Chapter 2

I stepped back from the desk, trying to take it all in, and my elbow caught a picture frame. It fell flat with a clatter.

Inside was a collage of nine photos from a maternity shoot. Marie posed alone in some. In others, she stood beside Tyler, holding Daisy.

In the center photo, Tyler kneeled on one knee in front of Marie, his hands gently cupping her barely rounded stomach. She smiled down at him with a warmth I knew well.

I turned to her, my voice cold. "What the hell, Marie? You're having his baby? And you moved him into my office?"

Tyler flinched, his face draining of color as he pressed a hand to his chest.

"Marie. My heart. Something's wrong."

"Tyler, are you okay?" Marie turned to her assistant. "Call an ambulance!"

She hurried to help him up, slipping an arm around him to keep him steady.

Tyler gripped her arm as he stood, and I caught a glimpse of a gold band on his ring finger, but with everything else going on, I paid it little attention.

I stood right in front of her, demanding answers, but she barely glanced at me. All her attention stayed on Tyler.

Finally, I caught her arm. "You're not leaving until you tell me what's going on."

Marie pulled free, careful not to throw Tyler off balance.

"What do you want me to say? You can see for yourself. Listen, Gavin. Tyler just had heart surgery. I've put everything into helping him recover. If you set him back, you'll answer to me."

She helped Tyler out of his little "home" and left me standing there.

A thick wool rug covered the floor. The bed had custom-made sheets and bedding, and a high-end humidifier sat on the nightstand.

The entire office had been fitted with a climate-control system to keep the temperature and humidity just right. There was even a full gaming setup with top-of-the-line equipment.

Marie clearly put a lot of effort into making him comfortable.

Through it all, she kept me in the dark, coming home to play the loving wife and devoted mother.

She cared for Tyler through his recovery, carried his baby, and made sure no one at the company said a word to me.

I grabbed the picture frame and hurled it across the room.

Then I tore the place apart.

-

By the time I got home, it was dark. The nanny had put Esther and Karen to bed before I arrived.

I sat beside them and brushed the hair off their faces. Watching them sleep, I slowly loosened my clenched jaw and let my breathing settle.

Five years ago, when Marie went into labor, I started out cracking jokes to keep her spirits up. By the end, I was crying harder than she was.

"We don't have to do this again," I told her. "Two's plenty."

After that, Marie and our girls became my priority. She loved her career, so I cut back on work to spend more time with our daughters.

When a business partner gave her trouble, I made her CEO and stepped into the deputy role so she had the authority to deal with him herself. I was happy to support her behind the scenes.

Eventually, I stepped away entirely to raise the girls. Some people in our business circles made jokes about it, but I didn't regret the decision.

Marie always took my hand and said, "Thank you for everything you do, honey."

For five years, I thought we were happy. Today, I found out how wrong I was.

I looked at our sleeping daughters. Neither of them knew their mother was having a child with someone else.

Then I remembered the gold band on Tyler's ring finger. It was part of the jewelry collection I started for the girls when they were born, pieces I planned to give them when they got married.

I went straight to the study and opened the safe. The entire jewelry box was missing.

Inside were gold necklaces, silver bracelets, and gemstone rings, a separate set for each daughter, along with 20 gold bars. All of it was gone.

I took out my phone and called a friend.

"I need you to find an address for me. Tonight."