I Found My Fiancé's Cheating Diary and Exposed Everything

Chapter 4 A $10 Million Deal

The Maybach's taillights went up the ramp and were gone. One hand on the cold wall, I pushed myself up and brushed the grime off the hem of my coat.

I took out my phone, opened my contacts, and scrolled with a steadier finger than I had any right to, down to a number I'd never saved but knew cold. I called it.

Someone picked up on the third ring. Margaret's smooth, icy voice came down the line, that heavy Eldorian accent riding under it.

"Who is this?"

I stared off after the car and heard myself come out calmer than I felt.

"Mrs. Cavendish. Ten million. You've got a deal. I'll leave your son."

30 minutes later I was in an exclusive private club in Northcrest. Logs snapped in the fireplace. Margaret sat ramrod-straight on a velvet couch. She set down her bone-china cup, the corners of her mouth tipping up in a mockery she didn't bother to hide.

"What made you change your mind so suddenly? If I remember correctly, a month ago someone swore to me that true love was priceless and that she would die before leaving Rowan."

"He betrayed me," I said calmly.

One perfectly groomed eyebrow rose. A ripple of emotion crossed her eyes, though she didn't look particularly surprised.

"Because of the girl named Lily?" she asked evenly. "My people noticed her some time ago. I simply didn't expect you to find out on your own first."

She studied my pale, expressionless face and seemed to realize I had no interest in small talk.

She removed a document and a custom pen from her Hermès bag and pushed both toward me.

"Sign the NDA. Then give me your bank information. The money's in your account within 24 hours."

She stood and looked down at me, her eyes with an edge on them.

"Celeste, I expect you to hold up your end. Once you take the money, you're gone from his life for good. And if you ever try to worm your way back to him—you know what this family can do."

"You don't have to worry about me." I signed my name with a flourish. "He turns my stomach."

I stood, picked up my coat, and walked out without another word.

Down a snowed-over Crown Avenue, the wind came at my face like a blade. And still, my head had never been clearer.

My phone lit up with a text from Rowan.

Rowan: Celeste, baby, board meeting's running all night. This merger's a nightmare, so I probably won't make it home. Get some sleep, be good. I'll be home tomorrow and we'll spend the day together. Love you.

Those two words—Love you—turned my stomach all over again.

I sent him the photo I'd taken in the garage, the one of him carrying Lily into the car. I added a line under it.

Celeste: Working late on Sterling Street, huh? Or are you with your "Sweet Peach"?