Chapter 1 Melt This Down for Me

(Sienna's POV)

"Mrs. Foster, that's the 23rd necklace. Still nothing you like?" the salesgirl asked carefully.

"..."

"Mrs. Foster?"

I snapped out of my daze and pointed, without really looking, at a diamond necklace in the case. "This one. Wrap it up."

The whole staff breathed a sigh of relief. A few of them gathered around me, taking turns gushing.

"Mr. Foster must be head over heels for you. Jewelry every single day? We're all dying of jealousy."

"They say you can tell where a man's heart is by where his money goes. Your husband's rich and he only has eyes for you. You've got it all."

I managed a thin smile and said nothing.

For three months, I'd come to this jewelry store on Madison Avenue every day and bought one piece of jewelry with Damian Foster's card. His assistant, Evan Price, went over the statements. Damian never looked at them himself, so he had no idea I'd been going to the same store every single day.

I knew why. He didn't care what I did with my days. The person he cared about was another woman.

I looked past them at the salesgirl quietly wrapping my box behind the counter. Her name was Lana Hayes. Her face was pretty in a plain sort of way, but her hands were something else: pale, slender, long-fingered. Even another woman could fall for hands like that.

Three months ago, I'd found a receipt from this store in Damian's suit pocket. It was for a bracelet I had never seen. I came here to look, and I walked in just as Damian stood at the counter holding Lana's hand. He fastened the bracelet around her wrist himself and smiled down at her.

I knew that smile too well. For 15 years, I'd believed he only smiled like that at me.

I'd come every day since. I wanted to see for myself what kind of girl could make Damian, a man who was always so calm and controlled, throw away 15 years with me.

Lana handed me the wrapped box with a sugary smile. "Come back tomorrow too, Mrs. Foster!"

I stared at those hands for a few seconds, took the box, and turned to Diane, the store manager. "Could you do something for me?"

I slid my wedding ring off my finger and set it on the counter. "Melt this down for me."

Diane turned the ring over and saw "D.F. & S.H." engraved inside. Her eyes went wide. "This is your wedding ring, isn't it? It's even engraved... Are you sure?"

Damian had engraved those letters himself the night before our wedding. When he slid the ring onto my finger, he'd said, "Sienna, I'm yours for the rest of my life."

I'd worn it for three years. Now that it was off, it had left a faint pale band around my finger.

"I'm sure," I said flatly. "The sooner the better."

At seven that evening, I opened the front door and walked straight into Damian on his way out. The impact knocked me back two steps. He caught me around the waist. His forehead was covered in sweat. "Where have you been? Why couldn't I reach you?"

Martha Quinn, our housekeeper, hurried out after him. "Mrs. Foster, Mr. Foster's been looking for you all afternoon. He almost called the police."

Evan was on the phone, apologizing over and over. "Officer Reynolds, I'm so sorry. Mrs. Foster just got home. Thank you for your trouble."

Damian looked me over from head to toe. His face relaxed once he was sure I wasn't hurt. He touched my cheek, and the frown came back. "Why are you so cold?"

I brushed his hand away and walked inside. "It was stuffy in the house, so I went for a walk. My phone died."

Damian came after me and draped his suit jacket over my shoulders. He kept his arm around me as he gave orders. "Martha, make her a cup of honey tea. Evan, go to Marcello's and pick up the dishes she likes. Tell the chef to go easy on the salt and sugar."

Once they were gone, it was just the two of us in the living room. Damian still had a hand on my shoulder. His voice softened. "I was scared, and I snapped at you. Don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad."

"You've been off for days." Damian searched my face. "We've known each other for 15 years. I can tell when you're not happy. I've spent days trying to figure out what I did wrong, and I can't. Tell me, and I'll fix it."

I looked up at him. Same face. When I was 15, this was the boy who jumped into a freezing lake and dragged me out just before I drowned. I'd chosen him that day. From our school days to our wedding day, I'd always believed anyone in the world might lie to me. Anyone but Damian.

"You're overthinking it. It's just my period. I've got cramps."

"That's really all it is?"

"Mm-hm."

Damian made a call right there. "I'm not coming into the office this week. Have Evan bring the files to the house."

"What are you doing?"

"Staying home with you."

I let out a soft laugh.

"What's funny?"

"My husband's so good to me. Shouldn't I be smiling?"

Damian smiled too and took my hand. "We're married. Whatever it is, you don't have to carry it alone."

"What about you?" I looked him in the eye. "Is there anything you're keeping from me?"

Damian paused for a beat, then leaned down and kissed me on the lips. "There is. I want a baby. We've been married three years, Sienna. Let's have a baby."

I balled my hands into fists. He was keeping another woman on the side, and then he came home and talked to me about a baby.

I didn't answer. Instead, I took a stack of papers out of my bag. "Sign these."

Damian didn't even glance at them. He flipped straight to the last page, signed, and handed them back. "Done."

"Don't you want to know what it is?"

"Whatever you want, it's yours." Damian pulled me into his arms. "I know you've always been scared of having a baby. If a property agreement makes you feel a little safer, I'm happy to sign it."

"Damian, you should at least take a look..."

And somehow, part of me still hoped. Just open it. Just look...

His phone buzzed. Damian glanced at the screen, and his whole face lit up. I hadn't seen him look that tender in a long time. He typed something, and after a moment he stood up. "Work thing. I'm going to step out and make a call."

The second Damian was gone, I went to the garage. I got into his car and pressed the start button. The dashboard screen came on, synced to the messages on his phone. The latest thread was saved under the name My Lana.

"The rich lady came in AGAIN today! Bought another necklace! My commission's going to be insane this month, so dinner's on me!" Lana had written.

"You're that happy?" Damian had written back.

"Of course! God bless her, I hope she comes in every day! I love that rich lady to death!"

"I used to come in every day too. You never loved me like that."

"Like that's the same thing. She's my VVVIP!"

"And what am I?"

"You've been demoted! Nobody gets between me and my sales numbers!"

"So you use me and toss me?"

"Hahaha, just call me! The rich lady tried on 20-something necklaces today. My hands are sore from putting them all away, so no more typing."

"Okay. Calling now."

My hands started to shake.

He had no idea that Lana's "rich lady" was his wife. He had even less of an idea that the card the rich lady swiped every day was his.

I was using his money to pad his girlfriend's sales numbers, and he was out there hiding by the door, grinning as he sweet-talked her.

I closed my eyes. Lana's hands. Damian bending to fasten the bracelet around her wrist. It played over and over in my head.

It was a long time before I turned off the engine and went back to the living room.

The papers Damian had just signed were still on the couch, exactly where he'd left them. I tucked them back into my bag.

On the first page, the heading stood out in bold black letters: DIVORCE AGREEMENT.