MARRIED TO MY HUSBAND’S ENEMY

I checked the time on my phone for the third time. 7:42 p.m. Damian should have been home by now. I glanced at the dining table and smiled despite the nervous flutter in my stomach. Three candles flickered between two wine glasses, casting a warm glow over the white tablecloth. His favorite meal sat beneath silver covers, still warm from the kitchen. Tonight was supposed to be perfect. Three years. Three years since I had walked down the aisle and promised to spend the rest of my life with Damian Sterling. I picked up the small black box beside my plate and turned it over in my hands. Inside was a watch I’d spent weeks choosing. Damian had mentioned wanting it months ago, and I had secretly ordered it afterward. He had no idea. I smiled to myself. “Mrs. Sterling?” I looked up as Mrs. Collins, our housekeeper, appeared at the entrance to the dining room. “Yes?” “Should I keep dinner warm?” I glanced at the untouched food. “Yes, please. He’ll be here soon.” She hesitated. “Mr. Sterling didn’t mention that he would be late?” My smile faded slightly. “No. But he’s probably caught up at the office.” She nodded and disappeared. I looked toward the large windows overlooking the city. I had tried calling Damian twice. No answer. Usually, that would have bothered me. Tonight, I refused to let it. It was our anniversary. He would come home. He always did. At least, that was what I believed. I stood and walked upstairs to change my dress. The pale blue gown I had chosen suddenly felt too formal, but I didn’t change it. Damian liked me dressed elegantly, especially when we attended events together. I touched the necklace around my neck. It was a gift from him on our first anniversary. For a moment, I found myself remembering that night. The way he’d smiled at me. The way he’d pulled me into his arms. The way he’d whispered that he couldn’t imagine his life without me. I had believed every word. My phone vibrated. My heart jumped. I grabbed it from the dresser. It wasn’t Damian. A message from him had appeared on our shared family group chat. Damian: Don’t wait up. Something came up. I stared at the screen. Something came up? Tonight? On our anniversary? I typed a response. Me: What happened? The message showed as delivered. No reply. I waited. Five minutes. Then ten. Nothing. I swallowed the disappointment gathering in my throat. Maybe he really was busy. Maybe I was being unreasonable. I put my phone down and walked back downstairs. The house was unusually quiet. I sat at the dining table and stared at the second plate. The food had gone cold. For the first time that evening, something inside me felt wrong. I stood and reached for my phone again. Still nothing. I called him. Straight to voicemail. I frowned. Damian never turned his phone off. Not for me. I called again. The same result. My stomach tightened. I picked up my handbag. I didn’t know what I expected to find, but sitting at home pretending everything was fine suddenly felt impossible. If something had happened at the office, I wanted to know. The Sterling Group headquarters was less than thirty minutes away. I grabbed my keys. “Mrs. Sterling?” Mrs. Collins called from behind me. I turned. “I’m going to the office.” “At this hour?” “I’ll be back soon.” She looked concerned. “Do you want me to send the driver?” “No. I’ll drive myself.” I left before she could argue. The city lights blurred outside my windshield as I drove. I kept telling myself there was nothing wrong. Damian was probably working. Maybe he had forgotten about our anniversary dinner. Maybe he’d surprise me at the office. The thought made me smile. That sounded like him. A grand apology. A bouquet of roses. Maybe he’d laugh and tell me he’d been planning everything all along. By the time I reached the Sterling Group building, the parking lot was nearly empty. I parked and entered through the private entrance. The security guard looked surprised to see me. “Mrs. Sterling?” “Is Damian still upstairs?” The man hesitated. “Mr. Sterling left earlier.” My smile disappeared. “He left?” “Yes, ma’am.” “When?” “About an hour ago.” I stared at him. If Damian had left an hour ago, where was he? “Did he say where he was going?” The guard shook his head. “No, ma’am.” I thanked him and walked away. I should have gone home. Instead, I found myself driving toward the Sterling penthouse. It was one of the properties Damian rarely used, mostly because it was closer to several private clubs and restaurants he frequented for business. I had never had a reason to go there. Until tonight. When I arrived, the lights were on. My heart began beating faster. His car was parked outside. I stared at it. For several seconds, I didn’t move. Then I got out. The front door wasn’t locked. I pushed it open. “Damian?” No answer. I stepped inside. The scent of expensive perfume reached me first. I froze. I knew that perfume. I had bought it for someone. Victoria. My best friend. My stomach dropped. I heard laughter from upstairs. Female laughter. Then Damian’s voice. Soft. Familiar. Intimate. My fingers tightened around my handbag. “No,” I whispered. I climbed the stairs slowly. Every step felt heavier than the last. When I reached the bedroom door, it was slightly open. I pushed it. And everything I believed about my marriage shattered in a single second. Damian was standing beside the bed. Victoria was in his arms. Her dress was on the floor. His shirt was unbuttoned. They both turned toward me. Nobody spoke. I couldn’t breathe. The black box containing Damian’s anniversary gift slipped from my hand and hit the floor. The sound echoed through the room. Victoria’s face went pale. Damian stared at me. For the first time in three years, I saw something in his eyes that I had never seen before. Not love. Not guilt. Fear. I looked between them, unable to understand what I was seeing even though the evidence was right in front of me. “Damian?” My voice barely came out. He took one step toward me. “Amelia…” I stepped backward. “Don’t.” He stopped. Victoria quickly grabbed the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around herself. “Amelia, please…” I looked at her. My best friend. The woman who had sat beside me when I planned my wedding. The woman who had helped me choose my dress. The woman I had trusted with everything. My eyes burned. “How long?” Neither of them answered. I looked at Damian. “How long have you been sleeping with her?” His jaw tightened. “Amelia, this isn’t what you think.” A bitter laugh escaped me. “Then tell me what I’m supposed to think.” Silence. I looked at the man I had loved for three years. “How long, Damian?” He finally looked away. And that was when I knew. It wasn’t a mistake. It wasn’t one night. This had been happening long before tonight. My chest tightened. I felt like the floor beneath me had disappeared. Damian took another step toward me. “Amelia, we need to talk.” I shook my head. “No.” “Please.” “No.” I looked at the wedding ring on my finger. Three years. Three years of believing I was loved. Then Damian said the words that destroyed whatever was left of my heart. “You were never supposed to find out this way.”