Chapter 2

After I hung up, I closed my eyes.

Footsteps came from the master bedroom next door, followed by Lily's muffled crying and Adrian's voice, soothing her.

"Silly girl. She saw us — so what? What are you scared of?"

"But the way she looked at me just now... I'm scared."

Adrian let out a low laugh. "Relax. She'll make things hard for me, make things hard for herself, but she won't touch you. If she actually had the ability to deal with the women around me, she wouldn't have needed to die eight times to make me stay. She knows the problem was never about anyone else."

I didn't open my eyes. The corner of my mouth twitched — I couldn't tell if I was smiling or about to cry.

The next morning, Adrian pushed open the guest room door just as my phone received a photo.

It was Lily's prenatal exam report.

He leaned against the doorframe and watched me for a moment. "Didn't sleep well last night?"

He walked over, bending down close. "Your eyes are a little swollen."

He reached out to touch me.

I turned my head slightly, and his fingers caught nothing but air.

Adrian paused, then smiled. "Still angry?"

Before the words had fully left his mouth, he caught sight of the photo on my phone screen. The smile on his face froze for an instant, then quickly dissolved.

"Digging into her again?"

I didn't look up. "She sent it herself."

He watched me for two seconds, then straightened up. "Fine. She sent it herself."

He didn't believe I hadn't been investigating. He didn't believe Lily had sent it to me on her own.

In his mind, Lily was already sacrificing enough just by quietly following him around. He couldn't bear to pin a shred of calculation on that innocent girl.

I was different.

I'd tried to die eight times.

The quieter I became, the more convinced he was that I was scheming.

Adrian reached up and loosened his collar. "I was planning to tell you in the next couple of days anyway. She's two months along."

The room went silent.

After a long pause, I turned my face toward him. "Adrian, do you remember what you once said — if we ever had children, what we'd name them?"

The smile was still on his face. "Noah for a boy, Grace for a girl. Safe, and blessed by God."

"And do you remember swearing that if I didn't have children, you never would either?"

He faltered for a moment, then sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at me.

"Claire, promises are precious things. But let me be honest with you — don't take this the wrong way. You've tried to kill yourself eight times. You can't even take care of yourself. How could I possibly let you have a child?"

He reached over, the back of his fingers brushing across my cheek.

"Lily's different. She's healthy, even-tempered. She won't gamble with her life the way you do. If she carries the baby, I won't have to spend every day terrified. But I promise you — when the child is born, it will call you 'Mom.' I won't let her take your place."

He wasn't negotiating when he said this.

He was simply waiting for me to nod.

I unclenched my fists, and my voice came out steadier than even I expected. "You've thought of everything."

He smiled and ruffled my hair. "That's why I'm your husband, right?"

At three in the afternoon, the driver Frank knocked and came in, carrying a bag of documents.

"Ma'am, Boss asked me to bring these over. He says there are a few files he needs you to look at. All routine."

"Leave them on the table."

Frank set the documents down but didn't leave right away. He hesitated a moment, then spoke. "Ma'am, there's something I'd like to report."

"Go ahead."

"That car you had me watching — I've seen it parked outside the Emerald Bay apartments in the West End several nights in a row. I checked with the building management over there, and it turns out Ms. Lily lives in that building too."

He finished speaking and took a small step back.

He probably expected me to throw something.

I just let out a quiet "mm." "Got it. You don't need to keep watching."

Frank looked stunned. "You don't need me to? I thought you'd always suspected the owner of that car was a threat to Boss."

"It was a misunderstanding. Go on, get back to work."

Frank left, clearly bewildered.

I flipped open the files he'd brought. All routine paperwork for the Moretti Group's legitimate business operations. Tucked at the back was a blank check, already stamped with Adrian's seal. The amount line was empty.

When it came to indulging me, he had always been generous.

I pulled the check out and slipped it into my bag.

That evening, Adrian came home early.

He saw me sitting at the dining table, sipping congee, and paused for a moment before taking the seat across from me.

"This quiet today?"

He smiled, reached for the stack of files on the table, flipped through them, and noticed the check was gone. One eyebrow lifted.

"Took it?"

"Wasn't it for me?"

"It was for you."

He closed the file and tossed it aside. "By the way, I've got a job for you. There's a project meeting tomorrow — go in my place. Show your face, say a few pleasantries, and you're done."

He didn't give me a chance to refuse. He took a phone call and was gone.

Ever since his so-called "homecoming," rushing in and rushing out had become the norm. During that stretch, no tabloid caught him in a scandal. I convinced myself it was all for the family business. Not for another woman.

But in the end, his idea of settling down was just picking one flower from the garden and bringing it home to keep.

It had nothing to do with me. It never had.

The next morning, I went to the project meeting in his place.

Six or seven people sat around the conference table, all managers under Adrian. There was also a young man I didn't recognize well, seated at the far end.

Halfway through the meeting, the project manager turned on him.

"Ryan, the data you're responsible for is three days late. How are we supposed to explain that to Boss?"

The young man didn't flinch. "The data needed to be double-checked. I wasn't going to submit false numbers."

The project manager slapped the table. "This isn't a research lab. Boss wants results, not process."

I said nothing, eyes on my phone.

These people loved passing the buck. Adrian hadn't shown up himself because he wanted me to absorb the headaches for him.

Just then, a message from Hayes came through:

"The agreement has been delivered to the storage locker in your basement garage."

I locked the screen and looked at the young man named Ryan.

"Give Ryan three days for the review. If there's an error, it's on me."

The project manager stiffened. "Ma'am, but Boss—"

"I'll talk to Boss."

The room went quiet for two seconds.

Ryan glanced at me, then quickly lowered his head. "Thank you, ma'am."

After the meeting, Ryan was waiting by the door.

"I've actually finished the review. I found an anomaly yesterday and wanted to confirm it before reporting."

"Then go with what you've confirmed."

I gave a small nod and walked away.

That evening, I was making tea.

Adrian had barely sat down before he spoke, not even lifting his head. "I hear you stuck your neck out for a young man in the meeting today."