Chapter 2

The perfume was cloyingly sweet, almost sickening, scraping at my nerves like a sharp little brush, again and again.

I stood by the entrance, watching James take off his suit jacket and toss it onto the couch without a second thought. He wasn't in the best mood, with a trace of annoyance between his brows.

"You're home," I said, stepping forward to take his jacket.

But he pulled away, refusing to meet my gaze. "I'm going to take a shower first."

The bathroom door slammed shut, separating us as if we lived in two different worlds. I stood there, staring at the jacket, tainted with a stranger's scent, feeling like the punchline of a cruel joke.

I knew James was always disciplined. He'd stayed faithful for three years, all for Claire. But that perfume... Was she really back?

As soon as the thought took root, it grew wild in my mind, impossible to stop.

Was our agreement almost up?

I didn't sleep a wink that night. The next morning, James left before I even got up. We didn't even cross paths.

Life looked unchanged on the outside, but an invisible tension started to spread between James and me, lingering in the air.

A week later, everything changed.

I was at home, reading, when Alex, James's assistant, called. His voice was so panicked it was almost unrecognizable. "Mrs. Carter, you need to get to Midnight Lounge right now. Mr. Carter... He's been drugged."

My heart dropped.

Midnight Lounge was Capitavia's most infamous luxury nightclub. James rarely ever went to places like that, unless it was for some major business meeting.

I grabbed my car keys and rushed out, my thoughts in chaos.

Had he been drugged? Who would do something like that? Was he okay?

When I got to the VIP room at Midnight Lounge, it was chaos. A bunch of guys in suits were huddled together, all looking grim and worried. The moment Alex saw me, he grabbed me like I was his only hope.

"Mrs. Carter, thank God you're here," he blurted out.

On the couch, James lay with his eyes closed, his brows furrowed in distress. His tie was undone, and two buttons on his shirt were unbuttoned, revealing skin flushed an unnatural red.

"What happened?" I forced myself to keep it together.

"Mr. Carter was meeting with Mr. King from Horizon Group tonight about a contract. That guy's a real piece of work. He messed with the drinks, trying to push his daughter onto Mr. Carter..." Alex said, practically fuming.

I glanced at James, knocked out cold on the couch, and my heart skipped a beat. Good thing Alex caught on before things got worse.

"Did you take him to the hospital?" I asked.

"Mr. Carter wouldn't let us. If he shows up at the hospital like this, he'll be tomorrow's front page news," Alex said, looking really troubled. "Mrs. Carter, you're the only one we can count on right now."

I knew exactly what Alex was getting at. I was the only one with the right to be here.

I told Alex and the others to leave, then struggled to support James on my own. He was so tall that most of his weight pressed down on me, and he was mumbling incoherently under his breath.

I leaned in closer to catch his words, and my heart instantly went cold.

He was calling out, "Claire..."

That was Claire.

A wave of indescribable bitterness and humiliation crashed over me. So, even when he wasn't himself, the only person on his mind was her.

With him leaning heavily on me, I stumbled into the elevator. The bright lights inside showed just how messed up we looked.

He slumped against my shoulder, his hot breath on my neck sent a shiver down my spine.

But all I felt was a chill running through me.

Back home, I practically dragged him into the master bedroom and onto the bed, using every ounce of strength I had. I grabbed a cold towel to wipe his face, but before I could, he suddenly seized my hand.

His eyes flew open, and the usual icy calm was gone. They burned with raw, feverish desire, like a fire raging inside him.

"Emily?" he muttered, as if he recognized me, but his mind was still clouded and confused.

"It's me," I said, trying to pull my hand away. "Let me go. I'll get you some water."

But instead of letting go, he yanked me down onto the bed with a sudden, powerful pull. The world spun around me as I landed in his burning embrace.

"Don't go..." he rasped, his voice thick with a desperate, almost pleading vulnerability. "Help me... Emily, please help me..."

My head was spinning. I was completely stunned, totally lost.

His body heat pressed through the thin fabric, dangerously possessive, almost predatory. I could feel his muscles tense, an animalistic hunger simmering beneath the surface.

"James, wake up." I struggled, my heart thundering in my chest.

"I feel so bad..." he whispered hoarsely, burying his face in the crook of my neck like a wounded hound. His hot, messy kisses scattered across my skin, wild and uncontrolled.

The cool, woody scent of his cologne mixed with the lingering alcohol enveloped me completely. My resistance felt utterly pointless against his sheer strength.

When he ripped my clothes open, my mind blanked out.

I realized the wall between us, the so-called "agreement", was completely broken in that moment.

There was no tenderness, no love, just driven by nothing but primal urges. I felt like a small boat adrift in a raging storm, ready to be swallowed by the waves at any second.

My tears fell uncontrollably, and I couldn't tell if it was from the pain or the humiliation.

Three years spent as a ghost of a wife, three years of a marriage in name only, all of it became a huge, twisted irony in that moment.

In a haze, I heard his choked cries, each one calling out a name that was never mine. "Claire... Claire..."

In that moment, everything inside me shattered.