Chapter 3

The suspicion I had suppressed came rushing back. I could not convince myself anymore.

"Mr. Shaw, this is—"

The sales associate hovered over the black card, unsure whether to accept or refuse it. She leaned close to my ear for direction.

I was already fairly certain the card was Giselle's, but I needed to be absolutely sure.

"Let him have it."

She only relaxed once I gave the word. She took the card from the man's hand and ran it through the machine.

When the receipt printed, the card number on it was one I knew by heart. The sight of it burned through my chest.

The man snatched up the gift bag with a smug grin and shot me a look over his shoulder.

"See that, you broke deadbeat? The rest of you, stop letting just anyone into the store or you'll catch some filthy disease from him!"

The words were so harsh that the sales associate frowned.

"Don't go spreading lies like that!"

"Do you have any idea who I am?" He let out a short, incredulous laugh, as if he had just heard the funniest thing in his life.

"You think someone like me needs to make things up?"

I watched his insufferable display and clenched my jaw.

"Go ahead then. Tell me who you are."

"You know Giselle Bedford? She's about to marry me!"

The chance to show off took his arrogance to a new level.

"Tsk, why am I even wasting my breath on you? A nobody like you wouldn't know anyone that high up." He waved a dismissive hand.

"I'm done talking to you people. My wife's waiting for me. We're heading out to a fine dining restaurant!

"Ever heard of Le Ciel? The minimum spend is $20,000 a meal!"

He let out a derisive huff, tilted his chin up, and walked out the door.

Every employee in the store who recognized me was watching with poorly concealed curiosity.

I did not have the energy to care about their stares. My head was full of nothing but Giselle's name.

Le Ciel was her favorite restaurant.

I did not care whether Giselle was in a meeting. I called her immediately.

I had planned to confront her the moment she picked up, but when the line connected, I changed course.

"I'm at the tailor's. Want me to pick up a new dress for you to wear to the upcoming gathering?"

"Sure. Get whatever you think looks best."

Giselle's voice was so calm that it made me doubt my own suspicions. She had not flinched at the fact that I was in the same space as this man. Had I been wrong, or was she simply that confident I would never find out?

Before I could work it out, her voice came through the phone again.

"I'm still on my way to the bid meeting. Traffic's so bad I'm going to be late. The meeting will probably run long, so I won't be home for dinner tonight."

I laughed bitterly to myself. Giselle, who always put work above everything else, was going to be late to a meeting because of this man. She was using something as flimsy as traffic as her excuse.

I was not going to call her out over the phone, though. I kept my voice the same as always.

"Alright, tell the driver to take it easy. Stay safe."

After I hung up, I held myself together and ignored the curious looks from the staff. I picked out a suit and a simple dress, paid for both, and left.

On the drive home, I passed Le Ciel. My grip tightened around the shopping bags the moment I saw the sign.

Deep down, I still did not want to believe Giselle would betray our marriage. However, that conviction felt impossibly small against so many coincidences.