Chapter 2

The busy tone droned on.

I set the phone face-down on the desk.

A few seconds passed. Then I picked it up again and dialed another number.

"Hey, Vanessa. I need you to look into someone for me."

Vanessa was my oldest friend. She knew a lot of people.

"Who is it? You piss off another exec at headquarters?"

"Sophia Bennett. Dance teacher."

"What about her?"

"Ethan's been keeping her on the side. She just had his baby."

"Son of a bitch!" Vanessa exploded. "That bastard! Say the word, Diana, and I'll have someone go over there right now and break his legs!"

I held the phone. My fingers were ice-cold.

"Not yet."

I said it perfectly calmly.

Vanessa went quiet. "Diana, you're scaring me. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I need evidence. As much as I can get."

"Evidence that'll destroy him. Evidence that'll make sure he never works in this industry again."

I hung up and leaned back in my chair, staring out the window.

I used to work in this same regional office.

Then an opportunity came up at New York headquarters, and I fought tooth and nail to get it. Eventually, I transferred out.

Once I was settled in New York, my first thought was to get Ethan out here too.

"Come to headquarters. My position's solid now. I can help you get in."

"I'm doing fine here. I'm the top salesperson. Moving would mean starting from scratch. Not worth the hassle."

I pushed him on it more than once.

He always had an excuse.

"The regional office is growing fast. If I leave, what happens to my team?"

"Babe, tough it out. Seeing each other once a month is fine. A little distance is healthy."

He sounded so sincere. So I believed him.

I was alone at headquarters, working myself to the bone.

Most of my paycheck went straight into his account.

I figured, as long as we were okay, a little exhaustion was nothing.

Looking back now, I was a joke.

I got home from work and opened the door—the smell of pot roast hit me immediately.

Ethan poked his head out of the kitchen, apron on.

"Babe, you're home. Go wash up, dinner's almost ready."

I changed my shoes and sat down at the table.

Three dishes and a bowl of soup—all my favorites.

Ethan brought out the last dish and sat down next to me.

He put the biggest piece on my plate.

"Try it. Haven't cooked for you in a while—see if I've still got it."

I took a bite.

Same taste as always.

"It's good," I said.

Ethan looked relieved.

"Good. Eat up. You've gotten thin."

He kept piling food onto my plate until it was a mountain.

I set down my fork and looked at him.

"Where's your mom? And Lily?"

Ethan's hand froze mid-reach.

The smile on his face stiffened for a second, then snapped right back.

"Look at you. Work's got you all mixed up."

"My mom took her back to Ohio a couple days ago. My cousin's getting married—she insisted on bringing Lily to be the flower girl."

He put the food on his own plate and lowered his head, continuing to eat.

He was good. I'll give him that.

I nodded. "Oh. Right."

Dinner was silent.

He made small talk—asked how headquarters was treating me, whether my boss was easy to deal with.

I gave him vague, noncommittal answers.

After dinner, he cleared the dishes.

I sat on the couch, watching his back as he busied himself in the kitchen.

This man—I'd loved him for ten years. From high school to our wedding.

I thought we'd be the happiest couple in the world.

He came out after washing up, drying his hands on a towel.

"Babe, there's something I need to tell you."

"Work's sending me on a business trip tomorrow. I'll be gone a little over twenty days."

He walked over to me, a note of apology in his voice.

"You've only just come home, and now I have to leave. I was hoping we'd get more time together."

I looked up at him.

"Over twenty days?"

"Yeah. Got a big client out there. It's urgent."

I smiled.

"It's fine. I'll head back to the office tomorrow too."

His whole body relaxed.

"That's my girl. Always so understanding."

He leaned in to kiss me. I turned my head away.

"I'm tired. Going to shower first."

Ethan's hand hung in mid-air.

I didn't look back. I walked into the bathroom.