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Jenny POV

“Daddy, Daddy! Are we going to see the nice lady again today?”

My son Daniel’s voice burst out outside the door—bright, eager, almost bouncing with excitement.

I hadn’t heard him sound this lively in quite a while.

My husband’s voice came through the speaker.

 “You miss her that much, Daniel?”

“Of course!” Daniel said super excitedly. “I love her! She’s way better than Mommy! Mommy’s so annoying these days. She never lets me have snacks, and she’s always nagging me!”

He rambled on in a fast, dramatic little huff, then continued. “Daddy, I wanna take the nice lady to our favorite restaurant!”

“All right, Daniel,” Alex said calmly. “But do you remember what you promised me?”

“Mommy must never find out!” Daniel answered quickly, delighted.

 “You’ve already told me so many times, Daddy!”

“Good. I’ll come pick you up later. Remember to wear your favorite sweater.”

Just like that, the call ended.

I covered my mouth with one hand. My fingers were cold.

My mind went blank, the blood draining from my face. What nice lady? Daniel thought someone was better than me? Was Alex seeing someone behind my back, and he’d dragged our four-year-old son into it?

The thought made me squeeze the carefully wrapped bag of Daniel’s handmade school project in my other hand so tight the paper crinkled sharply under my fingers.

Daniel must have heard that sound, he turned around and saw me leaning on the doorway.

“Mommy? Why are you here?”  A flicker of unease crossed his face, gone in an instant and replaced by plain annoyance. “I told you to go back. Why do you have to keep pestering me?”

I barely registered his annoyance. All I could hear was his excited words ringing in my ears, making my chest ache. I’d never suspected a thing when he’d hurried me back inside, saying he’s a big boy now and would wait for Daddy alone.

“I came to give you this,” I held up the bag in my hand, pretending not to hear a thing.

“Ah!” Daniel yelped, eyes widening in surprise. He darted over in three quick little steps and snatched the delicate pink bag right out of my grasp. 

He’d slaved over this craft project for a whole week, guarding it like a treasure, never even letting me peek at it. That’s why I’d rushed out the second I noticed he’d left it behind—how could I let his hard work go to waste?

Daniel fumbled with the bag, checking it up and down in a fluster, then scowled and snapped, “Mommy! Why are you always so clumsy? You wrinkled my gift bag!”

“Gift bag?” I asked, my brows furrowing.

“I mean… the wrapping bag. Whatever!” Daniel mumbled, his voice dropping as he avoided my eyes—then his face lit up in an instant. “Daddy’s here!”

A sleek black Ferrari purred to a stop in front of the house. The window rolled down, and there was Alex Reach, my husband.

Young, devastatingly handsome, the kind of sharp, alpha male who turned heads wherever he went. Chiseled jaw, piercing dark eyes, a tailored suit that fit his broad shoulders like a second skin, every inch the powerful, self-assured tycoon.

Today was supposed to be Daniel’s weekly hobby class, and Alex and I had agreed he’d be the one to pick him up.

He did a double take when he saw me standing there with Daniel, a flicker of surprise crossing his perfect features. Why would he?

Then he cut the engine and stepped out of the car, long legs eating up the distance to us in a few strides.

“You look a little pale, darling,” he said, his voice low and gentle as he drew near. He lifted a gloved hand, brushing a stray hair from my cheek before cupping my jaw, his touch warm even through the leather. Leaning in, he pressed a soft, chaste kiss to my cheek. All the sweet, tender gestures he’d always done so flawlessly. “Is everything okay?”

A million questions swirled in my mind, doubts teetering on the tip of my tongue. 

But he’d always loved me this deeply. A wildly successful CEO with never a hint of a scandal, every woman envied me when they saw him by my side.

What if my suspicions were all for nothing? What if I destroyed the happiness right in front of me for good?

“Everything’s fine.” I answered dryly.

“Then go back inside,”  he urged, giving my back a gentle nudge, a soft push, almost too quick, like he was in a hurry to get rid of me. “It’s windy out here. I’ll take good care of Daniel.”

He didn’t notice a thing was off. He lifted the clearly impatient Daniel and settled him into the car.

“Goodbye, Jenny.”

But I didn’t go back inside. I stood there, frozen, watching the Ferrari’s taillights fade, and all the little things I’d pushed away crashed into me:

Alex had been coming home later and later, no real excuse. Sometimes, when he kissed me, a faint, unfamiliar scent clung to his collar. I’d always pushed those thoughts away, chosen to believe the best, pretended everything was fine. But not today.

I’d always pushed those thoughts away, chosen to believe the best, been so good at pretending everything was fine. But not today.

Standing there in the cold wind, my mind had never felt clearer.

Just a few minutes ago, when Alex had stepped out of the car, I’d caught a glimpse of a strange woman’s coat strewn carelessly across the back seat.

With Daniel’s words ringing in my ears, it was glaringly obvious. Alex had just met her. And now he was taking our son to see her again. The nice lady Daniel thought was so much better than me. 

This was my chance—my only chance—to get the truth.

As soon as the Ferrari rounded the corner and I’m sure they couldn’t saw me, I quickly flagged down a taxi by the roadside, slid in, and said, my voice sharp with resolve, “Follow the car in front. Hurry.”

At that moment, I had no idea what I was about to witness.