The Wife He Couldn't Keep

The champagne glass slipped from Amelia Hart's fingers. It shattered against the marble floor. She didn't move. Across the dimly lit office, her husband was kissing another woman. For six years, Amelia had believed she knew Damian Blackwood better than anyone. Apparently, she had been wrong. The woman pulled away first. Damian's eyes snapped toward the doorway. "Amelia." Her name came out like a warning. Amelia stared at him. Then at the woman beside him. Then back at her husband. In her hand was the small black box she'd been carrying all the way from home. Inside it was a watch she'd spent three months saving for. She had planned to give it to him after dinner. She had imagined Damian's smile. Maybe even the surprised laugh he gave whenever she managed to catch him off guard. Instead, she was standing in his office at eleven forty-three on their sixth wedding anniversary, watching him destroy the only thing she thought they still had. "How long?" she asked. Damian straightened his suit. "Amelia, listen to me." "How long?" The other woman shifted uncomfortably. Amelia recognized her. Clara Hayes. Her husband's executive assistant. The woman who had attended their housewarming party. The woman Amelia had trusted enough to leave alone with Damian. The woman who had hugged Amelia two months ago and told her, You two are perfect together. Amelia's stomach twisted. Clara whispered, "I should go." "Don't." Damian's voice stopped her. Amelia almost laughed. Of course. Even now, he was protecting her. "Stay," Amelia said quietly. Clara looked at Damian. Then at Amelia. "I didn't mean for you to find out like this." Amelia's eyes narrowed. "So you admit there's something to find out." Silence. That silence answered everything. She looked at Damian. "Six years." He said nothing. "Six years, Damian." "I made a mistake." Amelia's fingers tightened around the little box. "A mistake?" "Yes." "You don't accidentally kiss someone." His jaw tightened. "I wasn't thinking." "No." Amelia shook her head. "You were thinking. You weren't thinking about me." He stepped toward her. She stepped back. "Don't." "Amelia—" "Don't touch me." He stopped. For the first time that night, she noticed how tired he looked. His tie was loosened. His hair was messy. There was a faint mark of lipstick near his collar. She stared at it. Something inside her broke quietly. Not dramatically. Not all at once. It simply... gave up. She opened the black box. The expensive watch sat inside, gleaming beneath the office lights. Damian looked at it. "What is that?" "Your anniversary gift." His expression changed. Amelia smiled, but there was no happiness in it. "I was going to give it to you tonight." "Amelia, I'm sorry." She closed the box. "Keep it." "Please." She turned toward the door. "Where are you going?" "Home." "I'll come with you." "No." "Amelia." She looked over her shoulder. "You should stay here." His eyes hardened. "With her?" Amelia swallowed. "Apparently, that's where you want to be." She walked away. Behind her, Damian called her name. She didn't stop. Not this time. --- The elevator doors closed. Amelia stared at her reflection. Her makeup was still perfect. Her black dress was still flawless. She looked exactly like the woman who had left the house three hours earlier, smiling as she told the driver she was going to surprise her husband. But something had changed. She pressed her palm against her chest. It hurt. She hated that it hurt. She hated that after everything she'd given Damian, a single night could make her feel like she had never mattered. Her phone buzzed. Damian. She stared at the screen. Then declined the call. It buzzed again. She declined it again. By the time she reached the parking garage, there were seven missed calls. She switched the phone off. For the first time in six years, Amelia didn't know where she belonged. She sat behind the wheel. Her hands trembled. Then she whispered the words she had been too afraid to say aloud. "It's over." The sentence sounded small. Almost harmless. But somewhere above her, Damian Blackwood was still standing in the office where he had destroyed their marriage. And neither of them knew that ton ight would change both their lives forever. Because Amelia wasn't going home. And she wasn't going to forgive him. Not tomorrow. Not next month. Not ever. At least, that's what she believed. Until the stranger walked into her life three hours later.