Leaving the Divorce Papers After Overhearing His French

Chapter 2

I pushed the glass doors open and stepped back into the hall.

Arthur had finished talking to his assistant. He walked over and naturally took my hand.

"Your hands are freezing." He frowned, wrapping them in his palms. "Come. Let me show you something on the top floor."

We slipped through the crowd and took the private elevator to the top floor of the main manor.

The doors slid open to a panoramic observation room. The night sky outside was pitch black.

Arthur walked to the console and flipped a switch. The lights died.

A second later, the exterior of a skyscraper miles away in the city center lit up. The entire building turned into a deep blue sea, with the name "ELENA" rolling across the massive screen.

The blue light poured through the glass, illuminating Arthur's face.

He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder.

"Do you like it?" His voice brushed against my ear. "Happy fifth anniversary."

I stared at our reflection in the glass. Half an hour ago, on the lounge sofa, he had held me just like this when he said another woman was "Chloe’s a lot more fun than Elena ever was" in French.

I cast my eyes down, staring at his hands locked around my waist.

"Five years. Time flew by."

Arthur tightened his grip.

"We'll have many more." He turned me around to face him. "Elena, I swear on the Sterling name. I will never betray you."

His eyes were deep and devoted. The flawless, perfect husband.

I looked at him. "What if you do?"

He blinked, then chuckled softly. He brushed a stray hair from my cheek.

"If that day ever comes, I'll deserve to lose you forever."

He stepped over to the velvet sofa, picked up a massive black-and-gold gift box, and offered it to me.

"Open it."

I lifted the lid. Inside lay a shimmering, starry-night haute couture gown. Every crushed diamond looked like a hand-set star.

"The family charity gala is the day after tomorrow," Arthur said softly. "I had this custom-made for you by a lead designer in Paris. It's the only one in the world. I want you to be the most dazzling Mrs. Sterling in the room."

I looked at the one-of-a-kind gown and smiled. "Thank you. I love it."

Arthur leaned in to kiss me.

Bzzzt—

A sharp buzz came from his slacks.

He paused. He pulled out his phone. The second his eyes hit the screen, his wrist flicked inward.

A subconscious move to hide it from me.

He thought he was being slick.

But we were standing in front of floor-to-ceiling glass. The screen's glow bounced off the window.

Caller ID: Sweet Rose.

Arthur let go of me and stepped back.

"Sorry, I need to take this." He walked to the edge of the room and spoke in hushed tones.

When he returned, the devoted husband act was gone. His face was all business.

"Emergency at the company. The data on the European merger isn't adding up. I have to go handle it." He spoke fast, adjusting the jacket on my shoulders.

I let the lie slide.

"Go ahead. Don't worry about me."

"Get some rest. Wait for me." He kissed my forehead and rushed to the elevator.

I stood there and watched the floor numbers tick down to the basement.

Across the city, "ELENA" was still flashing on the skyscraper.

I slipped his fir-scented jacket off my shoulders and tossed it onto an armchair.

I went downstairs, bypassing the butler, straight to the underground garage. I picked an inconspicuous black sedan, hit the gas, and wound my way out of the estate.

A few hundred yards ahead on the main road, Arthur's taillights flickered in the dark. I rolled the window down a c***k, letting the cold air in, and trailed him like a ghost.