Chapter 1

“My mom’s blood pressure is acting up. I’m taking her to Miami for a week to relax. Signal might be bad there, so just WhatsApp me if anything comes up.”

My husband, Robert, didn't even look back as he stuffed some shirts into his suitcase.

I was crouching on the floor, searching for his razor. I nodded.

"Got it. Did you pack everything Catherine needs?"

"Yeah, all set," he replied quickly.

I handed him the razor. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the bottom of his suitcase.

It wasn’t Catherine’s blood pressure medication—I had bought that two days ago and left it on the living room table.

It was a box of prenatal vitamins.

My mind went completely blank.

I wasn't pregnant.

We had been trying to conceive for two years. Every time it failed, Robert would comfort me, telling me not to rush and just let nature take its course.

So, who was that box of prenatal vitamins for?

"Where's Alice?" he asked, zipping up his suitcase.

"In her room, playing with Legos," I said, standing up.

He walked over, kissed our daughter Alice on the forehead, grabbed his suitcase, and walked to the door to change his shoes.

"Robert," I called out.

"Yeah?"

"Safe travels. Take good care of your mom."

I stepped forward, gently straightening his collar with a warm, gentle smile.

"I will. Stop worrying," he smiled, opened the door, and left.

The moment the door clicked shut, my smile vanished.

I grabbed my phone and opened my smart home security app.

Last night, I had whispered to our smart camera, "Robert, I love you."

The camera had caught the keyword "Robert" and automatically triggered a ten-minute cloud recording.

I had stumbled upon this hidden feature a few days ago while playing around with Alice.

Last night, thinking I was fast asleep, Robert had made a call in the living room.

I tapped on the video.

On the screen, Robert spoke in a low voice, his tone filled with a tender affection I had never heard before.

"Babe, I'm flying out tomorrow. The yacht party is all set... Her?"

"I told her I was taking my mom to a retreat. She bought it. She’s idiotically gullible... Don't worry."

"Once the company goes public and stabilizes in a couple of years, I’ll divorce her. Then, you and the baby can take your rightful place... What?"

"Of course it's a boy. I had someone check. It's definitely a son..."

The woman on the other end of the screen was Juliet.

She was his business partner's daughter, twenty-two, fresh out of college.

At last month's company gala, she had sauntered over to Robert with a champagne flute in hand.

Robert had introduced us: "This is my wife, Angela."

Juliet had looked me up and down, her eyes practically overflowing with contempt and provocation. She had smiled and said, "Angela is so lucky. Robert is a business genius."

Looking back, that wasn't a provocation. It was a declaration of war.

I closed the video, downloaded the footage, and forwarded it to my private email.

Once that was done, I walked into Alice's room.

"Alice, do you want to see Grandma and Grandpa?"

"Yes!" Alice's eyes lit up.

"Okay, Mommy's taking you there right now."

I didn't cry. I didn't even feel a speck of rage.

Robert, you probably think I’ll cry, scream, and call you up to interrogate you like a crazy woman, ruining your peace.

You're dead wrong.

The storm you've brought upon me—I will return it to you ten times worse.

I'm not the one who's going to exit this stage.

You are.