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Three years after she remarried Rhys Romano, Camille Blake attended a low-key alumni fundraiser and overheard a secret she was never meant to hear. Isla Sutton, her words slurring slightly from champagne, was holding court during a game of truth or dare. Someone had asked her for the most thrilling thing she’d ever done. She swirled the bubbles in her glass, a smirk playing on her lips. “Sleeping with Rhys Romano behind his wife’s back, obviously.” “The best part is, his wife actually thinks we’re over.” “I gave him a son. I live in a condo he owns, I drive his Porsche, and I use his Centurion card. Even his household staff answers to me.” When she finished, the room fell silent. Every eye in the place turned to Camille, waiting for the explosion. Because she was Rhys’s wife. ... But Camille didn’t cry. She didn’t make a scene. When a waiter passed by to refill her glass, she simply murmured, “Thank you.” After the party, the changes in her were subtle at first, but soon, people started to notice. First, her Instagram. Every post featuring Rhys vanished. When Rhys came home late, the living room lamp she always left on for him was dark. A short time later, Camille canceled her IVF appointments at the fertility clinic. Five years ago, she and Rhys had been in a horrific car accident. When the impact came, she had thrown herself over him without thinking. Rhys walked away with minor injuries. Camille, however, was in a coma for three days. The doctors later told her that her chances of conceiving naturally were almost zero. For the heir the Romano family craved,and for the family she had once desperately wanted,she had pushed herself for years. She went to the clinic every month and endured countless injections. She held on to endless, heart-breaking hope that one day, she might have their child. After the party, she stopped managing the Romano family’s social calendar. She stopped attending S......

Three years after she remarried Rhys Romano, Camille Blake attended a low-key alumni fundraiser and overheard a secret she was never meant to hear. Isla Sutton, her words slurring slightly from champagne, was holding court during a game of truth or dare. Someone had asked her for the most thrilling thing she’d ever done. She swirled the bubbles in her glass, a smirk playing on her lips. “Sleeping with Rhys Romano behind his wife’s back, obviously.” “The best part is, his wife actually thinks we’re over.” “I gave him a son. I live in a condo he owns, I drive his Porsche, and I use his Centurion card. Even his household staff answers to me.” When she finished, the room fell silent. Every eye in the place turned to Camille, waiting for the explosion. Because she was Rhys’s wife. ... But Camille didn’t cry. She didn’t make a scene. When a waiter passed by to refill her glass, she simply murmured, “Thank you.” After the party, the changes in her were subtle at first, but soon, people started to notice. First, her Instagram. Every post featuring Rhys vanished. When Rhys came home late, the living room lamp she always left on for him was dark. A short time later, Camille canceled her IVF appointments at the fertility clinic. Five years ago, she and Rhys had been in a horrific car accident. When the impact came, she had thrown herself over him without thinking. Rhys walked away with minor injuries. Camille, however, was in a coma for three days. The doctors later told her that her chances of conceiving naturally were almost zero. For the heir the Romano family craved,and for the family she had once desperately wanted,she had pushed herself for years. She went to the clinic every month and endured countless injections. She held on to endless, heart-breaking hope that one day, she might have their child. After the party, she stopped managing the Romano family’s social calendar. She stopped attending S......

Before that flight to Maui was confirmed, I'd mentioned countless times how I wanted to go on vacation with him. It wasn't until right before our sixth wedding anniversary that William finally booked two first-class tickets to Maui. I packed my bags with excitement, arranged everything, only to get a notification from the airline on the morning of our departure: the tickets had been canceled. I couldn't reach him on the phone, not even as the boarding gate closed. A few hours later, a video of William and his young ""VIP client"" holding hands on Waikiki Beach went viral on TikTok. I stood outside the terminal at Chicago O'Hare, in the sub-zero wind, and typed out the terms of our divorce agreement into my phone's notes with frozen fingers. The wind was brutal, but my heart was so completely frozen I couldn't feel a thing. … He reposted the viral video to his Instagram Story with a short statement: [Taking a much-needed break with a client who's been through a lot. Appreciate the privacy. 🙏] In the video, he smiled as he took a napkin from Vanessa, wiping away an açaí stain from the corner of her mouth with a look of doting affection I hadn't seen in years. I used to think that look was reserved only for me. In six years of marriage, I begged William countless times, but he always said the firm was too busy, that he had no time for me. Yet in the first year Vanessa was his client, he took her. That night, a polar vortex hit Chicago. A blizzard raged, and all flights were grounded. In the video, Hawaii was bright and sunny, the Pacific Ocean a stunning shade of blue. And I was trapped, stranded and alone in a paralyzed airport. I stood in the waiting area outside the terminal for a long time. My phone finally rang. It was William. His voice was casual, the sound of waves crashing in the background. ""The housekeeper said you're not home. Where'd you go so late?"" He paused, then added, ""I told you I'd be tied up this week. Don't go making this difficult."" Tied up? I watched the video of him and Vanessa on the beach, a chill running through my body. ""How are things over there? There's a blizzard in Chicago. Where are you?"" I said nothing. My silence must have annoyed him, because his voice turned impatient. ""What, you're just going to give me the silent treatment now?"" ""I'm at the airport."" Hearing those words, he paused, as if he finally remembered that today was the day we were supposed to fly to Maui together. ""Don't move. I'll have my driver come get you."" I didn't believe him, but my phone was about to die. The cold wind from Lake Michigan cut through my coat like a knife. I sat miserably on a bench by the curb, staring blankly at the falling snow. My phone battery only lasted two hours. William never messaged back before the screen went black. The last thing I saw was Vanessa's new Instagram post: ""While some people are stuck in the cold, I'm grateful for those who choose warmth. 🌺☀️ #Blessed #MentalHealthMatters"" The picture was a silhouette of him and her against a sunset. I laughed, suddenly feeling a sense of release I'd never felt before. Fine. I was stranded at the airport in a blizzard while he was with Vanessa, enjoying the tropical sun. I waited in the freezing wind all night, and he never contacted me again. I had spent six years of my marriage waiting for him to have a change of heart, even just once. But no one can wait for a lost ship at an airport. Enough time had passed. I was done waiting. 2:2 I eventually passed out from hypothermia in the blizzard and was taken to the emergency room. After getting an IV drip and a shot for my fever, I forced myself to go to the law firm. I heard William had already come back while I was unreachable. He'd caught the earliest flight back as soon as the blizzard let up. The moment I sat down in my cubicle, Benjamin, who specialized in divorce litigation, rolled his chair over. ""Samantha, you finally showed up. The big boss has been looking for you everywhere the past few days. He was furious."" I gave a faint smile. He was just scared I'd actually freeze to death in the blizzard, which would be hard to explain to the police and the media. After six years of marriage, we knew each other too well. If he cared about me even a little, he wouldn't have paraded Vanessa in front of me so openly, even bringing her to the firm to spite me. During lunch, William cornered me in the breakroom. ""What's your problem? I've been calling you for days and you haven't picked up."" I didn't speak, just went about making my coffee. ""How long are you going to keep this up?"" William grabbed my wrist, his voice low. ""I don't want to talk about this at the office, but this behavior is very unprofessional."" Thinking of the Marriage Settlement Agreement I'd printed out this morning, I didn't argue with him like I usually would. ""Don't worry, it won't happen again."" Because there wouldn't be a next time. Once we were divorced, we'd have nothing to do with each other. William paused, clearly not used to my compliance, and his tone softened slightly. ""Let's get steak tonight."" I didn't answer. He paused again, then said, ""I just passed by your desk and saw you organizing files for a divorce case."" ""Samantha, you're a criminal defense attorney. When did you start taking family court cases?"" I smiled. ""I haven't asked you where you've been the last few days, so don't ask me about my caseload."" He studied me for a moment, then lowered his voice. ""If you're taking side work, at least be discreet about it. Don't let the other partners see."" He thought the divorce agreement was a side job I'd taken for extra cash. I just smiled and didn't explain. After work, I received an OpenTable reservation confirmation from William. Anyone could see it was his way of compensating me. But it was too late. I put the printed agreement in my briefcase and got ready to meet him. Walking out of the office building, I saw Vanessa right away. She was wearing a Reformation wrap coat, clearly waiting for someone too. William's black Lincoln sedan glided past me and pulled up right beside her. Right in front of my eyes, Vanessa got into the car. She got the man she was waiting for. And I was, once again, the one left behind. But it didn't matter. I wouldn't be waiting anymore. I watched the taillights disappear into traffic. A moment later, a text from William came through. He was just telling me to wait for him in the lobby, that he had a last-minute meeting. I turned off my phone and hailed my own Uber to the restaurant. ""No, I'm not waiting for anyone. It's just me,"" I told the host. When I ordered, I specifically chose the spicy Cajun-style seafood. In the past, I'd always order something bland here, worried about affecting his performance the next day. This time, I didn't care about him. He wasn't coming anyway. Sure enough, when I left the restaurant at ten o'clock, there was still no word from William. Six years. In the list of his life's priorities, I was always last. 3:3 When I got back to our apartment on the Gold Coast, the living room light was on. William was sitting on the sofa. For six years, William had a lot of work events, and it was always me sitting in the living room, waiting for him with that single floor lamp on. When we first got married, he used to feel guilty that I waited up for him. Back then, I could still see a glimmer of tenderness in his eyes. It's a shame that tenderness only lasted for a year. And I held on to that faint memory for five more years. Later, William started to complain about me waiting up, accusing me of trying to meddle in his social life. He called me an insecure control freak. But I remembered clearly, during his years as a junior partner, he would always ask me to run interference and fend off drinks for him at important partner dinners. He used to call me his best teammate. I shook my head, pulling myself out of the memory. William's gaze was as cold as the ice on Lake Michigan. ""Samantha, you were almost out all night again."" I just grunted in response, taking off my heels. William narrowed his eyes, surprised by my cold reaction. ""Do you have any idea what day it is?"" I paused for a second. It was our sixth wedding anniversary. If things had gone as planned, we would be at the Waldorf Astoria in Maui right now. I had already contacted a friend there to book the best ocean-view restaurant. I thought we would have an unforgettable night. But he chose to take Vanessa instead. All my preparations had become a joke. ""I didn't prepare anything,"" I said softly. After all, we were about to sign divorce papers. Playing the part of a loving couple felt ridiculous. A flash of annoyance crossed William's face. He casually handed me a blue velvet box. ""Saw this on my way home. Just take a look."" I wasn't surprised. After standing me up so many times, according to his elite logic, he had to compensate with material things to balance the scales. That was William. He understood social norms, knew what was right and wrong. But for Vanessa, he would still choose the path that invited moral judgment. Maybe this was his way of expressing ""true love."" I took the gift box and tossed it onto the console table by the door. ""Thanks, I guess."" My polite response made his eyes flicker. He seemed completely unable to understand my detachment. ""I didn't make it tonight because something urgent came up with Vanessa..."" I cut him off. ""I don't need an explanation."" I genuinely didn't care, but William got annoyed and stood up. ""Are you ever going to let it go? Always making everything about you. Vanessa's case is being handled by our firm, and her father is a VIP client. I can't just ignore her, can I?"" I looked down, rummaging through my bag for the divorce agreement, and kept talking. ""Taking on a case that leads to a Hawaiian vacation and becoming TikTok's model couple. Attorney William's client care is truly dedicated."" William's brow furrowed, his face instantly darkening. It was an undeniable fact, so he could only stare at me with that usual, condescending look. He wanted me to back down and admit I was wrong. In the past, all he had to do was stay silent, and I would immediately start wondering if I had done something wrong, if I wasn't being considerate enough. I never questioned William's judgment. Deep down, I always thought it was because I wasn't good enough. But now, I just quietly kept searching for the agreement. There was no doubt William was a legal elite, but he didn't represent the truth. Stripped of that halo, he was just a vulgar and selfish man. It was my love that had gilded him, that had placed him on a pedestal. Now, the halo was shattered. I couldn't find the agreement. I probably left it at the restaurant. What a shame. ""You looking for something?"" William shifted, leaning closer to me. I pushed him away without another word. That night, I took a pillow and moved into the guest room. And for the first time in a long time, despite my chronic insomnia, I slept soundly."