Chapter 1

When I got back from my business trip, the front door of my apartment was plastered with bright pink warning sticky notes.

They were past due notices from the Homeowners Association (HOA).

I immediately took a screenshot of my payment history on PayPal and sent it to the property manager. We had always paid our bills on time. This had to be a mistake.

But her reply came back quickly: "Mrs. Vance, the HOA fees for your current apartment are indeed fully paid. However, the fees for the other luxury penthouse in our complex under your husband's name have been overdue for months."

Someone else was defaulting on their fees. What did that have to do with me?

Before I could ask, the manager sent over the unit number of the other penthouse, along with the payment history for the past three years.

The signature at the bottom of the lease was clear as day: my husband’s name, Julian Miller, and his phone number.

I followed the address and stood right outside the door of that luxury penthouse.

Acting on instinct, I typed Julian’s birthday into the smart lock and pressed enter.

*Beep.* The door actually clicked open.