next day carrying a

lacing it in Adalynn's hands. "And I've

oked at th

m the security cameras

mach cl

t across the room, to not see, to not

as the old

nn knew she h

con for the livi

the screen was from la

ough the front door, clearly dr

lped him off with his jacket and hung it on the

ided him to

stone, as Carlene went to the media console, opened the s

detail, but i

now the blanket

ene's first time

ion, Adalynn accessed

the screen, scrolling ba

onths

e had moved bac

rt sleeping in the guest room, claiming his late

at she was l

after

ty luncheon, a doctor's appointment, visiting her moth

itchen, in the living room, disa

nths o

telling her he loved her, while another wom

n watched the life she had built be

s didn't

dn't fill w

with the cold precision of

kitchen, making coffee i

sofa, her feet in his lap, watching t

ter bedroom, the door closing with a soft click that

d a clip from t

rlene in the

laughing at somethi

ng. I could bring you to the penthouse every day and she'd never suspect a thin

ter rang out, b

voice dripping with mock symp

contempt, twisted the k

hovered over th

ed heartbeat, s

t bre

d was one thing-the physical affair, t

was dif

as con

traying her; they we

if it were the punchl

n fairy tales and anniversary dinners-that

e deep insid

ould stop it-one single sound of grief that she al

, wiped her eyes with the back

llapsed at this sight had d

looked at this footage and sa

rded back to t

ir off his forehead before pressing a soft, lingering kiss to his lips, her b

y switched of

dn't f

idn't

et tomorrow. I'm never setting foot in that place again. And make sure the listing mentions '

arms around her,

done," she

ith a news alert. She glanced at it, and her ey

screen so Ada

oup Announces Strategic Partner

g Indus

tech con

to land a deal with for years, a deal that would

praise Julian's brillia

icked int

just an affa

usiness tr

mily's resources that had bailed him out years a

his marriage f

the same thi

lessly when her father's

t change

d a new, more va

n didn

idn't

from the last two months-every kiss, every embrace, every moment of Carlene inh

he folder "

eated anoth

ibit

of Carlene's Instagram posts, in

ietly been compiling for months, showing how Juli

ht he wa

e wasn't payi

ong on bo

statement. They'll be his obituary. Professionally. Socially. Every way that matters. By the time I'm

her eyes, and knew that Julian Hawthorne had no ide

be the one holdi

world, and perhaps, the very pe