This year, over Easter weekend, my husband did something unprecedented: he told me to take a vacation. He even booked me a seven-day trip to Scandinavia.

I thought he'd finally learned to be considerate. Then I overheard his conversation with our son.

"Daddy, you married Aunt Amelia. What about Mommy?"

My son's voice was small, confused.

"It's just a pretend marriage."

My husband chuckled softly. "Be a good boy, Finn Abbott. Remember, this is our secret. Don't tell Mommy, and I'll buy you that toy car you've been wanting."

My head buzzed like a struck bell. I stood frozen for a long time, then turned and went downstairs to stand in the cold wind.

If he wanted to make up for lost time with Amelia Galloway, then I had every right to chase the dreams I'd abandoned.

Once I left for Scandinavia, I wouldn't be coming back.

...

After I'd calmed down, I headed back upstairs and ran straight into Cole Farley in the hallway.

I looked at his flashy red suit and frowned. "I thought you hated red."

"That was then, this is now. Red's in style this year. Besides, I'm helping a buddy try on wedding outfits, so I figured I should dress festive."

Cole Farley rattled off excuses in a single breath.

But it hit me all at once. Red was Amelia Galloway's favorite color. And ever since Amelia had returned from abroad, Cole's closet had filled up with red jackets, red underwear, red socks.

It had all been right there in front of me.

"Trying on wedding outfits? Let me drive you."

I kept my voice light.

"No, no, that's okay!"

Cole shook his head so fast it was almost comical. "Why would a woman want to tag along for guys' stuff?"

"I'll bring you and Finn something back when I'm done."

He kissed my forehead, didn't wait to hear another word, and bolted out the door.

A sharp pain twisted through my chest. I almost called out to stop him, but in the end, I just shook my head.

Everyone thought Cole Farley and I were the perfect couple, a fairy-tale romance in life and an unstoppable team in business.

He hadn't looked down on my humble background. He'd married me without hesitation.

I'd worked nearly every day of every year, pulling Farley Group back from the brink of bankruptcy more times than I could count. People called me a workaholic, a machine.

Ten years side by side. We'd built a beautiful son and rebuilt the Farley Group into something magnificent.

And yet, I was only now discovering that Cole Farley had been carrying Amelia Galloway in his heart all along.

I walked through the front door.

"Mommy."

Finn rushed over and threw his arms around my legs. "No matter what happens, you'll never leave me and Daddy, right?"

He seemed to sense something. His small face was tight with fear.

Pain lanced through my chest. I crouched down and stroked his hair. "If Mommy and Daddy separated one day, who would you want to go with?"

Finn went still. Then his eyes welled with tears.

"I'm sorry."

I pulled him into a hug. "Mommy's going to go make dinner, okay?"

Finn was only eight years old.

Two adults' problems should never be a child's burden.

We could have hired someone to cook, but Finn and Cole both loved my home cooking.

I knew every preference and every aversion the two of them had. Tonight I made Finn's favorites: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, hearty meatballs, and egg pancakes fresh off the griddle.

When Finn saw the spread on the table, he burst into tears. He looked up at me. "Mommy."

"You already know about Aunt Amelia marrying Daddy, don't you?"

"Daddy told me it's just a pretend marriage. Mommy, please don't be mad, okay? Daddy loves you."

I let out a quiet sigh and gathered Finn into my arms.

I knew.

His little head couldn't hold all the tangled complications of the adult world. He simply believed his father and hoped, with everything he had, that Mommy and Daddy would stay together.

Unfortunately, the adult world was never that simple.

After dinner, I spotted a social media post from one of Cole's so-called buddies and couldn't help raising an eyebrow.

The wedding attire photos didn't show a face, but the small red mole on the neck was unmistakable.

Cole had the same one.

In another photo, a man and a woman held hands, fingers intertwined. The ring finger bore a clear indentation where a band had been.

The watch on the man's wrist was one I recognized.

It belonged to Amelia.

The caption read: "The moon I once lost has come back to light my world again."

The words looked familiar.

I rushed into the study and moved Cole's laptop aside. Beneath it sat a notebook.

The moment I flipped it open, that exact line stared back at me.

Every piece of evidence pointed to the same conclusion: this account didn't belong to some buddy. It was Cole's own.

"A trip to Scandinavia."

"A made-up friend's wedding and a fake account."

"Cole, to deceive me, to be with Amelia, you actually came up with schemes this absurd."

I muttered to myself, then picked up my phone and sent a message.

Save me a spot on the partnership.

Also, have your lawyer draft a divorce agreement for me.

Months ago, Jordan Ellis had invited me to start a business in Scandinavia, offering me a thirty percent stake without requiring a single dollar of investment. The other two partners had agreed because they valued my abilities.

But I had a husband and a child. All I'd wanted was stability, so I kept turning her down.

Now it was time to stop holding myself back.

Close to midnight, Cole stumbled in, reeking of alcohol. He carried no gifts. His shirt collar hung open, and a smear of lipstick marked the fabric.

He looked like a mess.

"Honey, you're still up? Waiting for me again?" He flashed me a grin. "You bad girl, always keeping me on my toes."

He turned and headed straight for the bathroom.

Before, he would have hugged me first.

The thought made my heart sink.

Suddenly, I heard muffled sobbing and hurried to Finn's room.

"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

Finn shook his head. His small finger pointed at the phone screen.

I looked down. Olive Fox had posted on social media.

She sat in front of a pink piano, hugging a tablet, beaming with joy.

The caption read: Thank you to the best dad in the whole world for my limited-edition custom piano.

"Mom."

"I saw that piano on Dad's computer. And the tablet too."

That one hurt sentence nearly shattered every wall I'd built.

I finally understood why Finn was crying.

Cole always said, "Boys need to be raised tough, or he'll grow up reckless with money."

So he was strict with Finn. Whatever toy the boy wanted, the answer was almost always no. Even this phone was one I'd passed down to Finn myself. I would sneak Finn out for fun whenever I could.

Every time Cole found out, he'd get angry with me.

That was why he'd tried to buy Finn's silence with a toy car.

And today, before leaving, he'd promised to bring gifts for both me and Finn. He'd come home empty-handed.

Lying to me and deceiving me was one thing.

But how could he lavish another woman's daughter with everything she wanted while being so cruel and dishonest to his own son?

"It's okay, sweetheart."

"From now on, Mommy will buy you everything."

I comforted Finn and stayed until he fell asleep, then went back to the living room and sat on the couch.

The moment Cole came out, I pressed down my anger and asked, "Didn't you say you were bringing Finn a gift?"

"Oh, I forgot." Cole gave an awkward laugh, rushed over, and wrapped his arms around me. "I'll get him something next time. Boys need to be raised tough anyway."

He spoke softly, his fingers tracing the curve of my cheek.

There was a time when my body responded to him on instinct, when a touch like that would have undone me completely. Now I felt nothing.

"I noticed Olive gets whatever she wants. Her family just buys it. She was sitting on a pink piano today, hugging a tablet, grinning from ear to ear."

I said it deliberately, letting the barb land.

Cole froze for a beat, then exploded. He shot to his feet, brow furrowed. "Why do you always have to compare him to other people?"

"It's a gift. One gift. What's with the passive-aggressive comments? Are you trying to pick a fight?"

"Is it Finn who wants presents, or is it you?"

I said nothing. I just lifted my gaze and held his.

The silence between us turned rigid.

Cole seemed to lose his nerve. He looked away, and when he spoke again, his voice had softened considerably.

"Honey, let's not fight. The day after tomorrow is Finn's birthday. I promise I'll have a big surprise ready for him."

"Just keep your spirits up these next couple of days and get ready for the Scandinavian trip."

I nodded, then excused myself to the study under the pretense of catching up on work.

The next day.

At the company-wide meeting, Amelia spoke up without warning. "While Carina's on vacation, someone will need to cover her responsibilities, won't they?"

"I'd like to volunteer."

A smile curled at the corner of her lips, her eyes locked on mine, glinting with provocation.

The room went still. Every head turned toward Cole, waiting for his response.

It was only a seven-day vacation. At most, Cole himself or a deputy could have handled things.

No one expected Amelia to demand authority to her face like that.

It was absurd.

"Do what Amelia suggested."

Cole drew a deep breath and turned to me. "Carina, just enjoy your time off. Leave the work to Amelia. She's perfectly capable."

Dead silence.

This time, every pair of eyes in the room shifted to me.

"Carina."

"You don't actually think I'm trying to steal your position, do you?"

Amelia's smile widened, her tone dripping with challenge.

Everyone could smell the gunpowder in the air.

In ten years at Farley Group, everyone knew I was decisive and not someone to cross lightly.

Even Cole looked tense.

But I simply smiled. "Fine. I agree."

No one expected me to relinquish control so easily. Only Cole exhaled in visible relief, a small smile surfacing on his face.

Before Amelia could say another word, I stood and walked out.

Cole hurried after me, catching my hand from behind.

"Honey!"

"Just hear me out..."

I turned and cut him off. "Hear what? That this entire meeting was designed to undermine me?"

Forget me. Anyone with eyes could see that Cole was using me to pave the way for Amelia.

And it had started with the Scandinavian trip.

His scheming ran deeper than I ever imagined.

I couldn't believe I'd missed it before.

"Honey, let me explain."

Cole opened his arms and pulled me into a tight embrace, his voice earnest. "Amelia is talented. She deserves a chance to shine and bring fresh energy to the company."

"I had no other choice. This was the best solution I could come up with."

"When you get back, I'll make you Vice Chairman. I hope you can understand where I'm coming from."

Vice Chairman?

What a joke.

Since the day Farley Group was founded, no such position had ever existed.

Just like all those promises about a birthday surprise for Finn. Nothing but empty words.

"For ten years."

"I've done nothing but understand you. Accommodate you. Make allowances for every difficult position you put me in."

I hesitated for a few seconds, then let the words fall with a quiet sigh.

"That's right! Honey, you're the best!"

Cole actually thought I wasn't angry anymore. After tossing out that single line of praise, he turned on his heel and headed back to the conference room.