design under piles of laundry and grocery lists.

But now, I wanted to live for myself for once.

And honestly? A part of me was dying to see what kind of performance Bennett and his precious "savior" would stage while I wasn't there to watch.

I confirmed my attendance at the Vertex event and told everyone I would be away on business for a week. The night before I left, I mentioned it to Bennett.

He had walked in the door and was already on the couch, scrolling through project reports on his laptop. He glanced up, his voice flat. "How long will you be gone?"

"A week," I said, placing his folded shirts in the wardrobe. "My flight leaves in the morning."

"Okay. Be careful," he said, his gaze already glued back to the screen.

He didn't ask what the event was. He didn't ask who I was going with or if someone was picking me up. There was nothing, not a single crumb of worry.

The chill in my chest settled in a little deeper.

*****

Early the next morning, I wheeled my suitcase out and had the driver take me to the airport. I spent less than two hours in the VIP lounge before I bought a ticket back into the city.

I didn't go back to that big, empty house. I took a cab straight to Bennett's Sterling Holdings Headquarters.

The building sat like a glass throne at the top of the central business district. Security there was so tight that people couldn't get past the lobby without a badge or an appointment.

As Mrs. Sinclair, I had been to the annual galas, so the security guards and the regular front desk staff knew my face.

But today, there was a new girl at reception. She blocked my path, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Hi there. Who are you here to see? Do you have an appointment?"

I managed a thin smile and kept my voice steady. "I'm here to see Bennett Sinclair. I'm his wife, Vivian Wynn."

The girl looked even more confused and reached for her phone to call the CEO's secretary. That was when a sugary voice chirped up from behind me. "Oh, is that Vivian?"

I turned and saw Meredith.

She was wearing a white dress and those classic white flats, her hair pulled up in a high ponytail.

She had a sweet smile and was holding a cup of peach iced tea. She looked every bit the innocent girl, a completely different creature from the one who had glared at me with such venom at the family dinner.

The receptionist straightened up instantly. "Ms. Warren."

Meredith hurried over and linked her arm through mine as if we were old college roommates. "Vivian, what are you doing here?

"Benny's in a top-level meeting right now. Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I would have come down to get you."

She smelled exactly like that peach tea she was holding, mixed with a hint of gardenia perfume. It was the same scent Bennett had carried home on our second anniversary.

My stomach turned, but I kept my face smooth as glass and gently pulled my arm away.

"I came back early to surprise him," I said, my smile still in place. "Oh, and Bennett mentioned you're his new assistant?"

Meredith's smile flickered, but she recovered quickly and let out a soft, shy laugh. "Oh, Benny's so silly. I'm not really his assistant.

"I've had nothing to do since I got back from abroad, so I thought I'd help out around the office a little. I don't want him working himself to death."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were still finishing your master's in art overseas. You weren't supposed to graduate until next year."

Color drained from Meredith's face, and her eyes skittered away from mine. "Um... I managed to finish my credits early. I graduated ahead of schedule.

"I wanted to come back sooner so I could be here for Benny. He's been all alone, and it's hard for him."

She kept calling him "Benny" with this soft, intimate ownership. As if I, the actual Mrs. Sinclair, were the visitor here.

Chatting away, she steered me toward the CEO's private elevator. "Vivian, let me take you up to Benny's office. You can wait for him there. His meeting should be wrapping up soon."