"What do you think we are, then? Partners in crime?" Rhett said with a crooked smile.

Silence settled over Melanie.

Spending the entire day with Lacey eased something inside her, and by the time evening came, she felt lighter than she had in weeks.

The moment she stepped into her house, her computer let out a sharp notification sound. She kept the towel wrapped around her damp hair and clicked open a chat box on a website she barely used.

"That job you gave me? Too simple. Her computer had no protection at all. I've already emailed every photo you asked for."

Without hesitation, Melanie logged into her email and found a zipped folder waiting for her. Inside were countless photos of Gabriel and Chelsey.

Frame after frame showed them tangled together, even lying in the same bed, and the sight hit her like a punch to the chest.

They hadn't held back at all. Worse, they'd managed to keep it hidden from her this whole time.

Everything she once believed about her life with Gabriel suddenly felt fake, like a story she'd told herself just to survive.

She tried to blink away the heat building in her eyes, but her body locked up, and she sat frozen in front of the screen.

A faint smile tugged at her lips, yet a crushing weight pressed against her chest and made it hard to breathe.

When she finally steadied herself, she transferred the zipped folder onto a flash drive and reopened the chat.

"Thanks for your help. Catch you later."

After powering down the computer, she lay flat on her bed and stared into the dark, but sleep refused to come.

Early the next morning, she barely had time to set her bag down at the office before her assistant hurried over. "Melanie, they're here," her assistant said.

Keeping her attention on the script in her hands, Melanie didn't look up, and she failed to notice the worry written all over her assistant's face.

"There's been a small issue. Miss Wallace tripped and got hurt. The chief editor says the interview has to be pushed back thirty minutes," her assistant added.

Finishing the last of her coffee in one swallow, Melanie gave a quiet nod.

As soon as she stepped inside, a dry smile curved across her lips when she took in the picture before her.

Across the room, Gabriel sat close to the woman, and the worry in his eyes was impossible to miss. Meanwhile, Rhett stood on the sidelines, staring at them with narrowed eyes.

So he wasn't even trying to hide it anymore. Was he bold enough to flirt with his wife watching? Did he honestly believe she couldn't see what was happening?

Maybe he assumed she cared about him so deeply that she'd swallow her pride and accept anything he did. What a joke.

"Mel," Gabriel said the second he noticed Melanie. He quickly shifted his gaze away from Chelsey and walked toward Melanie with breakfast in his hands, a warm smile fixed on his face.

Irritation flickered across Melanie's face. "Why are you here?" she asked.

Before he could speak, Rhett cut in with a playful tone, "He's here to say sorry, obviously. At sunrise, he dragged me to the east side to line up for bagels, and then he rushed to the west side to grab that sandwich you used to love back in school. At least take a bite."

With that, he pushed the breakfast toward her, still smiling.

Instead of reaching for it, Melanie looked down at the food and then lifted her eyes toward Chelsey, who sat stiffly a short distance away.

That thoughtful breakfast was nothing but a distraction. His real reason for showing up was sitting right over there.

There was a time when a gesture like this would've softened her. Now it only made her stomach turn.

"I've already eaten," she said, her voice flat and distant.

"So we woke up at sunrise and stood in line for this—and you say no? Cold, Mel. Real cold," Rhett said with a grin, even though he understood why she was upset with Gabriel.

Before Melanie could snap back at him, Gabriel spoke first. "Listen to you. Keep talking like that and you'll scare every woman away. Or are you still holding out for that married woman of yours? Planning to wait until she's free?"

Everyone was aware that for the past ten years, Rhett had carried deep feelings for a woman, and she had remained the only one in his heart. She was already married, and from everything they could see, her marriage was a happy one. Because of that, he'd never seriously dated anyone else and chose to wait in silence.

Lifting his coffee cup, Rhett took a slow sip. His eyes flickered toward Melanie for a brief second before he looked away again. "She won't be married much longer," he said calmly.

Both of them stared at him in surprise.

After all this time, he finally had his chance?

"Don't tell me you're about to step in as the third party," Gabriel said, and disappointment was clear in his voice. "That's not like you."

"Relax. I wouldn't do that. She's the one who asked for the divorce."

He left it at that, and Gabriel didn't push any further.

Before long, Gabriel's focus drifted elsewhere again.

Across the room, Chelsey was carefully tending to a small cut on her hand, her brows drawn together as if the pain was unbearable.

Watching him watch another woman made something bitter twist inside Melanie. It was only a small scratch, yet he reacted as if something serious had happened. When she'd been in a car accident and fractured bones, he hadn't even shown up for her surgery.

Later, he'd claimed an urgent company meeting had kept him away, and she'd actually believed him. She'd even told him not to overwork himself.

Thinking about it now made her want to laugh at her own stupidity.

He hadn't been busy with work at all. He'd been busy sharing a bed with someone else.

Anger and humiliation mixed inside her, and she despised herself for letting him fool her for so long.

Cold resolve settled over her face as she tore her gaze away. "I've got work to handle, so you'll have to excuse me," she said evenly.

After clipping on her microphone, she walked toward Chelsey and held out a glass of water. "Good morning, Miss Wallace."

Chelsey smiled softly, and something about her looked delicate.

"When did you start working in this field?" Melanie asked, giving the camera a flawless smile.

"I've liked makeup since college. After graduating, I worked in social media, mostly on personal branding. At first, I just wanted to share more makeup techniques with everyone."

They followed the script without any issues, but when the interview ended and Chelsey started to stand, Melanie stopped her. "Miss Wallace, I've got one last question from viewers who care about you."

No one had warned Chelsey about anything extra. She froze for a beat, then eased back into the chair with a strained smile.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Yes," she said, and her smile turned sweet. "He loves me deeply."

Melanie kept her expression steady, but her hand clamped down on the microphone until her fingers ached.

Gabriel loved Chelsey?

So what about his wife?

"I hope you remain this happy," Melanie said calmly, and she ended the interview.

Outside the studio, Gabriel came up to her right away.

"Honey," he called, and his eyes still went to Chelsey.

Melanie understood what he wanted. He wanted her swallowed up by work so she wouldn't interfere with his life with Chelsey.

"Other things need my attention," Melanie said coldly. "You head back first."

Without slowing down, she brushed past them and went straight to her office.

The door closed behind her, and the tension finally slipped. She pressed her fingers to her temples and rubbed until the ache eased.

A sharp knock pulled her out of her thoughts.

Rhett came in, and his eyes paused on her worn out face. "It's lunch time. You coming with me or not?"

"I'm busy," she said. "Go eat without me."

"So this is your plan?" he said, and his tone turned cutting. "Skip meals so Gabriel starts paying attention again? You're already thin enough. Do you want people to think you are sick?"

He stepped closer and studied her face like he expected her to drop any second.

She met his eyes, and he bit his lip without meaning to, because her face stayed stuck in his head.

She didn't have the energy to argue. After a slow breath, she gave in. "Fine. Let's go. We'll eat at the restaurant downstairs."

The second they sat down, Melanie's phone started ringing. Her lawyer's name showed up.

"Ms. Shaw, the divorce papers are finished, and I've sent them to your email."

Relief loosened her shoulders, and a small smile finally showed. "Thank you."

Rhett watched her closely, then reached over and took her plate. "So what is it?" he asked, cutting her steak for her. "Did you get news about the divorce?"

Melanie kept her mouth shut and didn't give him anything.

Before he could push again, his own phone buzzed with a new message from her lawyer. "I've drawn up the divorce power of attorney. As long as Gabriel signs it, the divorce can be registered without his physical presence. I heard you're friends with Ms. Shaw. So why keep it quiet that you found her a lawyer?"

Rhett typed a quick reply, his thumbs moving fast over the screen. "Keep it quiet for now. Don't let her know we're connected."

He locked his phone, and a small, satisfied smile showed on his face. "Next Wednesday, are you available? A new place opened in the east district. Let's try it."

That date was Melanie and Gabriel's wedding anniversary. With everything happening, Gabriel wasn't planning to celebrate with her.

Rhett didn't want her blindsided by it, and he didn't want to watch her get hurt all over again.

"I'm busy, so I'm not going," she said. "Stop worrying. I'll get the divorce with Gabriel wrapped up soon, and you don't need to keep checking on me like this."

She barely touched her food, then left and went straight back to the office.

Walking in, she immediately noticed Chelsey in the studio, talking with several employees as if she belonged there.

"Melanie, a lot of the team are fans of Miss Wallace," Melanie's assistant said. She glanced cautiously at Melanie, worried she might take offense. "They were hoping she'd share a few makeup tips."

Melanie nodded once and headed over.

Chelsey held a smile that looked polite on the surface but still felt like a challenge.

She stepped up without being asked. "Ms. Shaw, why don't I do your makeup for you?"

Melanie looked her over for a moment, then took a seat with a faint, amused smile. "Sure."

Chelsey went to her kit, then came back with a powder puff.

The moment the scent reached her, Melanie's brows drew together, and annoyance flashed through her eyes.

That foundation brand set off her allergies, and she had made a point of saying so earlier during Chelsey's studio demonstration.

Chelsey hadn't moved on impulse. She had thrown together a little setup.

Melanie grabbed Chelsey by the wrist. "Why'd you put that foundation on me when you know I'm allergic?"

Chelsey clearly hadn't thought she'd get caught. She put on an innocent look right away, but the sharpness in her eyes still showed.

"You're taking this the wrong way," she said. "I recommend that foundation to other people all the time, and I didn't know you couldn't use it. Even if you're leading this project, you can't just accuse me like that."

She blinked hard until her eyes filled up, like she had been wronged. "If you don't like me, then say so. Don't make things up just to ruin my name."

Melanie watched the act and almost laughed.

She took out her phone and pulled up the surveillance video. It showed Chelsey swapping out Melanie's usual foundation—replacing it with the exact bottle that caused Melanie's allergy, then putting on a heavy amount.

Melanie said, keeping her voice calm, "You should look for cameras before you try something like that."

Color left Chelsey's face as the footage played. Her fists tightened, and hate flashed in her eyes.

"I didn't see them. I swear I didn't mean it," she said, and she made her eyes look redder, like she was the one being attacked. "I'll change the foundation. You don't have to come at me like this."

"I said on the show that I'm allergic to that brand, and everyone heard it," Melanie said, and she smiled even while her eyes stayed cold. "What do you think happens if this video gets out?"

Chelsey's voice sharpened. "What do you want from me?"

"You love talking about charity work, right?" Melanie said. "So do it. Teach the whole team makeup for free. How does that sound?"

Chelsey had put in a great deal of effort to secure this partnership, and the payment they offered was extremely generous.

Giving up that kind of money was not something she was willing to accept.

If the clip ever got out, her fans would turn on her, and she might not be able to make money in the industry again.

Anger tightened her jaw, and she spoke through it. "Fine. But delete the video right now, and I want to know you don't have copies on your phone."

Melanie gave a cold smile and deleted the file in front of her.

"Try that again and I won't let it slide."

She turned and walked off, not seeing the way Chelsey's face twisted with anger the moment her back was turned.