Chapter 2

I unplugged the dock and shoved the toothbrush into the bottom drawer.

Then, I sat down at my vanity and started doing my makeup.

Primer, foundation, brow pencil, lipstick.

I took my time, applying everything with absolute precision.

The face in the mirror slowly gained some color. The paleness was covered up, and the exhaustion was smoothed over.

When I got to the lipstick, my hand slipped.

The coral red dragged a harsh streak across my cheek.

I stared at that crooked smear and suddenly laughed.

I laughed twice, and then the tears started falling.

They were scalding hot, splashing against the back of my hand.

The more I wiped, the more they fell, until my entire face was wet.

My makeup was totally ruined.

I stared at the crying, laughing face in the mirror, feeling like an absolute clown.

My phone buzzed again.

It was a text from Charles.

[Landed,] the text read.

I stared at the screen for a long time before typing back a single word. [Okay.]

After hitting send, I tossed the phone onto my pillow and went back to the bathroom to wash my face.

The cold water hit my skin, making it shrink instantly.

When I looked up, my eyes were bloodshot, but my gaze had completely changed.

It was ice cold.

I dried my face, sat back down at the vanity, and grabbed a makeup wipe to carefully clean up the mess.

Facing the morning light barefaced, my skin looked sickly pale with faint gray shadows under my eyes.

But my gaze was steady.

I opened my contacts, scrolled to "Lucas Jonathan," and hit dial.

He answered almost immediately.

"Lucas, this is Evelyn Lane," I said.

My voice was so calm it terrified me. "I need to schedule a consultation.

"If a husband abandons his wife five days after the wedding to fly overseas with another woman, how are the assets split in a divorce?"

I spoke at an even, deliberate pace, listing out the facts.

It sounded like I was reading a case file about a total stranger.

Before I could finish the call, the doorbell rang.

I ended the call with Lucas and walked over to open the door.

Emily was standing outside.

She was wearing a pale yellow sundress and carrying a paper shopping bag. She had a really awkward look on her face, caught somewhere between a polite smile and a grimace.

"Eve, I'm just here to grab a few things," she announced.

She squeezed past me without breaking her stride and headed straight for the master bedroom.

"What things?" I asked.

"My mom sent me," Emily replied.

She opened the vanity drawer and pulled out a deep red jewelry box.

It was the diamond and emerald set her mother, Margaret Graham, had given me on my wedding day. She'd called it a priceless family heirloom.

Emily opened the box, took a quick look, snapped it shut, and tossed it into her bag.

"My mom said this belongs to the family estate. She wants to keep it safe for now," she said.

I leaned against the bedroom doorframe and watched her. "She gave it to me on our wedding day, and now she's taking it back?"

"Don't take it the wrong way, Eve," Emily deflected, keeping her back to me as she kept rummaging through the drawers.

She added, "Mom is just worried you might accidentally damage it. This set is worth a fortune."

She pulled out another smaller box and opened it to reveal a pair of diamond stud earrings.

"Did my mom give me those, too?" Emily asked.

"No, Charles bought these," I replied.

"Oh."

She put them back.

Then she turned around and gave me a tight smile.

There was a subtle, evaluating look in her eyes. She scanned my bare face, my sweatpants, and finally let her gaze drop to the worn out slippers on my feet.

"Eve, don't take this the wrong way," she started, looping the paper bag over her wrist and walking up to me. ""My brother really did have an emergency in Froria.

"Sophia's leg is badly injured. Her dad carries a lot of weight with our family, so Charles didn't have a choice."

"And?" I prompted.

"And so, you need to stop acting out."

She tilted her head. "My brother treats you well enough. If he hadn't fought for this marriage, my mom never would have agreed to it.

"If you keep causing drama and piss her off, you really need to think about the fallout."

I looked at her. "Mrs. Graham," I began. It was the first time I hadn't called her Margaret. "Three years ago, you had a lawyer deliver an agreement forcing me to give up all marital assets and walk away with absolutely nothing."

This girl, three years younger than me, stood in my home offering her condescending advice.

"Emily," I said softly.

"Yeah?"

"Your brother ditched me five days into our marriage to keep another woman company.

"You barged into my house to repossess the jewelry your mother gifted me, and now you're telling me not to act out."

I paused.

"What would you call that?" I asked.

Her smile froze. "Eve, you're being totally unreasonable."

"Which part?"

She pressed her lips into a thin line, clutched her bag, and headed for the front door.

As she brushed past me, she paused and muttered under her breath, "Sophia is prettier, richer, and from a much better family than you, Eve.

"Sometimes you just have to read the room. Forcing the issue will only embarrass you."

With that, she walked out.

The sound of the door clicking shut was soft but final.

I stood in the foyer, looking down at the messy drawer she'd left open.

The emeralds were gone.

The space where the velvet box used to sit had a faint outline in the dust.

It was like it had never belonged there in the first place.

*****

On the third day, I visited the Graham family estate.

The housekeeper opened the door. She looked startled to see me, but stepped aside.

Eleanor was in the living room, drinking coffee.

She wore a silk robe, her hair flawlessly styled, with a press of premium roast resting on the table in front of her.

When she saw me, her eyebrows instantly knit together.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Margaret." I stood near the entrance, holding a luxury box of artisan chocolates. "Charles went out of town. I wanted to come check on you."

"I'm well aware he went out of town," she replied, taking a sip without even lifting her eyes. "An urgent matter came up in Froria. He had to handle it personally."

"What kind of urgent matter?" I asked.

"Business. You wouldn't understand."

She set her mug down and finally looked at me. "Graham Group business isn't your concern.

"You've only been married into this family for a few days. You need to focus on learning your place."

I stayed silent for a moment. "Margaret," I said, "I heard Sophia is in Froria too."

The living room went dead silent.

Margaret froze. The base of her coffee cup clinked sharply against the glass coffee table.

She lifted her chin and glared at me. "Who told you that?"

"It's all over the internet," I replied. "Sophia tore her knee ligaments during an event and flew to France for surgery. She left on the exact same day Charles did."

"And?" She let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Evelyn, did you come all the way here to interrogate me?"

"I just want to understand."

"Understand what?" She stood up, looking down at me with absolute disgust. "Understand why your husband left you five days after the wedding?

"Evelyn, I don't want to spell it out for you, but you need to take a hard look in the mirror. Look at what you bring to the table."

I kept my chin up and met her gaze.

This woman, whom I had called my mother in law for exactly five days, was in her early fifties, flawlessly maintained, and draped in designer brands.

But she looked at me like I was a defective piece of trash.

"You knew about this all along," I stated.

"So what if I did?" She crossed her arms. "Sophia is the heiress to the Sinclair Group.

"Her dad has been doing business with us for twenty years. That's a bond you simply can't compete with.

"She injured her leg, so Charles went to take care of her. It's perfectly natural."

"Perfectly natural," I repeated. "Leaving your wife five days into your marriage to take care of another woman is perfectly natural."