Theodore looked at my red-rimmed eyes and let out a helpless sigh, reaching out to pull me into his arms.

Nanette, standing off to the side, saw the gesture and cut in immediately, her voice laced with urgency.

"Theodore!"

"Your secretary just called. The client from Italy lands in fifteen minutes. We have to go now!"

Theodore's hand froze mid-air. He pulled it back, a slight crease forming between his brows.

A second later, the crease smoothed out and his expression returned to normal.

He looked at me, his tone flat.

"Serena, the client really is about to arrive."

"Once things settle down, we'll take that road trip to Napa. Just head home for now."

Then he signaled his assistant to escort the business partner back to the hotel.

The two of them walked toward the exit, one after the other. Nanette trailed behind him, the picture of obedience, but the moment she was past me she whipped her head around and pulled a face, her eyes glittering with naked provocation.

I stared at Theodore's retreating back and the words tore out of me before I could stop them.

"Theodore, do you really think I'll just keep waiting for you forever?"

He turned. The look he gave me carried a note of reproach, as if he thought I was throwing a childish tantrum.

"Serena, be good."

"I made you a promise, and I don't break my promises."

I stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows in the hotel lobby and watched Theodore shield the top of Nanette's head with his hand as she ducked into the car.

Long after the taillights had dissolved into traffic, I fished out a cigarette and lit it.

My phone buzzed violently. Vera Henson.

"Serena! That ungrateful snake Nanette, does she have a death wish? Check the video I just sent you. Now!"

What followed was a clip filmed inside a movie theater.

The lighting was dim, but I recognized his profile instantly.

His head was tilted toward Nanette, their lips locked together like neither could bear to pull away.

When they finally parted, the hand wearing his wedding band drew her into his chest and stroked the crown of her hair.

A fog rolled across my vision. Everything blurred.

I couldn't tell if it was the cigarette smoke or the acid burning through my chest.

So there was no Italian client. There never had been.

The whole thing was a performance. A script the two of them had rehearsed together.

In seven years, Theodore and I could count on one hand the number of times we'd gone to the movies.

Back when we first got together, he'd been a broke architect whose entire monthly salary couldn't cover the cost of one pair of my shoes. He always said movies were a waste of time. He could use those two hours to chase another project, get one step closer to giving me the life I deserved.

In all those years, we'd seen maybe two or three films, and every single one was a Marvel movie he picked.

Now he was ditching me with a made-up excuse so he could take Nanette to an animated film.

He sat beside her in the dark. Laughed with her. Shared popcorn with her.

And the moment the lights went down, he leaned in and kissed her.

The cigarette burned to the filter. A sharp sting bit into my fingertips, snapping me back.

I crushed it out and answered Vera's call.

"The video's gone viral. Everyone's saying you're so 'generous' you found Theodore a little side piece yourself..."

She didn't finish, but I knew exactly where the sentence was going.

The pampered princess of the Ashworth family, married beneath her station, and now supposedly hand-picking a mistress for her own husband. How deliciously ironic.

Half the social circle was probably laughing at me right now.

I drew a long breath and steadied my voice.

"Don't worry. I'm fine."

I hung up.

Then I dialed Dr. Swanson.

"Move Nanette's mother out of the VIP ward. Disconnect every machine and suspend all medication."

"And one more thing. I need you to find out exactly how far Theodore's sleep disorder has actually recovered."

3

The moment she stepped through the villa's front door, Wilfred Fox hurried toward her, his expression grim.

"Mr. Morton sent someone by earlier. He said he's taking Miss Dickerson to an exhibition tomorrow and wanted her to pick out a set of jewelry."

Serena's heart dropped. Her throat tightened.

"Which set did Nanette choose?"

Wilfred's voice was heavy.

"The emerald set your late mother left you."

A sharp pain tore through her chest, so fierce she could barely breathe.

That emerald set had been passed down through her mother's family for generations. It meant more to her than she could put into words.

When they married, Theodore had a custom display case built and placed it in the most prominent spot of her walk-in closet. He cleaned it himself on a regular schedule and forbade anyone else from touching it.

She'd once asked him why he cared so much. He said that whatever mattered to her mattered to him too.

He said he would protect everything she held dear.

And now he was taking the thing she treasured most and handing it to another woman.

The realization settled over her like ice water. It wasn't that the jewelry didn't matter. It was that she didn't matter to him anymore.

Her heart went cold, degree by degree, until there was nothing left.

She looked at Wilfred. Her voice came out so steady it didn't sound like her own.

"Make some trouble for Theodore. And have someone bring Nanette here."

She curled up in the rocking chair and followed the trail of breadcrumbs she'd found online until she landed on Nanette's secret social media account.

The earliest post dated back eight months.

I'm going to have him.

After that, the account went dark for a long time.

When it picked back up, it was six months ago.

The date of the post stung so badly her vision blurred.

It was her birthday.

He stayed with me until late. He said being with me makes him more relaxed than anything else.

Serena stared at the screen, her fingertips ice cold.

That day, she had waited from morning until night. All she got was a message saying he had to leave town on business.

She scrolled further. Every single post was dated on a day she had once looked forward to with her whole heart.

Their wedding anniversary. He canceled his date with her to be with me.

Right now, he's holding me, sleeping peacefully.

His so-called sleep disorder doesn't seem that hard to cure after all.

He told me I understand him better than she ever did.

Today, I belong to him completely.

The photo attached was of two hands, fingers laced together, against hotel sheets.

Every night he hadn't been beside her, every evening she'd spent alone wondering where he was, all of it finally had an answer.

She set down her phone.

At that same moment, over a dozen bodyguards dragged Nanette through the door and threw her onto the floor.

Nanette's eyes were rimmed red. She glared up at Serena, face twisted with venom, and screamed.

"Serena! You heartless bitch! Why did you cut off my mother's treatment?"

"I'm Theodore's sleep therapist. Aren't you afraid he'll be furious with you?"

Serena rose from the chair. She looked down at the woman on the floor and let out a quiet laugh.

"Furious with me?"

"What exactly do you think Theodore Morton can do to me?"

Nanette froze, clearly unable to fathom where that kind of confidence came from.

"When you decided to become the other woman and wreck someone's marriage, didn't you bother running a background check on your target?"

Nanette blinked, still lost.

Serena paused, her tone flat and unhurried.

"There is only one Ashworth family in Harborton."

"Three generations without a daughter. And in this generation, I'm the one."

"That means I don't have to compete with anyone. I don't have to scheme or beg for anyone's favor. Anything I want is handed to me on a silver platter."

Nanette's body shook uncontrollably. The color drained from her face.

She understood exactly what that meant.

"Serena, I'm sorry. I was just joking around with you."

"I haven't even worn that jewelry set. I'll give it back."

"Please don't cut off my mother's treatment. She'll die!"

I shook my head and let a thin smile curl across my lips.

"You don't need to return anything. I'll be taking it back myself."

Several bodyguards stepped forward and pinned her down. Dr. Swanson walked in wearing a surgical mask, a syringe full of clear liquid in his gloved hand.

Nanette thrashed wildly, her screams echoing through the villa.

"Serena! What are you doing?!"

I looked at her panicked, helpless face and blinked innocently.

"Just joking around with you, of course."

I gripped her jaw, tilted her face up, and the needle sank into the skin beside her lips. The solution disappeared slowly beneath the surface.

Nanette collapsed to the floor. The tissue around her mouth was already swelling an angry red.

I took the alcohol-soaked cloth Dr. Swanson offered and wiped my hands clean, finger by finger.

"You love running that filthy mouth of yours. This should suit you perfectly."

"Once it kicks in, your entire mouth will be riddled with ulcers for the next month. Oozing. Rotting. The smell alone could clear a room." I tilted my head. "I'd love to see if Theodore can still bring himself to kiss you then."

"It's just a little joke. You're not going to be upset about it, are you?"

Nanette's desperate wailing trailed off as the bodyguards dragged her out.

Ten minutes later, Theodore's car pulled into the villa garage.

He stepped out of the elevator carrying a box of pastries from that bakery on the west side of town, the one he knew I loved. His gaze swept the first floor before finally settling on my face.

When he spoke, his voice was gentle.

"Had to deal with something at the office after my client meeting. That's why I'm a little late."

"I picked up those pastries you like. Try them while they're still warm."

He walked over and pulled me into his arms.

"Come on, Serena. Don't be mad."

"From now on, whenever I'm not working, I'll be right here with you."

A wave of peachy perfume hit me so hard my head swam.

My throat clenched. The nausea surged up before I could force it down.

I shoved Theodore away. Hard. The pastry box tumbled off the table, scattering across the floor.

Nanette burst in. I had no idea how she'd gotten back inside. The moment she saw Theodore, she broke into heaving sobs.

"Theodore! Thank God you're home!"

"Serena is out of her mind! She injected me with something, look what she did to my mouth, and she cut off my mother's treatment! My mom is still lying in that hospital bed!"

"Please, you have to help me. Help my mom. I'm so scared. It hurts so much!"

Theodore stared at Nanette's swollen, crimson lips. The color drained from his face, replaced by something cold and hard.

"Serena, you went too far."

"She made one joke. One. And you escalate it to this? What is wrong with you?"

"How did I ever marry a woman this heartless."

That last sentence lodged in my skull and played on repeat.

I thought of our wedding day. Every seat filled. Petals drifting through the air. He had stood in front of everyone we knew, looked into my eyes, and said with so much tenderness it made my chest ache:

"Serena, loving you is the best thing I've ever done."

"Marrying you is the best decision I've ever made."

And now he was asking how he ever married a woman like me.

I lowered my gaze and swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat. When I looked up again, my expression was perfectly still.

I met Theodore's eyes and spoke quietly.

"You're awfully protective of her. That mouth of hers must do more than just crack jokes."

A flicker of guilt crossed his face. He opened his mouth, scrambling for an explanation.

But Nanette dropped to her knees before he could speak, wailing like her world was ending.

"Theodore, I'm begging you! Save my mother!"

"I don't want my babies to be born without a father and without a grandmother!"

I froze where I stood. A high-pitched ringing flooded my ears.

Theodore stared at Nanette, disbelief written across his face.

"A baby? What baby?"

Nanette choked back a sob.

"I haven't had my period in two months. The doctor said it's twins, but the heartbeat is unstable."

Theodore scrambled to scoop her off the floor, cradling her in his arms with exaggerated care, as if she were made of glass.

Then he turned to me, his voice flat and cold.

"Serena, I won't let her come near you again until the baby is born."

"And you should take a good look at yourself while you're at it."

A lazy, mocking curve tugged at the corner of my mouth. My tone was detached.

"Theodore, you really think you're something, don't you."

The words had barely left my lips when the Ashworth legal team filed into the room in unison.

The lead attorney from Harborton's top law firm placed a stack of documents in front of him.

"Mr. Morton."

"You and Miss Ashworth signed explicit prenuptial terms prior to your marriage. In the event that either party is unfaithful, the offending party forfeits all marital assets."

"Your shares in the company have been frozen, and you have been removed from the board of directors."

"We ask that you sign the divorce agreement now and vacate Miss Ashworth's property."