Chapter 1
1118words
She forced herself to sit and face her work emails. While reaching for the car keys from Lucas's discarded jacket, a folded receipt slipped from the inner pocket. From a jewelry store—showing that limited-edition diamond necklace she'd mentioned once. Lucas had dismissed it as "too flashy" for her. For a moment, she thought this might be tonight's surprise—until she spotted the date. Last Wednesday. When Lucas was supposedly out of town on business.
Her breath caught, stomach twisting into knots. She bit down on her lip until she tasted copper. With shaking fingers, she opened their joint banking app. The evidence was right there—multiple transfers to anonymous overseas accounts, totaling a staggering amount. All made in the dead of night.
So this was what "business trips" really meant. How long had he been bleeding their accounts dry?
Emily shot to her feet, sending the roses crashing to the floor. The shattering glass brought her assistant rushing to the door. "Everything okay?" the young woman asked, peering in. "Fine," Emily replied, waving her away with a steadiness that surprised even herself.
Once alone, she slid to the floor. Tears threatened, but she swallowed them back. What good would crying do? If Lucas had the nerve to betray her like this, her tears wouldn't move him anyway.
She remembered their wedding three years ago—Lucas holding her hand, vowing never to betray her. God, his eyes had seemed so sincere. She'd believed every word. Just another performance from a skilled actor.
Emily was no delicate wallflower. She'd built her media company from nothing, weathered countless storms. But this cut deeper—betrayal from the one person she'd trusted completely felt like a knife twisting in her chest.
She took a deep breath and dried her eyes. Thank God she'd minored in information security back in college. Those skills—plus what she'd taught herself during her company's early days to counter corporate espionage—were about to pay off. She accessed the company's internal system and pulled up the surveillance feed from Lucas's office. As his wife and silent shareholder, she'd always had this access. She'd just never needed it before.
The footage showed Lucas flirting with his secretary. The young woman—all curves and batting eyelashes—whispered something in his ear. Lucas smiled, pinched her cheek playfully, then pulled a jewelry box from his drawer. The diamond necklace—her diamond necklace—gleamed as he fastened it around the secretary's slender neck.
So it wasn't that the necklace was "too flashy" for her. She simply wasn't the one he wanted to give it to.
Emily shut off the feed, her eyes hardening to ice. She picked up her phone and deleted the anniversary reminder. Then she opened an encrypted folder, created a new document, and named it: Storm.
Step one: Play the part. She texted Lucas in her usual sweet tone, reminding him about their dinner reservation. His reply came quickly—something about a last-minute meeting, promises to make it up to her. "Meeting, right," Emily muttered with a cold smile. "In your secretary's bed, no doubt."
Step two: Gather ammunition. She called her most trusted lawyer about protecting her assets. Then she reached out to a PI she'd worked with before. Time to find out exactly what Lucas had been hiding.
Step three: Strike back. She began compiling dirt on Lucas's company, preparing for the perfect moment to release it. But timing was everything—she couldn't afford to spook him too soon.
By the time she finished, night had fallen. Emily stood at her floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the city lights below. Once, this view had represented the beginning of their dreams together. Now it was just another pretty lie.
Her phone buzzed—Mom calling. Emily took a steadying breath and answered with forced cheer. Her mother's gentle reminders to rest and take care of herself nearly broke her composure. After hanging up, tears welled in her eyes. At least someone in this world still truly loved her. She couldn't fall apart now.
The doorbell startled her. Who would come by this late? Through the peephole, she spotted Jason Johnson—her old college friend, now a hotshot investigative journalist. It had been ages since they'd last met.
She opened the door, and Jason handed her a thermal container. "Your mom said you forget to eat when you're working. Asked me to drop this soup by since I was in the area."
Emily blinked in surprise. Her mother had just called, and now Jason appears? That timing seemed… convenient.
Jason stepped inside, glancing around. "Where's Lucas? Thought you two would be celebrating your anniversary."
Emily's hand froze mid-pour. "He's busy."
Jason studied her face. "I've been working on a financial investigation. Stumbled across some interesting information about Lucas." He pulled out a USB drive. "Thought you might want to see this."
Emily didn't reach for it. "Why would you help me?"
"You saved my life once." Something dark flickered in Jason's eyes. "That undercover job at the illegal workshop—if you hadn't called the cops when you did, I'd be six feet under right now."
The memory clicked into place, easing her suspicion. She plugged in the drive and scanned the contents. Her stomach dropped. Lucas wasn't just transferring assets—he was neck-deep in illegal fundraising schemes. And the evidence was damning.
"This could put him behind bars," Jason said quietly.
Emily clutched the drive, mind racing. She'd only wanted justice, maybe some payback. But this… this could destroy Lucas completely. Send him to prison. She hesitated, but only briefly. Any remaining affection withered under the heat of her rage.
"Help me," she met Jason's gaze, "but we keep this between us."
Jason nodded once. "I'm all in."
After Jason left, Emily retreated to her study. She backed up the USB contents to multiple secure locations, then started drafting her exposé. Halfway through, Lucas called.
"Babe, meeting's finally over," he cooed. "I'll make it up to you tomorrow, promise."
Emily closed her eyes, picturing his face. Was he still with his secretary? Just stepping out of her bed to placate his wife? She forced sweetness into her voice: "Sure, honey. I'll be waiting."
She hung up and deleted the call log. Outside, the sky opened up—rain lashing the windows as lightning split the darkness. Emily watched the storm, seeing in it a perfect metaphor for what remained of her marriage.
The storm was coming. And she was ready.
