All Chapters of The Perfect Wife’s Affair : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

~SERENA’S POV~There had to be some unwritten rule about paying an escort.A pamphlet? A price list? Did overtime cost extra? Was I supposed to tip him, or would that make it weird?'God, I should have Googled this.'Who hires an escort without researching escort etiquette? Normal, confident women probably knew how these things worked. Me? This morning, I had been comparing prices on vanilla extract at the grocery store. Tonight, I was trying to figure out how much it cost to burn my marriage to the ground.I couldn't even order a caramel macchiato without rehearsing my order three times in my head. Now I was sitting in a VIP booth at a nightclub that smelled like spilled gin and cheap judgment, trying to buy a man.And the man in question looked far too expensive to come with instructions.His name was Raul...or at least, that was the name on the website I had frantically browsed in a gas station bathroom an hour ago. He was tall, effortlessly handsome, with dark eyes and hair tha

~SERENA POV~The phone kept buzzing against the wooden nightstand.CALLING: RYKERMy hands shook as I stared at the name flashing across the screen. Heat still flushed my skin from what had just happened in this bed. I had just slept with my husband's brother.Cassian stood near the bathroom door with a towel low on his hips, water droplets sparkling on his bare chest. He leaned his head, watching me with a lazy, arrogant smirk."You going to answer that, sister-in-law?"I swallowed the lump in my throat and swiped the green icon."Where the hell are you, Serena?" Ryker's voice barked through the speaker, tight with anger. "I'm standing outside the house. Do you have any idea what time it is?"He wasn't worried about me. He was just annoyed that his dutiful wife wasn't where she was supposed to be."I'm at Lora's," I lied, keeping my voice flat."Since when do you go to Lora's in the middle of the night without telling me?" he snapped. "Get back home. Right now."A few hours ago, I wo

~SERENA'S POV~Ryker's hand rested on my lower back as we walked into the big ballroom. Anyone watching us would have thought we were the picture of a perfect couple. The wealthy heir and his quiet, devoted wife.I almost laughed.The air was filled with the smell of expensive perfume, old wine, and soft violin music. Golden chandeliers hung from the tall ceilings, shining on crystal champagne glasses held by the city's wealthy people.I straightened the front of my silk gown and kept a calm expression.I knew Ryker was a liar. I knew he had come home straight from another woman's bed.And now, I was walking into a room where both the husband who betrayed me and the man I slept with were going to be under the same roof."Stay by my side tonight, Serena," Ryker whispered near my ear, his tone warm and affectionate. "The board members are watching us.""Of course," I replied quietly.Within minutes, Ryker slipped into his familiar social role. He smiled at investors, shook hands with s

~SERENA POV~I woke up before the alarm.The space beside me was warm. Ryker was sleeping on his side, his breathing slow and steady on the pillow.His dark hair was messy, falling over his forehead the way it always did when he slept deeply.For a long second, I just watched him.This was my husband. The man I had sworn to build a life with.A soft buzzing sound came from the nightstand. My screen lit up the dark room.Cassian: 'Are you avoiding me, sister-in-law?' My heart kicked against my chest. I pressed the side button immediately, locking the display and burying the phone face-down on the bed.I looked back at Ryker. He didn't move.I slipped out from under the covers, tied my silk robe tightly around my waist, and walked out into the quiet kitchen. I made a pot of coffee, watching the dark liquid drip slowly into the glass pot.I couldn't live in the dark anymore. Before I made a single decision about Cassian....or my marriage....I needed to see the truth with my own eyes.I

~SERENA POV~The steam from my coffee cup rose between us, making it hard to see Lora's worried look across the small table."I don't know if I want to divorce him anymore," I said softly.The words felt strange leaving my mouth, serious and unnatural, but saying them aloud made them real.Lora paused, her coffee cup stopping inches from her lips. She gently placed it back in the saucer, making a soft clattering sound."Yesterday you were ready to pack your bags and leave," she said, her eyebrows knitting together. "Yesterday you were looking at apartments."I looked down at the dark liquid in my mug, tracing the ceramic rim with my thumb."I know.""So what changed, Serena? Did he magically explain why another woman's name is tied to his hotel records?""No," I admitted, my voice dropping. "He didn't."I swallowed hard, remembering the faded smell of lemon crepes in our kitchen and the quiet way Ryker had looked at me over dinner."He came home early," I said. "He remembered the bake