ten to me talk about the Henderson project for hours, nodding along, telling me how proud he was. We were that power couple again, and our life

That wind came in the form of a phone call on a Tuesday night. I was in the ki

ght with panic. "A huge security breach.

r. I did what I always did. I took over completely. I handled Ethan, the house, the meals, and I became his sounding board, his unpaid consultant, listening to h

ver. Mark walked in, looking exhaus

tty, in a soft, unassuming way, with wide, i

She's the one who saved us. A freelance security specialist. A genius. She figure

t's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you fo

ay of looking at Mark, a quick, intimate glance, that sent a small, unsettling fli

ke a mythic tale. Sarah just smiled demurely, occasionally adding a small detail that made her sound even more brilliant and humble. I found myself watchi

than that... I was thinking, with the Henderson project being so demanding, and everything being so stressful... maybe Sarah could stay with us fo

. "In our h

d quickly. "She's practically

of the man I had sacrificed my career for. How

d slowly. "Fo

leaving my career. The second was lettin

. She started making Mark's coffee in the morning, just the way he liked it, something that had always been my little ritual. She'd talk to him about wo

up on a call for the Henderson project. When I got off the phone, the house

want to disturb you! Took Ethan

ble, helpful thing to do. But it felt like a violation. She wa

fice, finalizing a crucial part of the Henderson desi

talk," Mark said,

d, a sense of dread

he has some incredible ideas. Structural integrations with smart technology, secur

"That's great. I can look a

r your plans. And she... she built on them. Made them better.

heard him right. "What? Mark, this

s bigger than that. This is about making the absolute best building possible. Sarah' s

t to step on your toes. But when Mark showed me the plans, the ideas just started fl

ur tech" was

you're barely around. Ethan needs a stable presence. Sarah has been wonderful with him. I think it wou

ut from under me. I looked at Mark, the man I loved, the man I had given everything to, and I saw a strange

t out of bed and went to Mark's study. His laptop was open. I wasn't a hacker,

es, anything. Then I went to his social media, an old account he rarel

ere sh

m wrapped around a girl with the same wide, brown eye

met. She was his high school sweetheart. The one he'd told me abo

nion. A carefully orchestrated, completely fabricated reunion. My