Chapter 2

I must have looked off.

Zane noticed immediately. He assumed I was upset by the teasing.

“What the hell are you idiots talking about?” he snapped.

The men straightened at once. Even in a relaxed setting, he was still their tactical lead.

“Chloe, we’re just messing around.”

“Don’t take it seriously. Everyone knows Zane’s crazy about you.”

“He never takes off his wedding ring. Not even when he’s walking point for the crew.”

“And he calls you every time he gets a secure line. You’re all he talks about.”

They sounded sincere.

If I hadn’t known about Harper, I might have believed them.

Harper Monroe sat at the far end of the table. She rose slowly, smoothing her dress, forcing a smile.

“It’s true, Chloe,” she said lightly. “Zane’s heart belongs to you.”

Our eyes met.

There was no warmth there. No apology. Only calculation.

If Zane hadn’t been standing between us, she wouldn’t have bothered pretending.

After a couple of bottles were emptied, the table grew louder, rougher. Voices overlapped. Laughter sharpened.

Harper was the first to slip out.

Minutes later, Zane’s phone vibrated.

I watched his breathing change.

He stood abruptly.

Catching my expression, he forced himself back into control.

“Chloe… my arm’s acting up again,” he said, rotating his shoulder. “From the warehouse job last month. I shouldn’t be drinking.”

He grabbed his jacket.

“I’m heading upstairs to lie down for a bit. I’ll come get you later.”

He left too quickly.

My phone buzzed almost at once.

Suite 910.

You brave enough to come?

Or afraid to see how well we fit?

I stared at the message.

A challenge.

I set my glass down calmly and stood.

As I stepped out of the dining hall at the Don’s estate, I heard one of the men mutter behind me—

“Damn. Zane’s got guts. Running a side affair with his wife under the same roof.”

Laughter followed.

I let out a quiet, humorless breath.

It seemed everyone knew about his betrayal.

Everyone except me.

I didn’t go to Suite 910.

I went to the security wing.

In this family, everything was monitored.

Within seconds, I had the feed pulled up.

Harper had changed into something deliberate. Calculated. She knelt before him in a posture that left no room for doubt.

Zane leaned back against the couch, composed, disciplined—

Except for the hunger in his eyes.

I had known for weeks.

But knowing was nothing compared to watching it happen in real time.

The pain hit without warning, sharp and suffocating. My chest tightened until breathing felt like effort.

Tears slipped down before I could stop them.

I shut off the monitor.

I didn’t trust myself to watch another second.

When Zane rushed back to the private dining room later, I wasn’t there.

The men told him I had left shortly after he did.

He panicked.

He hurried upstairs to our suite.

When he opened the door—

I was sitting on the couch.

“Chloe? When did you get back?”

I looked at him calmly.

“Weren’t you resting?”

Instead of stiffening, he smiled.

The lights went out.The door opened again.

His crew poured in holding candles and flowers.

I stood frozen as they surrounded us.

Zane dropped to one knee.

A red velvet box opened in his hand.

The diamond caught the candlelight and shattered it into brilliance.

“Damn, boss.”

“You blew your entire take? That’s blood money — every dollar of it earned walking point for this crew.”

“Chloe, you’re the luckiest woman in the family.”

“Man’s a legend.”

The ring slid onto my finger.

My heart slammed painfully against my ribs.

When Zane and I married, he had nothing.

He proposed with a soda can pull-tab behind a warehouse.

We laughed about it.

But we never forgot.

Five years, and he finally gave me a real wedding ring.

Tears spilled before I could stop them.

Zane rose quickly, pulling me into his arms.

“Hey… don’t cry,” he murmured against my hair.

Before the moment could settle, Harper’s voice drifted in.

“Zane even asked me what kind of ring girls like,” she said with a faint smile. “Chloe, he really put thought into it.”

She lifted her hand casually.

A ruby ring flashed under the candlelight.

For a split second, the diamond on my finger no longer felt like the brightest stone in the room.

Several heads turned.

“Oh, this?” she added softly. “My boyfriend gave it to me.”

No one said anything.

But the air shifted.

What had been celebratory now felt strained.

Zane cleared his throat and stepped slightly in front of me.

“After the job in two days, we’re done,” he said firmly. “The crew disbands. We walk away clean.”

He tightened his grip on my hand.

“I’m taking you somewhere quiet,” he continued. “A small town. No more jobs that never end. No more blood runs. No more danger waiting at the door.”

He looked at me directly.

“We’ll build something real. A house. A yard. As many kids as you want. We’ll grow old together.”

For a moment, no one spoke.

Harper’s smile flickered before she forced it steady.

I didn’t question him.

I leaned into him as if I believed every word.

Inside, I felt nothing but disgust.

One moment he could lose himself in another woman.

The next, he could promise me forever.

But none of it mattered anymore.

In two days—

I would be gone.