After His Secret Lover Ran Away, the CEO Went Mad

On the night of my 28th birthday, I found a diamond ring under Alex's pillow.

The Moretti family had just hosted a party at their estate in the Hudson Valley. All day, he'd sat at the head of the long table while dock bosses and hotel managers took turns reporting to him. Even men who'd served his father for 20 years didn't dare interrupt him. But once the guest room door closed that night, he was just Alex again—the man I'd known for five years. He pinned me to the bed and took me hard. For five years, it had always been this good. This wild.

As far as I knew, there were no other women in his life. And there'd never been anyone else in mine.

So the second my fingers touched the ring box, I thought he was finally ready to give me an answer.

I sat up, barely bothering to straighten my nightgown, and held the box up to him. "How did you know my grandmother's been on my case again about getting married?"

Alex paused with the cigarette still between his lips. The flame flickered across his face as he stared at me for two long seconds.

"Nora, the ring isn't for you."

My smile slowly froze.

He looked down and took a drag. "Next week, the Moretti and Valenti families will officially announce the engagement."

I stared at him for a long time before asking, "When did you decide this?"

"A while ago."

"How long is a while?"

He didn't answer. He simply tapped the ash from his cigarette into the ashtray. "Seven years ago, the first time you said you were leaving, I didn't ask. I'd rather you didn't ask now, either."

That was the one thing he said that left me speechless.

Just ten minutes earlier, he'd gently asked if my back hurt and reminded me not to drink coffee on an empty stomach. For years, I'd taken little gestures like those as proof that I was special to him.

Now I knew better. I might have had a place in his life, but I'd never had one in his future.

Alex got up to shower. The water came on, and I stayed curled under the covers without moving.

The warmth had faded from my body, but inside, I'd gone cold. Shame settled over me, heavy and suffocating.

After sex, he always showered first, then came back to carry me into the bathroom when my legs were too weak to hold me. The first time, I'd nearly fallen trying to stand, and he'd frowned and scooped me back onto the bed. After that, it became a habit.

Tonight was the one night he didn't.

The water shut off. He put on a fresh shirt, took a cashier's check from the inside pocket of his jacket, and set it on the nightstand. The check was for more money than the one he'd given me seven years earlier. Beside it were the deed to the apartment and documents covering my grandmother's ongoing care at a private clinic.

"What is this?"

Even as I asked, I knew it was a pointless question.

Alex fastened his cuffs. "The apartment, the car, your grandmother's treatment. None of that changes because of the engagement. The same goes for the Moretti businesses you run."

"I don't need it."

"Nora." He frowned. "Don't be too proud to take the money. Not at a time like this."

I managed a thin smile, picked up the check, and tucked it into my purse. "Don't worry. I won't."

That money could pay for my grandmother's care and make sure I never had to beg anyone for anything again. I wasn't going to throw away something useful just to protect my pride.

All I asked was, "Anything else?"

Alex was quiet for a few seconds. "No."

When he reached the door, I saw the ring box still sitting by the pillow.

"You forgot something."

He glanced back. "Keep it."

I thought I'd heard him wrong.

"Claire doesn't like the style. If you don't like it, you can always sell it."

The door closed behind him.

I looked down and opened the box. Under the lamp, the diamond was so bright it hurt to look at it.

At that moment, I remembered another ring that had rested in my palm just like this one a year ago.