All Chapters of Love and Secrets: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

You know what's more frightening about infidelity? You might think it's the act itself, but it's really the sudden realization that your whole life may have just been a lie. I've known my husband, Ethan, for four years. We dated for a year, have been married for three years, and we have a three-year-old daughter, Layla. Was Ethan perfect? To me, he was. He was my endgame. Or so I thought. Ethan was what everyone called “the blueprint husband.” As the vice president of Vance Capital and the grandson of the Vance family, one of the Big Three families in New York, there was only so much we could hide from the public eye. He remembered everything. He remembered how I hated when it snowed because it was a reminder of the night my parents passed. He remembered Layla’s habits and never missed a single parent-child activity at her school. He would always rush home from work during thunderstorms because, as he would always say, “his princess is scared of thunder”. He was almost rid

I sat by the window, watching the clock hit 10 a.m. In the past, sitting by the window gave me a quiet comfort. But today, it gave me nothing. I hadn't slept all night, not even for a second. Every time I closed my eyes, I was taken back to the photo. Red Heels. Eleanor. I didn't want to believe it, but I had gifted those shoes to Eleanor myself. They were custom-made especially for her. Between last night and this morning, I had looked at the photo more times than I wanted to. I kept zooming in and out, studying it intensely, hoping and searching for something, anything, to prove that it wasn't Eleanor. It couldn't be her. It shouldn't be. Eleanor has been my best friend since forever; we grew up as kids together. She knew me in more ways than one. She was bold, confident, and brutally honest. She was always the first to tell me if I was making a bad decision. And if I did it anyway, she would never let me deal with the consequences alone. Eleanor had always been my protect

I got home at exactly 4 p.m. Usually, the house would have been filled with Layla’s bubbly voice, but it was eerily quiet. I called out to the housekeeper. She rushed out from the kitchen and hurried towards me. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Vance,” she said, taking my purse from me. “Where's Layla?” “Sir dropped her off at the family house.” “What did she have for breakfast?” I asked, walking towards the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water. “Miss Moore made pancakes and eggs for breakfast.” I paused with the glass of water mid-air. “Sophia was here?” I asked, glancing at her. “Yes, ma’am. Sir asked her to come. She helped Layla get ready, and made breakfast before they left.” I took a sip of water. “This morning?” She nodded. “I assumed it was for one of Layla’s lessons since she skipped school today.” I stared at her for a moment. “Alright then, prepare pasta with shrimp sauce for dinner.” “Okay, ma’am,” she said, as I turned to walk upstairs. Once in my room, I pulled

I sat in my usual spot by the window, sipping a cup of hot coffee in the plain hope that it would calm my erratic heartbeat. I gazed at the clock. 10:17 a.m. Honestly, I was extremely anxious. The thought that today, I would finally find out who Ethan was having an affair with, kept me up all night. When all this is over, I’ll book myself a nice vacation. But for now, I need to uncover Ethan’s mystery woman, and then hire a divorce lawyer. I don't even care for his properties. I want an out. The entrance door opened and Ethan walked in with a sleeping Layla in his arms. “Ethan…” “I was asked to get my ass back home.” He interrupted. Asked? I immediately recalled Mr.Jacobs’ words to the driver last night. What's his connection to Ethan? “I’ll officially move into the guest room.” He continued. “Don't you want to clear things up?” I asked. Although I knew he was cheating, a tiny part of me wanted to hear him at least deny it, or make some excuse. But as he stood in front o