Chapter 2

I was Elle, a mute from the countryside. That was the identity I'd crafted for myself. Staying silent kept me out of unnecessary trouble and made it easier for me to observe everything around me.

During my first week at work, I mapped out every inch of the building, especially the top floor, Keaton's personal suite. There was his office, a small lounge, and Rebecca's own cozy break room.

Every day, I pushed my cleaning cart in silence, polishing the floors until they gleamed like mirrors. On the walls hung photos of Keaton and Rebecca traveling the world.

They were posing by the Camalia Tower, standing in front of Epren's blue domes and white houses. All those places Keaton once swore he'd take me.

I even noticed a delicate photo frame on his desk. But it wasn't Rebecca inside. It was my black-and-white photo, the one they'd used for the charity foundation.

Every day, he sat there, staring at my "memorial photo," sharing his so-called new life with it.

What a joke.

My supervisor was a kind woman in her fifties. Since I was "mute" and hardworking, she always looked out for me. Sometimes, she'd chat with me. "Elle, Mr. Hoover is such a good man. I heard his late wife was his first love. He loved her deeply.

"Ms. Shaw is her sister, so maybe he's just extending that love to her. Ms. Shaw is really lucky. She's about to get married, and you can already see her baby bump."

I just kept my head down, scrubbing the floor so hard my knuckles turned white.

Baby bump?

Rebecca had been telling everyone she was four months pregnant, but I'd caught her more than once in the women's restroom, adjusting her fake silicone belly in the stall reserved for expectant mothers.

So even the baby was a lie.

That discovery only added a cold, steady flame to the hatred burning inside me. Rebecca, my dear sister. Just how scared were you of losing everything that you'd resort to a lie like this to keep Keaton by your side?

Or maybe she knew deep down that Keaton's feelings for her weren't strong enough to survive even a single blow.

An opportunity came sooner than I expected.

One late night, Keaton was working overtime, something he rarely did. As I pushed my cleaning cart past his office, I caught the sound of him and Rebecca inside, voices raised in a heated argument.

"I told you, this project goes my way! What do you even know about business?" Keaton snapped, his impatience clear.

"Keaton, I'm just trying to help... I'm pregnant with your child. Can't you treat me a little better?" Rebecca's voice trembled with tears.

"The baby, the baby... It's always about the baby! If it weren't for this baby, do you really think..." Keaton stopped mid-sentence, but the rest hung in the air, stabbing right into Rebecca's heart.

From inside, there was a long silence, then Rebecca's suppressed sobs and the sharp sound of the door slamming as she left.

I quickly ducked into the supply closet next door. Rebecca, sobbing, rushed toward the elevator, while Keaton's office door was left slightly ajar.

I waited five minutes, making sure he didn't follow her out. Then I rolled my cleaning cart to his office door. I knocked, and there was no response. I gently pushed the door open. The room was empty, and only the lounge light was still on. He must've gone in there to cool off.

My heart thundered in my chest. It was an opportunity.

I darted inside, pulling out a tiny black listening device from my pocket. It was smaller than a fingernail. I'd bought it off the black market with my first paycheck. My dad was an old cop. Thanks to him, I knew my way around stuff like this even though he was long gone.

My eyes swept across the office, finally landing on the photo frame on his desk, the one with my "memorial photo."

There was no safer, and no more ironic, spot to hide it.

I carefully picked up the frame, slipped the bug into the groove on the back, then set it down exactly as it was. The whole thing took less than ten seconds.

Once I finished, I pushed my cleaning cart out, moving like a true ghost. I was so silent, it was as if I'd never even been there.

From that day on, Keaton's perfect world began to unravel in my ears, every crack, every secret, playing out in real time.

I became the most invisible spy in his world.

After I planted the bug, I'd catch up on sleep during the day, and at night, slip on my headphones to listen in on the so-called music from paradise.

Keaton and Rebecca's life was nothing like the picture-perfect romance they put on for the public. Fights happened all the time, mostly about company decisions and Rebecca's ever-tightening grip on everything.

"Keaton, why aren't we buying that land on the west side of town? My brother says it could really go up in value," Rebecca demanded.

Keaton snapped, "Your brother doesn't know shit! He's just a hustler trying to make a quick buck! Rebecca, I'm warning you. Keep your family out of my company's business!"