Chapter 4

Over the weeks that followed, Julian’s schedule was indeed packed with business events alongside Hailey. Yet neither of them made any overtly improper public moves.

Still, a quiet unease lingered in my gut.

I tried to convince myself that since Julian had been honest with me, I owed him my trust as his wife.

One afternoon, I sat in the living room with Eleanor, watching television. The channel happened to cut to a live celebrity talk show featuring Hailey.

On screen, she was radiant, bubbly, and charismatic—undeniably captivating.

"Now, Hailey," the host teased, "we hear you’ve brought a very special guest with you today. Care to drop a few hints for the audience?"

"Haha, you'll never guess! It's tricky," Hailey replied, winking playfully at the camera before tilting her head in faux contemplation. "He’s exactly my type. A brilliant rising star in the corporate world... and, well, technically my boss."

Her bold flirtation drew gasps and cheers from the studio audience.

Seeing the hype hit its peak, the host announced with a flourish:

"Please give a warm welcome to Hailey’s special guest!"

Julian walked onto the stage in a tailored charcoal suit. Cold, aloof, and impossibly handsome, he carried an air of untouchable elegance.

Hailey immediately bounded over, wrapping her arm around his bicep as she interacted with the crowd.

The camera zoomed in on Julian. On screen, his lips curved into a helpless, fond smile, his eyes filled with an indulgent warmth as he looked down at her.

Crash—

That was the man who had told me he was out of town on a business trip.

That was a Julian I had never seen before. A man who had never looked at me like that in four years of marriage.

The porcelain bowl slipped from my fingers, shattering against the hardwood floor. Hot chicken soup splattered everywhere.

Yet no matter how hot the broth was, it couldn't thaw the bone-deep chill spreading through my veins.

Eleanor jumped up, carefully pulling me away from the broken shards.

"Elena, stay right here! I'm calling that foolish boy right now! That woman is venom. When he gets back, his father and I will tear him apart!"

I forced a smile, though my face felt entirely frozen.

"It's fine, Mom. He’s busy. Let’s not disturb him."

Eleanor refused to let it drop. She called Julian directly, demanding he leave the live broadcast and come home immediately.

An hour later, Julian walked into the living room. Seeing the three of us seated like an interrogation tribunal, he tossed his coat onto the sofa, looking exhausted.

"It was just PR. Can you all stop making a scene?"

His words were meant for his parents, but his eyes were fixed entirely on me.

I had been holding out hope for an explanation. Instead, he called my pain 'a scene.'

An invisible hand squeezed my lungs shut. I couldn't breathe. Tears spilled silently down my cheeks.

I had given him all the trust a wife could give. And he had forged that trust into a blade, driving it straight into my heart.