Chapter 009

Vanessa had been unusually quiet since they finished dinner.

After helping Chloe clear the dishes, she excused herself and disappeared into the guest room.

Chloe frowned.

"That's strange."

She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel before walking down the hallway.

The bedroom door was slightly open.

Chloe knocked gently.

"Vanessa?"

"Come in."

She pushed the door open and found Vanessa sitting cross-legged on the bed, scrolling through her phone.

"There you are," Chloe said with a smile. "I thought you'd fallen asleep."

Vanessa looked up and smiled.

"Not yet."

Chloe leaned against the doorframe.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Do you need anything?"

Vanessa shook her head.

"No. Come and sit."

Chloe walked over and settled beside her friend.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The apartment was peaceful, broken only by the soft hum of the air conditioner.

Finally, Vanessa smiled.

"You know something?"

"What?"

"We've been talking about Ryan for two days now."

Chloe laughed.

"Have we?"

"Yes."

Vanessa pointed at her.

"You've told me how kind he is, how respectful he is, how successful he is..."

She narrowed her eyes playfully.

"And I don't even know what the man looks like."

Chloe blinked.

"You don't?"

"No."

Vanessa folded her arms.

"So..."

She smiled mischievously.

"Show me a picture."

Chloe laughed.

"I don't even think I have one."

"You don't?"

"No."

Vanessa gasped dramatically.

"The man lives in your head rent-free, and you don't even have his picture?"

"Oh, stop."

"I'm serious."

Chloe picked up her phone from the bedside table.

"Wait."

She unlocked the screen.

"Oh..."

"There it is."

"What?"

"His I*******m."

Vanessa burst into laughter.

"Oh my goodness."

"What?"

"You're stalking a married man."

Chloe's mouth fell open.

"I am not!"

"You went straight to his I*******m."

"Because that's where his pictures are."

Vanessa covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Chloe rolled her eyes.

"You're impossible."

"I've been told."

She leaned closer.

"Now let me see."

Chloe opened Ryan's profile.

His most recent photo showed him standing beside one of the aircraft he flew, dressed in his captain's uniform.

Another showed him smiling beside Olivia during a beach vacation.

The next was a family picture with his parents.

Vanessa stared for several seconds.

Then she slowly nodded.

"Oh..."

"What?"

"I get it now."

Chloe looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"He's handsome."

A smile escaped Chloe before she could stop it.

Vanessa noticed immediately.

"There it is."

"What?"

"That smile."

"I didn't smile."

"You absolutely did."

Chloe laughed softly and looked back at the phone.

Ryan looked confident in every picture.

His smile was warm without looking arrogant.

His eyes carried a quiet kindness that cameras rarely captured properly.

"He has kind eyes," Chloe said absentmindedly.

Vanessa glanced sideways at her.

"He does."

"And he always looks..."

She searched for the right word.

"Calm."

Vanessa nodded.

"I'll admit it."

She looked back at the screen.

"If I didn't know he was married, I'd probably say he's every woman's dream."

Chloe smiled without saying a word.

Vanessa slowly lowered the phone.

"I understand why you've been talking about him."

Chloe looked away.

"I'm not falling for him."

"No?"

"No."

Vanessa laughed.

"Then what is this?"

Chloe sighed dramatically.

"I just admire him."

"That's how it starts."

Chloe threw a pillow at her friend.

Vanessa caught it, laughing.

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

Vanessa's smile slowly faded.

"I know you, Chloe."

Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"You don't just want Ryan."

"I never said I wanted him."

Vanessa folded her arms.

"You don't want the man."

She paused.

"You want what comes with him."

Chloe remained silent.

"The expensive house."

Silence.

"The comfortable life."

Silence.

"The luxury."

Still nothing.

"And someone who'll never say no when you swipe your credit card."

Chloe suddenly laughed.

Vanessa blinked.

"What's funny?"

"You really think this is about money?"

"Isn't it?"

Chloe slowly shook her head.

"No."

She looked down at Ryan's picture again.

"I don't want his money."

"Then what do you want?"

Chloe was quiet for a long moment.

Finally she whispered,

"I want Olivia's life."

Vanessa frowned.

"What?"

"The way they laugh together."

She smiled faintly.

"The way he looks at her."

Another pause.

"The way everyone respects them."

She looked toward the window.

"The warmth in that house..."

Her voice softened.

"I've never had anything like that."

Vanessa watched her carefully.

For the first time, she understood.

This wasn't only about wealth.

It was about belonging.

About wanting the life someone else had built.

Vanessa changed the subject.

"By the way..."

Chloe looked up.

"Have you heard anything about... the investigation?"

The smile disappeared from Chloe's face.

"Vanessa."

"What?"

"Please."

"I was only asking."

"I don't want to talk about it."

Vanessa sighed.

"I know."

Chloe looked away.

"Don't ruin my evening."

"I'm sorry."

Neither woman spoke for several seconds.

Finally Vanessa broke the silence.

"So..."

She looked directly at Chloe.

"What are you planning to do?"

Chloe slowly smiled.

"I think..."

She rested the phone on her lap.

"I'll start tomorrow."

Vanessa stared at her.

"You really believe you can come between them?"

"I don't know."

"They have everything."

"A beautiful marriage."

"A successful business."

"A wonderful home."

Vanessa shook her head.

"How are you supposed to destroy something that strong?"

Chloe thought back to her most recent conversation with Olivia.

She remembered the sadness that had briefly crossed Olivia's face.

A sadness Olivia had tried to hide.

Then Chloe smiled.

"They don't have everything."

Vanessa frowned.

"What are they missing?"

Chloe leaned back against the headboard.

"A child."

The room fell silent.

"It's been years since they got married," Chloe said quietly. "But they still don't have children."

Vanessa stared at her friend, unsure where her thoughts were leading.

Chloe's smile was calm, almost unreadable.

"I think..."

She looked out toward the city lights.

"...I may have just found the only crack in their perfect life."

Outside, the lights of Miami shimmered beneath the night sky, while inside the apartment, the first pieces of Chloe's plan quietly began to fall into place.