Valeria's POV
The pan sizzled as I flipped the chicken, my hand shaking from exhaustion. Sweat dripped down my forehead even though the apartment was cold. I had been cooking for an hour after working two shifts at the coffee shop.
"Just a little longer," I whispered to myself. "He'll be home soon."
My phone buzzed. Kane's message made my stomach drop.
Working late again. Don't wait up.
I stared at the screen. This was the third time this week. The dinner I prepared would get cold. Again.
My throat felt tight, but I pushed the feeling away. Kane was building his business. He needed support, not complaints. That's what wives do. They understand.
I turned off the stove and covered the food. Maybe he would eat it when he got home. Maybe.
The door suddenly slammed open.
I jumped, nearly dropping the plate in my hands. Kane stormed inside, his face red and twisted with anger. His tie hung loose around his neck. His eyes looked wild.
"Kane? What happened?" I rushed toward him.
He threw his briefcase across the room. It hit the wall with a loud bang.
"What happened?" he shouted. "Everything is falling apart! That's what happened!"
My heart pounded. I had never seen him this upset. "Tell me. Maybe I can help—"
"Help?" He laughed, but it sounded cruel. "You? How could you possibly help?"
The words hit me like a slap. I stepped back, my hands trembling.
"I just meant... I could listen. Or maybe—"
"Listen? I need money, Valeria! Real solutions! Not your useless listening!" He paced back and forth like a caged animal. "The investors pulled out. Elias said we're finished unless we find new funding by Friday."
"Friday? That's only three days away." I tried to think. "What about the bank? Or—"
"The bank rejected us!" He grabbed a glass from the counter and threw it. It shattered against the floor.
I flinched but didn't move. Tiny pieces of glass sparkled near my feet.
"I'm sorry," I said softly. "I wish I could do more."
Kane stopped pacing. He looked at me with eyes that seemed to see right through me. "You're always sorry. Always wishing. But you never actually do anything useful, do you?"
My chest hurt. I wanted to tell him everything. Tell him about my family. Tell him I could solve all his problems with one phone call. But I had promised myself I wouldn't. Kane needed to love me for me, not for my family's money.
"I work hard," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "I try to support you—"
"Support me?" He moved closer. Too close. "You work at a coffee shop, Valeria. You make barely enough to pay for groceries. That's not support. That's nothing."
Tears burned my eyes, but I blinked them away. "I can pick up more shifts. I can—"
"More shifts at a coffee shop won't save my company!" He ran his hands through his hair. "I need someone who can actually help me. Someone with connections. Resources. Not someone who just cooks dinner and waits at home like some helpless child."
Each word felt like a knife twisting in my heart. I thought about my brother Lucien. My mother Marina. They had begged me not to hide who I was. They said Kane should know the truth.
But I wanted him to choose me. The real me. Not my last name.
"Kane, please calm down." I reached for his hand.
He pulled away like my touch burned him. "Don't tell me to calm down. You don't understand pressure. You've never understood anything about the real world."
A phone rang. Kane's phone.
He answered it immediately. "Elias? Yeah, I'm here." His voice changed, became softer. "No, I'm leaving now. I'll meet you there."
"Meet him where?" I asked. "It's almost midnight."
Kane grabbed his briefcase from where it had fallen. "Elias found a potential investor. I need to go."
"Now? Can't it wait until morning?"
He looked at me with something cold in his eyes. Something I had never seen before. "This is important, Valeria. More important than sitting here with you."
The words hung in the air between us.
"I made dinner," I said quietly. "Your favorite."
"I'm not hungry." He headed toward the door.
"Kane, wait—"
He paused, his hand on the doorknob. For a second, I thought he might turn around. Might say he was sorry. Might remember the man he used to be.
"Don't wait up," he said without looking back.
The door closed behind him.
I stood alone in our tiny apartment, surrounded by broken glass and cold dinner. My legs felt weak. I sank to the floor, careful to avoid the sharp pieces scattered everywhere.
My phone buzzed again. A message from Sienna, my best friend.
Val, please tell me you're okay. I have a bad feeling. Call me.
I stared at the message. My fingers hovered over the screen.
Another buzz. But this time, it wasn't my phone.
It was Kane's tablet. He had left it on the couch in his rush to leave.
The screen glowed with a new message notification. I shouldn't look. I knew I shouldn't.
But something made me walk over. Made me pick it up.
The message was from someone named Sarah.
Can't wait to see you tonight. Elias will keep her busy with his call. We'll finally have time alone. Wear the cologne I like.
My hands went numb.
The tablet slipped from my fingers and landed on the couch.
My whole world tilted sideways.
Time alone? Wear the cologne she likes?
I grabbed my coat with shaking hands. My car keys. My phone.
I knew exactly where Kane's office was. Where he met with Elias and "investors."
I had been the perfect wife. Patient. Understanding. Supportive.
But perfect wives don't let themselves be fools.
The drive across town felt like it took both seconds and hours. My mind raced with a thousand thoughts. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe the message meant something else.
But deep down, I knew.
I parked across the street from Kane's office building. The lights were on in his window. Third floor.
I walked through the lobby. The security guard knew me and waved me through.
My heels clicked on the marble floor. Each step felt heavier than the last.
The elevator ride up felt endless.
When the doors opened, I heard laughter. A woman's laugh. Coming from Kane's office.
I walked down the hallway. My heart hammered so hard I thought it might break through my chest.
The office door was slightly open.
I pushed it wider.
And saw them.
Kane and a beautiful woman with long dark hair. She sat on his desk. His hands were on her waist. Their faces were so close.
They hadn't heard me come in.
"Sarah," Kane murmured. "We should be careful—"
"Why?" she purred. "Your little wife is at home where she belongs. She'll never know."
Time stopped.
Kane looked up.
Our eyes met.
And in that moment, everything I had believed in shattered into a million pieces.