Chapter 2

I left the registry office with a certified copy of the divorce record in my bag. By the time I reached the estate, the house smelled strongly of white gardenias.

I used to love the fragrance. Adrian often brought them home on special occasions, and I had once thought of them as our flowers.

Tonight, their sweetness made my stomach turn.

When I entered the kitchen, Adrian was standing beside the stove.

He wore the dark gray apron I had given him for his birthday.

Under the warm kitchen lights, with his sleeves rolled neatly to his elbows, he looked every bit like a loving husband preparing an anniversary dinner.

"Fifteen years," he said, turning down the heat.

He came toward me and placed his hands around my waist.

"Choosing you was the best thing I ever did, Claire."

For one wild second, I wanted to push him away.

I wanted to say Vanessa’s name and demand to know how he could stand in my home, touch me and lie without the slightest trace of guilt.

Instead, I forced myself to smile.

"You’ve been busy," I said. "Dinner smells good."

My voice sounded normal.

Adrian noticed nothing.

We sat down to the steak and roasted vegetables he had prepared.

He talked about his day as though this were an ordinary anniversary evening.

I listened, nodded and answered whenever necessary.

After dinner, he reached into the chair beside him and placed a long velvet box on the table.

"This is for you."

I opened it.

A diamond bracelet lay inside, sparkling beneath the chandelier.

"I remembered how much you liked this collection," Adrian said proudly. "It wasn’t easy to get, but I wanted tonight to be special."

I stared at the bracelet.

Vanessa had uploaded a photograph from a restaurant.

Her hand rested beside a glass of champagne, and a bracelet from the same collection circled her wrist.

Hers had an emerald set in the center.

Mine was made entirely of diamonds.

Adrian hadn’t searched everywhere for the perfect anniversary gift.

He had simply bought two similar pieces—one for the woman he had legally married and another for the woman paying for his life.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

Before I could answer, he lifted the bracelet from the box.

"Give me your hand. I’ll put it on for you."

His fingers brushed my wrist.

My entire body stiffened.

I quickly pulled back and closed the velvet box.

Adrian’s smile faded.

"Claire?"

"My skin has been irritated lately," I said, keeping my tone light. "I don’t want to wear it until that clears up."

A faint crease appeared between his eyebrows. He clearly disliked having his romantic gesture rejected.

But Adrian had always been skilled at protecting his pride.

He leaned back, picked up his wine and acted as if it didn’t matter.

"Whatever you prefer."

He took a sip before continuing.

"By the way, my mother’s payment is due tomorrow."

My fingers tightened around my fork.

"The retirement community increased its fees again," he said. "Eleanor also added a weekly wellness treatment and upgraded meal service. Transfer the money like you normally do."

The quarterly payment was fifteen thousand dollars.

Adrian mentioned it as casually as if he were reminding me to buy groceries.

For eleven years, I had handled his family’s finances without complaint.

I paid his mother’s bills, arranged her appointments and covered every new luxury she suddenly decided she needed.

Adrian never asked whether I minded.

He simply assumed my money belonged to all of them.

He was sitting in a house I owned, drinking wine purchased with my card and asking me to pay for his mother’s expensive lifestyle.

All while he was married to someone else.

"Don’t worry," I said calmly. "I’ll take care of your mother’s account."

He smiled, missing the warning in my answer.

"Thank you, sweetheart. I knew I could depend on you."

That night, Adrian fell asleep beside me.

When I was certain Adrian was deeply asleep, I slipped out from beneath the sheets and went downstairs to my study.

I opened the bottom drawer of my desk and removed a large empty envelope.

Then I unlocked the safe hidden behind the framed painting on the wall.

Inside was the deed to the estate.

The house had never belonged to Adrian. My father left it to me, and it remained entirely in my name.

I placed the deed inside the envelope.

Document number one.

Next, I sat at my desk and opened my laptop.

Adrian believed the secret divorce had left me trapped.

He expected me to continue acting as his wife, managing his home and paying his family’s expenses, while he enjoyed a separate legal marriage with Vanessa.

But he had overlooked something important.

I logged in to my private banking account and opened Eleanor Whitmore’s payment profile.

Account status: Active.

Automatic payment: Enabled.

I clicked Cancel.

A confirmation message appeared.

Automatic payment terminated.

I moved on to the credit card connected to my trust fund. Adrian had been added as an authorized secondary user years earlier.

I removed his access.

Another message appeared on the screen.

User authorization revoked.

I closed the laptop and looked toward the hallway leading back to our bedroom.

Sleep well, Adrian.

Tonight would be the last peaceful night your lies could buy.