I knew Hannah was trying to help me out of a tight spot, but after seeing the gold jewelry Lavinia had brought in, something surged inside me—an impulse I couldn't name—and the words tumbled out before I could stop them.

"Are these really yours?"

The moment I said it, Lavinia's expression shifted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped.

"If they weren't mine, why would I bring them in to sell?"

"What, you think I stole them? Is that it?"

"Just because you work at a jewelry store doesn't mean you get to look down on people! Do you have any idea who I am? Your entire year's salary couldn't buy one of my handbags!"

"Forget it. I'm not selling. You'll be hearing from your corporate office about this, you rude little nobody!"

Before I could respond, Lavinia snatched up the gold jewelry and stormed out.

Hannah sighed and turned to me. "Lucy, what's gotten into you today?"

"That woman clearly has a temper. If she actually files a complaint with headquarters..."

I cut her off. "Hannah, I need to take a personal day. Something urgent came up."

She barely had time to react before I was already running out of the store, chasing after Lavinia.

Something about her was off. I was sure of it.

The question I'd asked back in the store might have been out of line, but her reaction had been way too extreme—like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

She was furious, yes, but she was also rattled. I could see it.

I wanted to catch up to her and get a straight answer. Where had all that gold jewelry come from?

If it wasn't mine, fine. No harm done.

But if the pieces in Lavinia's hands were the same ones I'd locked away in the cabinet at home, then this was a much bigger problem.

Lavinia was driving a Mini Cooper. I was on my little electric scooter, pedaling for all I was worth.

Luckily she wasn't driving fast, or I would have lost her long ago.

About fifteen minutes later, her car turned into an upscale gated community.

Through the wrought-iron fence, I watched Lavinia park in front of one of the villas.

I hesitated, doubt creeping in.

If Lavinia could afford a place like this, she probably wasn't the type to go around stealing jewelry.

Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe her pieces just happened to look like mine.

Then someone walked out of the villa, pulled Lavinia into a tight embrace, and the two of them laughed and teased each other before strolling back inside hand in hand.

I froze. The blood drained from my face, and a deafening buzz filled my skull like a bolt of lightning had struck me where I stood.

The man who had walked out of that villa was my husband, Derek.

I couldn't believe my own eyes. My hands shook as I fumbled for my phone and dialed his number.

He didn't pick up. A text came through instead: Babe, I'm in a meeting right now. I'll call you back when it's over!

I bit down on my lip so hard I nearly drew blood. Then I walked up to the security booth at the villa entrance and forced a smile.

"Excuse me," I said to the guard. "Quick question—the woman who just drove in, Ms. Dickerson. When did she move in?"

The guard eyed me warily. "And you are? We can't just hand out residents' information."

Before he could finish, I put on my most anxious expression. "I'm the manager of a jewelry store. Ms. Dickerson is one of our top clients. A new employee of ours just offended her, and I came all the way here to apologize in person. I was hoping to learn a little about her beforehand—no bad intentions, I promise."

When I said all that, the security guard glanced at the gold shop uniform I was wearing and his expression softened a little.

"Even so, I can't let you in," he said. "We have rules about that."

"Ms. Dickerson moved in about six months ago. She's got a husband too. Word is his family came into a lot of money from some property deal, and that's how they could afford a villa here."

After squeezing what information I could out of the guard, I hurried away.

The moment I got home, I dug out my jewelry box from the very bottom of the closet.

Inside, all the receipts for my gold pieces were still there.

But the weight was wrong.

I hadn't worn any of this jewelry much since getting married, but I'd spent years working at the gold shop. I knew what gold was supposed to feel like in my hand.

These pieces were way too light.

The color was off too, and the texture under my fingers felt strange.

I grabbed my eyebrow razor and drew it lightly across the surface of one piece.

The gold plating peeled away, revealing cheap brass underneath.

Every single piece of my gold jewelry had been swapped out for fakes.

There was no question who'd done it. It was Derek.

Grief and fury churned in my chest. Then my phone rang.

Derek's voice came through the speaker, warm and gentle as always. "Hey, babe. Just got out of a meeting. You called earlier—what's up?"

I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to rip that mask right off his face.

But I held it in.

My voice came out hoarse. "It's nothing. Today's Valentine's Day, so I just wanted to remind you to come home early tonight."

Before I could finish, his tone shifted to something apologetic. "Babe, I'm sorry. I don't think I can make it back tonight."

"Things are really busy at the office. I'm going to have to pull an all-nighter here."

"My boss is getting ready to promote me. Once I make supervisor, the pay bump will be huge. It won't be long before we can afford a bigger place."

"I'll make it up to you tomorrow when I get home, I promise."

After I hung up, I drove straight to the design firm where Derek supposedly worked.

When the receptionist heard me ask for Derek Lawson, she froze for a second. A strange look crossed her face. "Derek Lawson? He quit ages ago."

"When did he leave?" I asked.

She didn't hesitate. "About six months ago. And he made a real scene on his way out too. Our boss was furious."

"Apparently his family's old property got seized for redevelopment and they got a massive payout. First thing he did was cuss out our boss to his face, then he went around pointing fingers at coworkers and screaming at them. The guy was on a real power trip."

She tilted her head. "So who are you to him, anyway?"

I clenched my jaw. "I'm someone he owes. And I'm here to collect."

Before she could respond, I turned and walked out of the building.

After that, I made one more stop—Derek's hometown.

And when I got back from that trip, I picked up my phone and called the police.

That evening, inside Cloudbrook Villas.

The dining table was set with an extravagant spread.

Lavinia was perched on Derek's lap, nuzzling against him.

"Baby, how was I supposed to know that frumpy little wife of yours worked at that gold shop?" she whined. "I only went there because I heard they offered the best buyback prices in town. How could I have known she'd be the one at the counter?"

Derek rubbed his face, exasperated. "Thank God she didn't catch on. That would've been a disaster."

"You're not exactly hurting for money. Why did you have to go sell jewelry right now?"

Lavinia curled her lip in disgust. "All that jewelry was stuff that frumpy wife of yours wore. Just looking at it makes my skin crawl. Gold prices have been through the roof lately, so I figured I'd just sell it all off."

Derek sighed. "Forget selling it. Take it to a jeweler tomorrow and have it melted down. Get it recast into new pieces as fast as you can."

He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've had this nagging feeling something's off. Lucy might already be getting suspicious. If we get rid of those pieces fast enough, there won't be any evidence left, and I can keep stringing her along."

Lavinia's expression soured. She let out an irritated huff. "I've been with you for six months now. I'm pregnant, Derek. When are you going to make this official?"

"You promised me. You said the moment I got pregnant, you'd divorce her."

"So when are you going to tell her? Because I'm done sneaking around like some dirty little secret. And I will not let my child be born in the shadows. I don't care what it takes. My baby is not going to be whispered about as someone's illegitimate child."

Her voice turned sharp as a blade. "If you don't divorce her soon, I'm walking into a clinic and ending this pregnancy."

Derek grabbed her, pulling her into his arms. A strained smile tugged at his mouth. "Baby, calm down. Just take it easy."

"I'm going to divorce Lucy. I swear. Just give me a little more time."

He loosened his hold, his tone turning calculating. "When Lucy married me, I had nothing. Not a dime to my name. So we never signed a prenup. If I file for divorce now, she's legally entitled to at least half of everything."

"I've already consulted with several lawyers. I've started transferring assets through legal channels, spreading things around so they're harder to trace. Once enough of the money is moved, I'll bring up the divorce."

Seeing how worked up he was, Lavinia finally looked satisfied. "Four months. That's all you get. After that, I'll be showing, and if people find out I'm pregnant and unmarried, I'll never live it down."

"Four months, Derek. If you haven't divorced her by then, I will go to that clinic."

She pressed her advantage, her voice softening just enough to sting. "You and Lucy have been married three years, and she hasn't given you a single child. I'm not like her. I can give the Lawson family an heir. Your parents, God rest their souls, wouldn't want the family line to end with you."

Derek nodded hard, swearing up and down that he'd divorce me within four months.

Right then, the doorbell rang.

Lavinia frowned. "Who the hell would be coming here at this hour?"

Derek waved it off with a casual smile. "Probably building management."

"It's Valentine's Day, remember? I heard this complex has great property management. They send little gifts to residents on every holiday. I bet they're dropping off chocolates or something."

He stood up and went to open the door.

The moment it swung open, the smile on his face froze solid. His pupils shrank to pinpoints.

Lavinia's complexion drained of color. The words tore out of her before she could stop them. "You? How did you find this place?"