Vivian had started counting things. The number of times Julian came home late. The number of times “Mia” seemed to appear in a room the second he walked into it. The number of times she caught him smiling at his phone before quickly setting it face-down.She hadn’t found proof yet. But she’d stopped needing proof to feel certain.That morning, Elena came down for breakfast service in a dress that wasn’t part of her uniform — deep red, fitted, cut lower than anything she’d worn in this house before. Vivian’s eyes went straight to it.“That’s new,” Vivian said flatly.“Julian bought it for me,” Elena said, not missing a beat. “Said the uniform didn’t suit me.”The room went quiet. Julian, seated at the head of the table, didn’t even have the decency to look uncomfortable. If anything, he looked pleased — like a man who’d stopped bothering to hide what he wanted.“Did he,” Vivian said.“He has good taste.” Elena smoothed the fabric at her hip, slow, deliberate, letting Vivian watch her d
Last Updated : 2026-09-14 Read more