Chapter 2

The hours after Nova left my office blurred together in a haze of disbelief and rage. I sat motionless at my desk, staring at the space where she'd sat, her words echoing in my mind like poison. *Those revolting scars.* *He counts down the days until he can be free of you.*

But shock gave way to something sharper. Something calculating.

I'd built my career on exposing lies and deception. Now it was time to turn those skills on my own life.

The first stop was our home office, where Davis kept his files in what he believed was perfect order. My hands shook as I pulled out bank statements, investment documents, and credit card records. The evidence was all there, hidden in plain sight behind his careful explanations and my willful blindness.

Transfer after transfer. Fifty thousand here, thirty thousand there. All traced back to the investment accounts my parents had set up when Davis started his consulting firm three years ago. Money that was supposed to secure our family's future, systematically drained and funneled to accounts I'd never seen before.

The jewelry purchases made my stomach turn. The diamond necklace Nova had worn—$15,000 charged to our joint account. A bracelet for $8,000. Earrings for $12,000. All purchased on days when Davis claimed to be in client meetings.

I photographed everything with methodical precision, the same attention to detail I applied to my clients' cases. Each document was a nail in his coffin, each receipt a testament to his betrayal.

By evening, I had enough evidence to destroy him financially. But I needed more.

The next morning, I called Marcus Webb, the best private investigator in the city. We'd worked together on several cases where cheating spouses tried to hide assets.

"I need surveillance on my husband," I told him, my voice steady despite the humiliation burning in my chest.

Marcus didn't ask questions. He never did. Within hours, he had Davis under watch.

The photos arrived three days later. Davis and Nova at Le Bernardin, feeding each other dessert like teenagers. At the Ritz-Carlton, her hand on his thigh as they walked toward the elevators. At Tiffany & Co., where he slipped another piece of jewelry onto her wrist—jewelry paid for with my parents' money.

But it was the audio recordings that truly shattered what remained of my heart.

"God, I can't wait to be done with this charade," Davis's voice crackled through my laptop speakers. "Every time I look at her, especially those disgusting scars, I feel sick."

"Poor baby," Nova's voice purred. "Soon you won't have to pretend anymore."

"The lawyer says if she initiates the divorce, I can claim emotional distress. Keep most of the assets. She's so pathetic, she'll probably blame herself for the whole thing."

Their laughter felt like acid in my veins.

I played the recording three times, memorizing every cruel word, every dismissive chuckle. This was the man I'd loved for eight years. The father of my child. The person I'd trusted with my body, my heart, my future.

That evening, Davis came home with flowers—cheap grocery store roses that probably cost less than the appetizer he'd shared with Nova.

"Hey, beautiful," he said, kissing my cheek with lips that had been on another woman hours before. "Thought you might like these."

I watched him with new eyes, cataloging every micro-expression, every tell. The way he avoided looking directly at my midsection. How he pulled back slightly when our bodies touched. The subtle grimace that crossed his features when he thought I wasn't looking.

"They're lovely," I said, accepting the flowers with a smile that felt like wearing a mask. "How was your day?"

"Long client meeting. You know how it is." He was already moving away, reaching for his phone. "I'm going to grab a shower."

I watched him text as he walked upstairs, knowing exactly who was receiving his messages. The same fingers that had caressed Nova's skin now typed sweet lies to his mistress while his wife stood holding wilted roses in their kitchen.

That night, as Davis slept beside me, I stared at the ceiling and planned his destruction. He thought he was so clever, manipulating me into becoming the villain of our story. But he'd made one crucial mistake.

He'd underestimated exactly how good I was at my job.

And my job was ending relationships.