Chapter 2

I swallowed my disgust and kept my cool, saying calmly, "The project was wrapped up early."

Alfonso fussed over me, touching my cheek. "You've lost weight. Must've been tough out there, huh? I'm so happy that you're home.

"Let's have something nice at dinner. What are you craving? Roasted duck, braised shrimp, or fish stew?"

He was so deep in his 'model husband' act that he was already reaching for his phone to order ingredients.

I gently pushed him away and asked, "No need to cook yet. Where's Butterscotch? Where's our good boy?"

We'd made a pact: no kids, treat Butterscotch like our own child.

Alfonso froze.

He looked confused, too. Yeah, where was Butterscotch, who usually went nuts, wagging its tail for a hug when Alfonso got home?

"Should we call the cops? I came back and found the door open, and Butterscotch was gone. Either someone took it, or he opened the door himself," he said.

That could actually happen.

Our dog was crazy smart. He could read, open doors, and hit the elevator buttons.

So, I was sure that if I hadn't come home today, Butterscotch probably would've gotten bored and gone off to find his new mom.

Alfonso's smile froze instantly. "He really ran off? Did you look for him?"

I shook my head. "No need to call the police. We can ask the property management to check the security cameras.

"The security guards all know Butterscotch. They wouldn't let him leave with a stranger. He's probably still somewhere in the neighborhood."

I watched Alfonso's face, catching every tiny shift in his expression.

His brows knitted tightly. He whipped out his phone and started texting furiously, like he was messaging someone.

A few seconds later, he seemed relieved and looked up at me. "You're right. I talked to the property management staff. He said the dog's been found.

"You just got off the plane. You must be exhausted. Go shower and rest. I'll go bring our boy back."

Man, he was a real piece of work.

That text was probably for Lily Mandeville in Unit 2201. He must be checking if Butterscotch ended up at her place.

Lily likely had no clue about Alfonso and me, probably thought some nice neighbor found Butterscotch and sent her over.

It didn't matter if the stories didn't line up. I wasn't about to keep playing the devoted wife.

Once he left, if I found solid proof, he'd be out for good.

I nodded, letting the right amount of tiredness and worry slip into my voice. "Okay, hurry back. I'm worried about him."

"Don't worry." Alfonso grabbed his car keys and rushed out the door.

Once he was gone, I slipped into his study.

His computer was password-protected, but it let me unlock it with my face.

I unlocked it easily, skipping the social apps. I knew a careful cheater wouldn't leave obvious evidence there.

I opened his cloud drive.

It was neatly organized with work files, family photos, and an encrypted folder named "My Treasure."

My heart started pounding.

'What's the password?' I wondered.

I tried my birthday. Wrong. Our wedding anniversary. Wrong. Butterscotch's birthday, still wrong.

I stared at the folder, and suddenly, it hit me.

I typed in the apartment number from that girl's door number: 2201.

The folder opened right up.

There were no explicit photos or videos in the folder. Those things Alfonso's style. He had a bit of a literary vibe and always liked to keep things classy.

Inside, there were a bunch of documents, each named by date.

I opened the earliest one, dated five months ago, right after I'd been on my business trip for a month.

It read: [April 12, rainy. I met her today. She was like a little deer that wandered into the world. Her eyes were clear, and her smile was warm.

[She said her name was Lily, as beautiful as the flower. My heart felt like it had been struck in an instant.

[April 25, sunny. Lily knew I loved the mousse from the dessert house in the Westside, so she waited in line for two hours to get it for me. When I'm with Susan, I always have to go along with her tastes.

[Susan likes things plain and never touches anything sweet. But these are my favorite. Turns out, it feels so good when someone goes out of their way for you.

[May 20. As a thank-you for the dessert, I took Lily to the Summit Bistro, the place Susan and I always go to. She was so surprised. I told her this is where I take clients for business.

[Seeing the trust in her eyes, I felt a little guilty, but mostly, there was this secret happiness. Susan always said the restaurant was too expensive, and the food was just okay, so she never wanted to come again.

[But she never got it. What they're really selling there isn't the food. It's the amazing view you get to share with someone you love. Susan never understands me, but Lily does.]