Chapter 2

Returning to the empty villa, rainwater dripped from my trench coat onto the hardwood floor of the foyer.

The house was still staged with the roses Carter had arranged for our anniversary, leaving the air thick with a nauseatingly sweet scent.

I didn't turn on the main lights; I walked straight into the study.

Carter was an extremely cautious man. His phone never left his side, and he changed his passcodes religiously. But I knew one of his habits—all his private files were backed up on the encrypted private server here at home. And the emergency reset password for that server was his mother's maiden name combined with my birthday.

He assumed I would never snoop on him, believing that risking his life to save me during the shipwreck had granted him the ultimate immunity.

I booted up the computer and entered the commands, my fingers flying across the keyboard.

Ten minutes later, the firewall was breached. Hidden behind the vast sea of data was an encrypted folder named "V_Project."

I clicked it open, and the contents hit me like a tsunami, instantly obliterating everything I thought I knew.

It wasn't a clean break after the shipwreck at all; it was a year-long clandestine affair.

Photos, bank transactions, hotel bills, and even their chat logs—all neatly organized by month.

After I was discharged from the hospital—right when Carter was helping me with my physical therapy—he bought Valerie an apartment on the Upper East Side.

Half a year ago, when I was up until dawn working on design drafts, he brought me warm milk to keep me company, only to turn around and text Valerie: "The woman at home is too boring. I miss your body."

Even just last week, he used a business trip to Boston as an excuse when, in reality, he was vacationing with Valerie in the Caribbean. In the photos, Valerie was in a bikini, laughing brightly in his arms, while Carter's eyes burned with a feverish obsession I had never seen before.

But what truly chilled me to the bone was a screenshot of their texts.

Valerie asked him, "If the shipwreck happened again, would you still save her?"

Carter's reply: "Of course. Her shares and her family's connections are the key to me becoming a partner. Saving her ensures she'll be dead-set on me for the rest of her life. As for you, baby, I'll buy you the biggest yacht on the shore."

I slammed the laptop shut, my body shaking uncontrollably.

Not out of sorrow, but out of sheer, unadulterated rage and disgust.

So that was it.

There was no true love revealed in the face of death, and no prodigal husband turning over a new leaf.

That life-or-death trial was nothing more than a calculated, high-yield investment! He used my life to buy my absolute trust and secure the capital he needed to skyrocket at the investment bank—while secretly using my money and status to subsidize his mistress.

And now, Valerie was going to marry Desmond.

Desmond, the sole heir to an old-money real estate empire, holding the keys to top-tier projects that countless designers dreamed of. He was low-key, grounded, and famously clean-living, yet somehow Valerie had bewitched him into proposing.

I pulled the screen back open to glance at the final document. It was an invitation from Desmond to high society for their engagement gala. The time was tomorrow night. The venue was a private estate in Long Island.

At 3:00 AM, the sound of the fingerprint lock echoed from the villa's front door.

Carter was back.

He took off his suit jacket, carrying the faint scent of tobacco mixed with a sharp, unfamiliar perfume that wasn't mine.

He walked to the study door and clearly jumped when he saw me sitting in the dark.

"Nora? Why are you still up? Why aren't you in bed?" A trace of guilt bled into his voice, though he tried to mask it with gentleness.

"Did Valerie calm down?" I sat in the shadows, my voice cold as ice.

Carter sighed, walked over, and crouched down beside me, taking my hand. "She did. It took a lot of convincing to stop her. Nora, I'm so sorry I ruined our anniversary tonight. But I promise you, this was the absolute last time. She's getting engaged to Desmond tomorrow. She'll have her own life from now on, and we are completely done."

"Is that right?" I looked down at his deeply affectionate face, my stomach churning. Forcing down the urge to snatch my hand away, I asked, "Will she really let you go?"

"Of course. Desmond can give her everything she wants," Carter said confidently, even pressing a kiss to the back of my hand. "I'll spend all day with you tomorrow. We can go wherever you want. We'll celebrate all over again."

"No need." I stood up, looking down at him. "Tomorrow night, I'm going to Desmond's engagement party."

Carter's face changed instantly. "Why would you go there? That kind of event... Don't you hate socializing?"

"Desmond holds design projects I want. I need to network." I stared at him, my expression blank. "What's wrong? Afraid I might do something to your Valerie at the party?"

"Not at all!" Carter let out a dry laugh, though his eyes darted away shiftily. "I was just worried it would be awkward for you. Since you want to go, I'll go with you."

"Great." I curled the corners of my lips into a completely humorless smile.

Go ahead, Carter. Go watch your mistress marry someone else. Go enjoy this flawless, perfect life you think you've woven so seamlessly.

Because tomorrow night, I am going to drag both you and that bitch straight to hell myself.