Chapter Three

With everything that had exploded the night before Emma had completely forgotten about her mother's big day.

Her mother wasn't a malicious woman; she loved Emma deeply. But she was intensely vain, living entirely for the validation of the high society. For her mother, Emma marrying a billionaire CEO was the ultimate shield against the judgmental relatives who had looked down on their family branch for years.

"I... I'm heading out soon, Mom," Emma lied smoothly, forcing her voice to sound steady as she rubbed her aching temples. "Noah had some urgent early morning meetings to handle, so I'm going to head over alone first. Don't worry, I'll see you shortly."

She hung up before her mother could ask anything else, tossing the phone somewhere. Leah, still half-asleep and sprawled across the other end of the sofa, cracked one eye open. "You're not actually going alone, are you? After last night?"

"I don't have a choice," Emma muttered, already pulling her tangled hair into a knot. "If I don't show up, my mother will personally come drag me out by the ankles."

She would beg Leah to come with her for moral support, but her friend wanted nothing to do with her judgmental family, and Emma couldn't blame her. She could barely stand them herself.

Emma called a taxi, since her car was still parked outside Velvet Lounge, and spent the ride pressing her forehead against the cool window, willing her headache to dissolve.

Somewhere around a red light, her eyes drifted to the newsstand outside, and her stomach dropped straight through the floor of the car. There, tucked between two gossip rags, was a blurry but unmistakable photo. It was Noah, and that woman, Veronica. They were intimately huddled near Noah's car, the background of Velvet Lounge showing in the picture.

Cursing, Emma took out her phone and typed Noah Walker's name into the search bar with shaking thumbs.

The first result loaded instantly, and her stomach twisted all over again.

BILLIONAIRE NOAH WALKER SPOTTED WITH MYSTERIOUS WOMAN WHILE WIFE REMAINS AT HOME: IS IT AN AFFAIR?

She clicked on it despite every instinct telling her not to. Photos filled the screen, some grainy and clearly taken from a distance, others sharper, like someone had gotten close enough to get a clean shot on purpose.

One showed Noah laughing with his head tipped back. Veronica's hand resting easy on his chest. Another of the two of them walking out to his car together, far too close for two people who were supposedly just old friends catching up.

The comments were already in the thousands.

who even IS the wife? has anyone even seen her in public with him before

not surprised tbh, that marriage always felt forced

she's so pretty omg who is she

poor Mrs. Walker if she sees this lmaooo

Wait, isn't that Veronica Hayes? Didn't the two of them used to date????

Damn look at those legs! So sexy

It's obviously an affair, I bet they got down and dirty right there in the car

Emma's thumb hovered over the screen, and against her better judgment, she scrolled further. Someone had apparently dug up an old photo of her and Noah from a charity gala two years ago, and had compared it side by side with last night's photo of him and Veronica. The caption underneath didn't need much explanation.

the difference is NOT subtle

And it wasn't. One showed Noah with a small smile on his face, his body rigid, as he held her just close enough to steer her away from the crowd, while the other showed him mid laugh, his head thrown back, with Veronica leaning on his chest while he rested his hands comfortably on her hip.

She locked her phone and shoved it deep into her bag, as if that could undo what she'd just read. Her hands were trembling now, and it wasn't from the hangover.

The taxi pulled up to the mansion gates, and Emma stepped out, grateful for once that the tall hedges blocked the view from the street. Noah's car wasn't in the driveway, and she refused, point blank, to entertain the thought that maybe he hadn't come home at all last night. That he'd gone somewhere else. With someone else.

The butler greeted her at the door with his usual measured bow. "Welcome back, Mrs. Walker. The master left for the office about twenty minutes ago."

Relief, traitorous and immediate, swelled in Emma's chest, even as she told herself she didn't care where Noah had or hadn't spent the night.

"Thank you, James." She managed a small, tight smile and headed straight for the stairs.

The shower helped, a little. She stood under the water longer than she needed to, letting it run hot until her skin turned pink, as if she could scrub the headline and the comments and Veronica's smug little smile off along with the smell of last night's alcohol.

By the time she stepped out, she'd felt infinitely better. She chose a simple cream dress, modest enough that no one could accuse her of trying too hard, and twisted her damp hair into a low bun. Minimal makeup, just enough to hide the evidence of how little she'd slept.

Her phone rang again before she'd even finished her hair. Her mother. Again.

"Emma, darling, you said you were on your way! The courtyard looks absolutely spectacular, you have to see it. Are you almost here?"

"Almost, Mom." Emma pinched the bridge of her nose. "Traffic's a little heavy. I'll be there soon."

She hung up, grabbed her bag, and took one last look in the mirror. Taking a steadying breath she walked out.

Since her usual car wasn't around, she had to take the sports car. She'd never liked driving it, and though it was bought for her, she'd only driven it a handful of times.

She slid into the driver's seat, adjusted the mirror with more force than necessary, and pulled out of the gates.

The drive gave her too much time to think, which was the last thing she needed. By the time she reached her mother's new house, she'd rehearsed at least three different versions of "everything is fine," and none of which she actually believed.

The courtyard really was spectacular, she had to admit that much. White orchids lined the pathway, string lights crisscrossed overhead despite it being broad daylight, and a small army of caterers moved between long tables draped in ivory cloth. Her mother had clearly spared no expense, which meant, knowing her, Noah's money had spared no expense.

"Emma! There you are, darling!"

Her mother came rushing over the moment she spotted her, dressed in a vibrant fuchsia dress that was entirely too formal for a daytime housewarming, her arms already outstretched.

She pulled Emma into a tight hug, the scent of her expensive perfume engulfing them both. Her other daughters' accomplishments were always topics she used to brag, but Emma's marriage was her ultimate, untouchable triumph. She had landed the most successful, powerful man in the city, and her mother never let anyone forget it.

"Where's Noah? You said he was coming separately." Her mother pulled back, scanning the driveway behind Emma as if he might materialize out of thin air.

"He's still finishing up at the office, Mom. He said he'll try to make it." The lie slid out easier this time.

Her mother's smile faltered for half a second before snapping back into place. "Well, that's alright. Business is business. Come, come, everyone's been dying to see you. Your sisters are all inside too."

Emma allowed herself to be tugged along through the courtyard, past relatives she only half-recognized, all of them dressed like they were attending a much grander event than a housewarming.

Her mother made sure to announce her arrival to every group they passed, her grip tightening around Emma's arm like a trophy she didn't want anyone to miss.

"You remember my daughter, Emma? Married to Noah Walker, the CEO of Walker Enterprises?" Her mother's voice always pitched just a little louder than necessary whenever she said his name, like she was testing how far it could travel.

Most of the relatives smiled politely, offered their congratulations, the usual performance. But Emma could feel the way some of their eyes lingered on her, the way a few exchanged quick glances with each other with smirks on their faces.

They'd probably seen it too. The scandal involving her husband and his alleged affair.

Emma kept her chin up and her smile fixed in place, even as her stomach twisted itself into knots.

Emma had just accepted a glass of champagne she had no intention of drinking when Aunt Patricia and two of her gossiping cronies approached her with an excited gleam in their eyes.

"Emma, sweetheart!" Aunt Patricia air-kissed both her cheeks, her grip on Emma's shoulders lingering a beat too long, "You look... well. Considering."

"Considering what, Aunt Patricia?" Emma tried to keep her voice light, though she already knew exactly where this was going.

"Oh, you know." Aunt Patricia waved a manicured hand vaguely, exchanging a meaningful look with the woman beside her. "We just saw the most interesting thing online this morning. Didn't we, Carol?"

Carol nodded eagerly, practically vibrating with the need to say more. "It's all anyone's talking about. Noah and that woman, what's her name—"

"Veronica," the third woman supplied helpfully, as if Emma needed the reminder.

"Right, Veronica." Aunt Patricia's smile widened. "Such a lovely photo of them together. They really do look quite natural with each other, don't they?"

Emma's grip tightened around the champagne flute. "I wouldn't know. I didn't see it."

"Oh, you simply must look! Carol, show her." Carol was already fumbling for her phone, far too pleased with herself, but Emma raised a hand before they could show her.

"That's quite alright. I'm sure it's nothing." Emma forced a smile so practiced it almost hurt. "Old friends catching up. Noah has a lot of those, being in his position."

"Of course, of course." Aunt Patricia's tone said she believed nothing of the sort. "Though I must say, wasn't yesterday your anniversary? It seems like such strange timing for Noah to be out celebrating with an old friend instead of his own wife."

The words landed exactly where they were meant to, and Emma felt the champagne flute tremble slightly in her hand.

"And he didn't even come today," Carol added, glancing around the courtyard with exaggerated confusion. "Is everything alright between you two, dear? You can tell us. We're family."

Emma opened her mouth, as she frantically tried to assemble a plausible lie to shield her mother's pride and protect herself from the wolves in the room, but the sheer weight of the humiliation made it next to impossible to speak.

Before she could form a single syllable, a heavy, possessive arm suddenly wrapped tightly around her waist from behind.

Emma gasped, her breath catching as she was firmly pulled back against a broad, solid chest. A familiar, expensive cologne instantly filled her senses, overriding the scent of her mother's perfume, just as a warm, deliberate kiss was pressed against the side of her neck.

"The relationship between my wife and me is none of your concern," Noah's deep commanding baritone sounded, shocking the women and Emma herself into silence.