Chapter2:Vanesa Sinclair
1334 Words
CHAPTER 2: Vanessa Sinclair
The next morning, Amelia woke up to an empty bed.
Again.
She stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before reaching for her phone.
No messages.
No missed calls.
Nothing from Adrian.
A small part of her wasn’t surprised.
The argument from the night before lingered in her mind.
The hesitation.
The silence.
The answer he never gave.
She forced herself out of bed.
There was no point dwelling on it.
Not when she had already spent years making excuses for him.
At noon, Amelia arrived at Knight Group headquarters.
She rarely visited Adrian at work anymore.
The last few times, he had been too busy to see her.
Still, she wanted to try.
The receptionist immediately stood.
“Mrs. Knight.”
“Hi, Jenna. Is Adrian available?”
The receptionist’s smile faltered.
“He’s currently in a meeting.”
Of course he was.
Amelia nodded.
“I’ll wait.”
Before Jenna could answer, the elevator doors opened.
Several executives stepped out.
Among them was a woman Amelia had never seen before.
Tall.
Elegant.
Confident.
The woman laughed at something one of the executives said.
Then Adrian appeared behind them.
Amelia’s smile immediately appeared.
Until she noticed something.
Adrian was smiling too.
Not the polite corporate smile he gave investors.
A genuine one.
The kind she hadn’t seen in months.
The woman looked up.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment, the woman seemed surprised.
Then she smiled.
“Mrs. Knight.”
Amelia blinked.
The woman knew who she was.
Adrian’s smile vanished.
“Amelia.”
“I was in the area.”
The lie sounded weak.
Adrian glanced at his watch.
“I would’ve called.”
“No, it’s okay.”
An awkward silence followed.
The woman extended her hand.
“Vanessa Sinclair.”
Amelia shook it.
The name sounded familiar.
Very familiar.
Then it clicked.
Sinclair.
The Sinclair family.
One of the wealthiest families in New York.
The same family Victoria constantly praised.
The same family she compared everyone else to.
“Nice to meet you,” Amelia said.
Vanessa smiled warmly.
“You too.”
One of the executives cleared his throat.
“We should get going.”
Vanessa nodded.
“It was lovely meeting you, Mrs. Knight.”
Then she walked away.
Amelia watched her disappear toward the elevators.
Something about the encounter unsettled her.
When she turned back to Adrian, he was already checking emails.
“Who is she?”
“Vanessa?”
Amelia nodded.
“A business partner.”
The answer came too quickly.
Too smoothly.
As if he’d already prepared it.
“I see.”
Adrian slipped his phone into his pocket.
“Was there something you needed?”
The question stung.
Not “How are you?”
Not “Did you want lunch?”
Not even “I missed you.”
Just business.
Like she was another appointment on his schedule.
Amelia forced a smile.
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Adrian nodded.
“Okay.”
She waited.
For him to say something else.
Anything.
Instead he looked toward the conference room.
“I have another meeting.”
Of course he did.
Amelia stepped back.
“Then don’t let me keep you.”
He hesitated.
For a second she thought he might apologize.
Instead he simply nodded.
“See you tonight.”
Then he walked away.
Amelia stood there long after he disappeared.
“Mrs. Knight?”
Jenna’s voice broke through her thoughts.
Amelia smiled.
“I’m leaving.”
That evening, Adrian arrived home after ten.
Amelia was sitting on the couch reading.
Or at least pretending to.
She hadn’t turned a page in almost an hour.
“You waited up?”
She looked up.
“I wanted to see my husband.”
Adrian loosened his tie.
“Tough day.”
“Mine too.”
He nodded absentmindedly.
Then headed toward the stairs.
Amelia closed her book.
“Who’s Vanessa Sinclair?”
Adrian stopped.
A second passed.
Then another.
“Why?”
“You seemed comfortable around her.”
“She’s helping negotiate a merger.”
Amelia watched him carefully.
“And that’s all?”
Adrian frowned.
“What are you asking?”
She almost laughed.
Why did every conversation feel like pulling teeth?
“Nothing.”
“Amelia.”
“It’s fine.”
“It doesn’t sound fine.”
She stood.
“Do you know what I realized today?”
Adrian looked tired.
“What?”
“I had to schedule a visit to see my own husband.”
His jaw tightened.
“That’s not fair.”
“Really?”
“You know how busy I’ve been.”
“There it is.”
“What?”
“The excuse.”
Adrian exhaled sharply.
“I’m not doing this tonight.”
“No, let’s do it tonight.”
For once, she didn’t want to stay quiet.
For once, she wanted answers.
“Do you know when we last had dinner together?”
“Amelia—”
“Three weeks ago.”
She laughed humorlessly.
“Do you know the last movie we watched together?”
Silence.
“Exactly.”
“This is because of yesterday.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“This is because of the last two years.”
Adrian looked away.
That hurt too.
He always looked away.
Like facing problems made them real.
“You’re making this bigger than it is.”
The words hit her like a slap.
“Bigger than it is?”
She stared at him.
“My husband barely speaks to me.”
“That’s not true.”
“You told your family about my diagnosis.”
“They had a right to know.”
“No, they didn’t.”
Adrian rubbed his temples.
“I’m tired.”
“And I’m lonely.”
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Silence filled the room.
Adrian’s expression softened slightly.
But not enough.
Never enough.
“Amelia…”
She waited.
For comfort.
For reassurance.
For love.
Instead he said,
“I don’t know what you want from me.”
The words broke something inside her.
Because she finally understood.
He genuinely didn’t know.
He didn’t know she wanted him to defend her.
To choose her.
To love her.
To fight for their marriage.
He didn’t know because he had stopped paying attention long ago.
Amelia nodded slowly.
“Goodnight, Adrian.”
She walked upstairs.
This time, he didn’t follow.
Two days later, Victoria Knight hosted a luncheon at the estate.
Amelia almost declined.
Almost.
But experience had taught her that refusing Victoria’s invitations only created more problems.
The dining room was already full when she arrived.
Several women sat around the table.
Socialites.
Businesswomen.
Family friends.
And at the center of it all sat Vanessa Sinclair.
Amelia stopped walking.
For a second, she thought she’d entered the wrong room.
Then Victoria noticed her.
“There you are.”
Every eye turned toward Amelia.
Vanessa smiled politely.
“Mrs. Knight.”
Amelia forced herself to smile back.
Victoria gestured toward the empty seat beside Vanessa.
“Sit.”
Amelia sat.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
As lunch continued, Victoria constantly directed the conversation toward Vanessa.
“Vanessa graduated top of her class.”
“Oh, Vanessa just joined the Sinclair board.”
“Vanessa speaks four languages.”
Amelia quietly sipped her water.
It felt less like a luncheon.
More like an introduction.
As though Victoria was presenting someone.
Displaying her.
Advertising her.
Then came the final blow.
Victoria smiled at Vanessa.
“You and Adrian have always gotten along so well.”
The room went silent.
Vanessa looked uncomfortable.
Amelia froze.
Victoria continued.
“Such a shame you never met sooner.”
Amelia slowly lowered her glass.
Across the table, several women exchanged looks.
Nobody said anything.
Nobody needed to.
The implication was obvious.
Painfully obvious.
And for the first time, Amelia wondered if she was the only one who still believed her marriage was safe.
- Writer
