When Love Becomes A Deadly Scheme

to our "perfect love" for the world to see. That same day,

ior analyst, Bridgette; they were using my secret tra

er their first attempt on my life landed me in the hospita

e while whispering to her tha

a fool, too wea

ly what they wanted.

aim my fortune at his family's grand gala, I

pte

a Bak

table. It was our fifth anniversary, a day that should have been fil

delity, of a life I thought was

sales had slipped a diamond onto my finger, whispering about forever. Now,

ion, signing away my marriage, my dreams, my very identity as Jacoby' s wife. T

ty, just as Jacoby's side of our bed had been for too

emor that threatened to seize my soul. "Please e

of professional calm, though her eyes held a

ready moving past the wreckage of my marriage to the architect

tte Cole, his junior analyst? Yes, they'

urve. "No, Callie. Absolutely not. Make sure they have

ou sure, Eliana? That charity gala is a very public

darkening sky. It was a view Jacoby and I had once shared, toasted to, dreamed under. Now, it wa

arried the weight of steel. "It' s my birthday too. Make s

, if I may... your family. They're still expecting

d on a prenuptial agreement that would leave an unfaithful spouse with nothing. Jacoby, blinde

up, the emptiness in the room mirroring the emptiness in my heart. "A

the city. I felt a cold dread settle in my stomach as I he

iana. Every day is a blessing. Grateful for our journey,

n, showering him with praises for being such a devoted

s my rock, my everything. Could

e was performing, painting a perfect facade for the world

were like a physical blow, a fresh wound on top of old ones. I s

I had found a voice message on our home phone. Not from a client, not fr

st night. Bridgette will be so jealou

unior analyst, the ambitious young woman he'd introduc

conversation about some complex trading algorithms, a field she knew I was passionate about but rarely discussed publicly. I' d offered some vague, polite answers

n the faint lipstick stain on his collar, the rumpled shirt, the forced cheerfulness in his eye

He'd just muttered something about a late meeting

ge. He denied it, of course, his eyes wide and innocent. "Elia

cket for an expensive dinner for two at a restaurant he knew I loved, a restaurant we always went to for our special occ

f Jacoby, laughing, his arm around Bridgette Cole, their faces inches apart, at

hard lump of ice. The pain was still there, but it was a distant, nu

Bridgette at a high-profile industry event. She was glowing, her hand resting possessively on his

usive. "What a power couple!

tiness. The contrast between his public persona and his private betrayal was a chasm I could no longer br

I always played the lon