Chapter One — The Anniversary Lie
Serena Vale had spent three weeks planning their first wedding anniversary.
Not because Adrian Blackwood had asked her to.
He hadn’t.
Adrian rarely asked for anything. He simply expected the world to arrange itself around him.
Still, Serena wanted to surprise him.
She wanted to believe that beneath the cold expression, the expensive suits, the ruthless business deals, and the endless meetings, there was a man who loved her.
Her husband.
The man she had married eleven months and twenty-nine days ago.
She looked around their penthouse dining room and smiled.
Hundreds of tiny candles surrounded the table. White roses filled a crystal vase in the center, and beside Adrian’s plate sat a small black box containing the watch she had secretly bought for him.
The dinner had been prepared by the private chef, but Serena had insisted on making the dessert herself.
Chocolate mousse.
Adrian’s favorite.
At least, she thought it was.
She glanced at the clock.
8:15 p.m.
He was late.
Again.
Serena sighed and touched the wedding ring on her finger.
She had once believed the ring represented forever.
Perhaps tonight Adrian would finally say the words she had secretly been waiting for.
I love you.
She had never heard him say them.
Not once.
But she had convinced herself that Adrian simply wasn’t good with words.
He had married her, after all.
That had to mean something.
Didn’t it?
Her phone buzzed.
Adrian: Don’t wait for me. Important meeting.
Serena stared at the message.
Her heart sank.
She typed a reply.
Serena: It’s our anniversary.
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
No response.
She swallowed the disappointment and stood.
Maybe she would take the dinner upstairs.
Maybe she would surprise him at his office.
She picked up the black gift box and headed toward the study.
That was when she heard voices.
Adrian’s voice.
And another voice she recognized immediately.
Victoria.
His stepmother.
Serena stopped outside the study door.
The door wasn’t completely closed.
She wasn’t trying to listen.
At least, that’s what she told herself.
Then Victoria spoke.
“It’s been almost a year, Adrian. How much longer are you going to wait?”
Serena frowned.
Wait for what?
Adrian’s voice was low.
“I’m handling it.”
“You’ve been saying that for months.”
Silence.
Then Victoria continued.
“Does Serena know about the shares?”
Serena froze.
What shares?
Adrian answered.
“No.”
“Then you’re running out of time.”
Serena’s fingers tightened around the gift box.
Victoria laughed softly.
“She trusts you completely. It almost makes me feel sorry for her.”
Something cold moved through Serena’s chest.
Adrian didn’t answer.
Victoria lowered her voice.
“Once she transfers control of the Vale shares to you, everything will belong to the Blackwoods. Her father’s company, his assets, everything.”
Serena’s breathing stopped.
Her father’s company?
Her father had left her a controlling percentage of Vale Holdings when he died.
She had never transferred anything to Adrian.
At least, not knowingly.
Victoria continued.
“And after that?”
Adrian’s response was quiet.
“After that, the marriage ends.”
The gift box slipped from Serena’s fingers.
It landed silently against the carpet.
She stared at the closed door.
For several seconds, she couldn’t breathe.
The marriage ends.
The words repeated inside her head.
The marriage ends.
Adrian had married her for her shares.
Not because he loved her.
Not because he wanted her.
Not because their wedding had meant anything.
Her knees almost gave way.
She pressed one hand against the wall.
Inside the room, Victoria spoke again.
“You’re certain you can make her sign?”
“Yes.”
“And if she refuses?”
Adrian’s voice became colder.
“She won’t.”
Serena closed her eyes.
A year ago, she had walked down the aisle believing she was the luckiest woman alive.
Tonight, she realized she had walked willingly into a trap.
She turned away.
She didn’t cry.
Not yet.
She returned to the dining room and picked up the fallen gift box.
Her hands were trembling.
She carefully placed the box beside Adrian’s plate.
Then she looked at the candles.
One by one, she blew them out.
When the front door opened thirty minutes later, Adrian walked inside.
He looked exhausted.
His black suit was immaculate, his tie slightly loosened.
His eyes immediately found Serena.
“You’re still awake.”
She smiled.
A small, careful smile.
“Happy anniversary, husband.”
Adrian studied her.
Something about her expression made him pause.
“You’re upset.”
“Why would I be?”
“You’re quiet.”
Serena walked toward him.
For a moment, she wanted to slap him.
Instead, she reached up and adjusted his tie.
“I made dinner.”
“I told you I had a meeting.”
“I know.”
Her fingers brushed his collar.
Adrian caught her wrist.
His eyes narrowed.
“What happened?”
Serena looked into the eyes of the man she had loved more than anything.
“Nothing.”
She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
“I’m just tired.”
He released her.
Serena walked away.
Adrian watched her disappear into the bedroom.
He didn’t see the tears that finally escaped her eyes after she closed the door.
He didn’t see her remove her wedding ring.
And he certainly didn’t see the determination replacing the heartbreak in her expression.
Serena placed the ring on the nightstand.
“If you married me for my money,” she whispered, “then I’ll make sure you regret ever underestimating me.”
But before she could turn away, something caught her attention.
Adrian had left his study door open.
For the first time in their marriage, Serena walked inside.
And in the locked drawer of his desk, she found a file bearing her father’s name.
VICTOR VALE — DEATH INVESTIGATION
Serena’s heart stopped.
Her father had supposedly died in a car accident three years ago.
So why did Adrian have a secret file about his death?
She opened it.
The first photograph made her blood run cold.
It wasn’t her father’s crashed car.
It was a photograph of Adrian standing beside her father.
Taken two days before Victor Vale died.
And written across the bottom of the photograph were four words:
HE KNEW TOO MUCH.
