Triplets of the Fallen Billionaire

Chapter 2

FAYE

Lana always says shopping is therapy.

I don’t know if that’s true, but today I let her drag me through boutique after boutique, pretending the weight in my chest wasn’t getting heavier with every passing hour.

Tomorrow is Saturday. My birthday. And it is supposed to be the day I revive my dying marriage.

Lana calls it that — dying.

She says it bluntly, without hesitation, like she’s diagnosing a patient.

“You need to shock him back to life,” she says, tossing a lacy red lingerie set into my arms. “Men are visual creatures. Cedric is no exception.”

I stare at the delicate fabric, heat rising to my cheeks. “Lana, I can’t wear this.”

“You can and you will.” She grins. “Six months, Faye. Six. Months. Barely had any s*x? Girl, that’s not a dry spell — that’s a drought.”

I bite my lip, embarrassed. “He’s been stressed.”

“He’s been absent,” she corrects. “And you’ve been patient. Too patient.”

I frowned.

She’s bold where I’m quiet, loud where I’m soft, fearless where I’m… not.

She holds up a silk robe next, deep emerald green. “This will look gorgeous on you. Cedric won’t know what hit him.”

I swallow. “I don’t know if seducing him is the answer.”

“It’s a start,” she says. “And you need a start.”

She’s right. I know she’s right.

The pressure to give the Moore family an heir has been suffocating.

Cedric’s mother asks about it every time she calls. His father makes comments about “legacy” and “continuity.” Even Cedric, in his quiet, distant way, has begun to look at me differently — like I’m failing at something I never promised to deliver.

Six months of trying...

Six months of nothing.

And now…

Six months of silence.

Lana nudges me. “Hey. Don’t go into your head. Stay with me.”

I blink and force a smile. “Sorry.”

“You’re thinking about him.”

I nod.

“You’re thinking about tomorrow.”

Another nod.

“And you’re thinking about how to fix something you didn’t break.”

My throat tightens. “Lana…”

She softens, looping her arm through mine. “I know you love him. I know you want this to work. And I’m not saying it can’t. But you can’t keep pouring from an empty cup, Faye.”

I look down at the lingerie in my hands. “I just want him to see me.”

“He will,” she says firmly. “Tomorrow, he will.”

We spend the next hour picking out outfits — soft dresses, a new sweater, a pair of heels I’m not sure I’ll ever wear. Lana insists on everything. I let her. It feels good to be cared for, even if it’s just through clothes and teasing comments.

Lila would have come too, but she’s eight months pregnant and barely leaves the house now. She sent me a voice message earlier, her tone warm and sleepy.

“Go have fun with Lana. And Faye… don’t give up on yourself.”

I hold onto those words.

By the time Lana drops me off at home, the sun is setting. The house is quiet, as always. Cedric isn’t home yet. I don’t expect him to be.

I carry the shopping bags upstairs and place them gently on the bed. Then I pull out the suitcase I bought last week — a matching one for Cedric sits beside it.

The office is closed is tomorrow. It’s the perfect day for a surprise trip.

Paris. The city of love.

I unzip Cedric’s suitcase first, folding his shirts the way he likes — crisp, precise, edges aligned. I pack his favorite cologne, the one he used to wear when we first started dating. I add a tie he hasn’t worn in months.

Then I pack my own suitcase — the lingerie Lana insisted on, the silk robe, a soft cream dress, a sweater for the plane.

I pause, staring at the two suitcases side by side.

They look hopeful. Like a promise. A chance.

I sit on the edge of the bed and exhale slowly.

“Tomorrow,” I whisper. “Tomorrow will be better.”

It has to be.

Because I don’t know how many more tomorrows I can survive like this.

Later that night, Lana calls again.

“So,” she says, “are you ready to seduce your husband?”

I laugh weakly. “I don’t know if I can do what you suggested.”

“You can,” she insists. “And you will. Faye, you’re beautiful. You’re sweet. You’re loyal. Any man would be lucky to have you.”

“Cedric doesn’t see me that way anymore.”

“Then make him remember.”

I close my eyes. “What if he doesn’t want me?”

Lana is silent for a moment.

Then she says, softly but firmly:

“Then you’ll know. And you’ll stop torturing yourself. Maybe it's time to let him go and—”

My chest tightens. “Lana…”

“I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m trying to save you.”

I swallow hard. “I just want my marriage back.”

“And you’re doing everything you can,” she says. “But it takes two people to save a marriage, Faye. You can’t carry it alone.”

I know she’s right.

But I’m still hoping — foolishly, desperately — that tomorrow will be different.

Cedric will look at me the way he used to. I want him to remember why he married me. He’ll choose me again.

I hang up the phone and lie back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Tomorrow is my last attempt.

And I pray — quietly, hopelessly — that it won’t be the day everything falls apart.

I closed my eyes but couldn't sleep. I read the book Lana gave me. It's a dirty novel. She thought I'd pick up some ways to spice up my marriage. I didn't know reading something like this would make me wet.

I started to touch myself. It's been so long since Cedric touched me. Was it a month ago? Or the month before that? And even then, he was in a rush. He just came home drunk that night and wanted me.

My thighs trembled. My c**t is throbbing so hard it hurts. I let out a breath and grabbed Cedric's pillow. It had his scent. My heart raced as I slide my hand down over my stomach and rubbed my p***y. I bit my lip as I spread my legs. My p***y is swollen as I press a finger into the folds. I moaned as my finger starts moving faster. My hips started to rock and I can't stop myself.

"Oh, Cedric." I whispered his name and imagined it was his finger playing with my p***y.

I spread my legs even wider. I curled my finger inside as I arched my back. I'm so f*****g tight. I need to come so badly.

My legs trembled. I'm close.

"f**k, yes! Oh my God!"

My p***y clenched around my finger. My head tilt back and I came.