Chapter 4

I stood up and scraped the entire candlelit dinner straight into the trash can.

Trash belongs in the garbage.

I walked into our bedroom and opened Chloe's closet.

I used to respect her privacy and never went through her things.

Now, I realized what a pathetic fool I had been.

Hidden in the very back of the closet, behind clothes she rarely wore, were several bright orange boxes.

Hermès.

I didn't know much about luxury handbags, but I knew the brand.

A single one of those bags cost more than my entire annual salary.

Then I found her jewelry boxes.

Cartier bracelets, Bulgari necklaces, Van Cleef & Arpels clover pendants.

Combined, these pieces easily totaled hundreds of thousands of dollars.

There was no way we could afford this on our salaries.

So this was her "overtime."

This was her "bonus."

This was what she meant by "working hard for our future."

She certainly was working hard—on her back in Carter Hayes's bed.

I took the luxury items out one by one and lined them up on the bed.

It felt like arranging an exhibition of betrayal.

How ironic.

I had worked myself to the bone for Hayes Group, earning a modest salary.

Meanwhile, my boss slept with my wife and threw her a few luxury bags—gifts worth years of my hard work—as a reward.

What was I?

Just a fool kept in the dark?

At 2:00 AM, the front door clicked open.

Chloe was back.

She crept in quietly, keeping the lights off, trying to slip straight into the bedroom.

Click.

I flicked the living room light switch.

The sudden brightness made her wince, shielding her eyes.

I was sitting on the sofa. In front of me on the coffee table were her luxury bags and jewelry.

Right next to them lay my printed travel itinerary.

"H-Honey?" Chloe gasped, her face still flushed.

She had changed into a different outfit.

Her hair was damp, smelling of expensive hotel body wash.

"Why are you still awake?" She offered a strained laugh, her eyes darting to the luxury stash. Her pupils dilated with panic.

"Those... those belong to Lily! She didn't have room at her place, so she asked me to store them here!"

Lies slipped past her lips so effortlessly now.

I didn't expose her. If she wanted to play a role, I'd let her finish her scene.

"I know," I said, standing up and picking up the itinerary.

"Carter just called me. There's an emergency at the North Dakota site, and I need to head out tonight."

"I was about to leave, but I wanted to see you one last time."

Chloe froze.

She clearly hadn't expected this reaction.

Staring at my calm face, the panic in her eyes slowly morphed into something else.

Guilt? Or relief?

"That's so sudden..." She stepped closer, reaching out to adjust my collar.

I subtly stepped back, avoiding her touch.

"Yeah. It's urgent."

"Take care of yourself at home."

I grabbed my pre-packed suitcase and walked straight to the front door.

"Ethan!" Chloe called out behind me.

I stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Yes?"

"Be safe... and come home soon." Her voice trembled.

A cold smirk played on my lips.

Come home soon? To keep watching your little show?

"Don't worry," I said, opening the door and stepping into the dark hallway.

"By the time I get back, everything will be over."

Behind me, Chloe suddenly clutched her chest, a sudden, inexplicable wave of dread washing over her.

But I didn't go to the airport.

Instead, I hailed a cab and drove straight to a 24-hour internet café downtown.

I booked a private booth and booted up the computer.

The moment my fingers touched the keyboard, I felt alive again.

Since they had pushed me to the edge, I was going to push them off the cliff.

I pulled out a burner phone and dialed a number I hadn't called in years.

Arthur Hayes's private line.

"Hello? Who is this?" Arthur's aged but authoritative voice came through the receiver.

"Mr. Hayes. It's Ethan Vance."

"Ethan? What's going on this late?"

"Nothing major." I watched the lines of code scrolling rapidly across my screen, my voice as cold as ice.

"I just wanted to let you know."

"The money you gave me for college, plus ten years of interest... I have repaid it a hundred times over with my decade of hard labor for your company."

"As of this moment, I don't owe the Hayes family a single thing."

"I just hope you can handle what comes next."