LOGINAdrian barely slept that night.Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Vivian sitting on their bed with tears running down her cheeks, looking at him as though he were a stranger.I don't know you anymore.Her words had followed him everywhere.He had heard them while pacing his study. He had heard them while calling Daniel to demand updates on the investigation. He had even heard them when he finally went upstairs and found Vivian lying on her side, facing away from him.He had wanted to hold her.He had wanted to explain everything again.But what could he say that he hadn't already said?Someone was deliberately destroying his marriage, and no matter how many times he insisted that the messages were lies, the evidence kept getting worse.First, the pictures.Then the recordings.Now, a claim that Shannon had been pregnant with his child.Adrian rubbed his face and glanced at the clock.5:38 a.m.He hadn't slept for more than an hour.Beside him, Vivian shifted slightly beneath the c
Adrian Cross had never hated his office more than he did that morning.For three days, his life had revolved around the same scandal. Every time his legal team made progress, another photograph appeared. Every time his security team traced a lead, it seemed to end with an anonymous account or an uncooperative source.Someone was determined to destroy his marriage.And Adrian was running out of patience."Tell me you have something useful," he said, staring at the man seated across from his desk.His head of security, Daniel, placed a folder on the table."We've traced some of the original photographs to two accounts. Both were created recently, and the people behind them used methods that make identification difficult. We're still investigating.""Still investigating?" Adrian repeated coldly."Sir, whoever did this knew what they were doing. The photographs were taken from different angles, and some were released hours apart. Whoever has them may have been following you for a while."
The sound of the front door opening made Vivian sit up.She had been staring at the same spot on the bedroom wall for almost twenty minutes, trying not to look at her phone. It hadn't stopped buzzing since the scandal broke, and every time the screen lit up, she felt a fresh wave of anxiety wash over her.She had eventually switched it off.She couldn't take another headline.Another photograph.Another stranger telling her what was happening in her marriage.The door downstairs closed."Vivian?"Adrian's voice.She closed her eyes briefly.He was home.A few seconds later, she heard his footsteps coming up the stairs. They were quick, almost hurried, and she could tell he was looking for her."Vivian?""I'm upstairs."Her voice came out quieter than she intended.The footsteps grew louder.Then Adrian appeared in the doorway.He was still wearing his work clothes, but his tie was loose, and his hair looked as though he had run his hands through it several times. His expression change
Adrian Cross was having a good morning.For once, he had woken up without his phone ringing beside his head. He had eaten breakfast with his wife, kissed her forehead before leaving the house, and promised to return early enough for dinner.More importantly, he had actually meant it.He wasn't going to spend the entire day buried in meetings. He wasn't going to sit in his office until midnight while Vivian waited for him at home. And he certainly wasn't going to allow another business emergency to steal the little time he had finally decided to give his family.His family.The thought still felt strange sometimes.But in the best possible way.Adrian stepped out of the elevator on the executive floor, adjusting his cufflinks as he walked toward his office."Good morning, Mr. Cross.""Morning.""Good morning, sir.""Morning."He greeted his employees without slowing down, carrying the same calm expression he wore every day. His security detail followed a few steps behind him before sto
For the first time in weeks, Adrian woke up without reaching for his phone.It was a small thing.Almost insignificant.But for a man who had spent the last several weeks checking emails before his eyes were even fully open, it was practically a miracle.His phone was on the bedside table, vibrating every few seconds.Emails.Missed calls.Messages from his assistant.A reminder about a meeting scheduled for nine in the morning.Another reminder about a meeting scheduled for eleven.And a message from his chief financial officer asking him to review a document before the afternoon.Adrian ignored all of them.Instead, he turned his head toward the woman sleeping beside him.Vivian was curled up beneath the blanket, her hair spread across the pillow. One hand rested beneath her cheek, and the other was tucked comfortably against her stomach.She looked peaceful.Adrian smiled.He couldn't remember the last time he'd woken up and simply watched her sleep without feeling the immediate ne
Vivian had barely slept. Even after putting her phone away, she couldn't get the messages out of her head. The picture. The unknown number. The strange insistence that she needed to know something about Adrian. And, most importantly, the way the sender seemed determined to make her suspicious of her own husband. She hated it. She hated that a stranger could send her a single photograph and leave her lying awake beside the man she loved, wondering whether there was something she didn't know about him. It wasn't fair. Especially when Adrian had already been acting strangely for weeks. He worked late. He barely slept. He sometimes came home looking like he hadn't eaten all day, and whenever she asked him what was wrong, he brushed it off as work. Vivian understood that his job was demanding. She understood that running a company wasn't easy. But she was his wife. She didn't want to be the person who shared a house with him while remaining completely unaware of







