On the night of our seventh wedding anniversary, my husband, Julian Pierce, called to me from the terrace of the charity gala.

"Darling, could you fetch a shawl for our guest?"

Before I could even rise, my best friend, Sabrina, was already gliding over with a smile.

She picked up the shawl but didn't hand it to the guest. Instead, she stepped close, intimately straightening Julian's slightly crooked tie.

Leaning into his ear, she whispered a joke that made him chuckle softly.

Only when she saw me watching them did she offer a hasty explanation.

"Oh, you know me, always messing around. It's nothing, really. Don't read into it."

I held my tongue, gliding through the rest of the evening with a placid smile plastered on my face.

Once we were in the car, I let Julian bask in the glow of the evening's success for a few moments before I spoke.

"Let's get a divorce."

The smile on Julian's face froze. He stared at me in disbelief.

"Are you insane? Just because she helped me straighten my tie?"

…

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1

"Genevieve, for seven years, I've put you on a pedestal. I've given you everything a woman could ever dream of."

"And now you want a divorce over an innocent joke? Is your heart made of stone?"

Julian rounded on me, his eyes red-rimmed, as if I had committed some unforgivable crime.

I ignored his shouting, my gaze drifting to the glittering New York City nightscape outside the car window.

"For seven years, at every single gala, you never left my side."

"But tonight, you and Sabrina were sharing private jokes no one else was in on."

Julian's breath caught. He retorted irritably, "So what? We're all friends. What's wrong with a little conversation?"

I shook my head, my voice hoarse.

"It wasn't just the private jokes. When someone proposed a toast to Sabrina, you instinctively drank in her place."

"When she was deep in conversation with someone else, you caught her eye across the room and shared a secret smile."

"Julian, love is instinct. When you love someone, you subconsciously put them first."

"That instinct—the one that made you protect another woman without a second thought—that's the real reason I want a divorce."

Julian's face darkened. He looked at me like I was deranged.

"Genevieve, are you out of your mind? You've twisted a few normal social interactions into some grand conspiracy. With a talent like that, you should join the FBI."

"Besides, she isn't just some random woman! That's Sabrina! Your childhood best friend!"

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't give her a second glance! How do you twist that into an affair? Can't you be reasonable for one second?"

He pulled up a photo on his phone and shoved it in my face.

The three of us on the slopes in Aspen, all smiles.

Julian and I were standing shoulder to shoulder. Sabrina was on his other side.

She was wearing a fire-engine-red ski suit, her gaze fixed on Julian with an undisguised, possessive hunger.

In the next photo, Sabrina and I were hugging in the snow, but she was smiling over my shoulder, her eyes on someone just out of frame.

Judging by the angle, it was Julian.

A cold, mocking smile crept onto my face.

"Look at how she looks at you. That isn't friendship. That's obsession."

"And here, while she's hugging me, she's smiling at you."

"She's wanted you for a long time. No wonder she's turned down every man who's ever asked her out."

"So what about you? When did it start?"

Julian recoiled as if I'd struck him, his face a mask of disappointment and fury.

"Genevieve, I thought you were just in a mood, making a scene over nothing. I never imagined you'd become this paranoid, twisting everything to fit your narrative!"

"I've spoiled you. That's the problem. I've made you paranoid, suspicious, and completely unreasonable!"

"I'm giving you one day to cool off. Tomorrow is the launch of my grandfather's family foundation. If you have any shred of respect for the Pierce family name, you will not cause a scene in front of my grandfather!"

He flung his suit jacket to the floor and slammed the guest room door behind him.

Alone in the vast, cold living room, I sank onto the sofa.

Julian and I had met at Columbia. I came from an illustrious family, but I'd never looked down on him, the working-class kid on a full scholarship. I supported him, championed him, and even gave him his first round of startup capital.

Julian was smart. He was brilliant at playing on my emotions, and after our marriage, he wrapped me in a world of meticulous care, ensuring I never felt even the slightest bit neglected.

But even the most flawless mask slips when things get messy.

I opened my phone. While Julian claimed he was meeting an investor, his credit card statement showed a coffee purchase made half an hour ago, just a block from Sabrina's gallery.

Without telling a soul, I changed into a nondescript outfit and drove straight to Sabrina's gallery in SoHo.

Dressed as I was, I slipped in unnoticed.

Claiming to be a friend of the owner, I made my way unopposed to "The Vault," the private VIP lounge on the second floor.

Before my hand even touched the door, I heard Julian's voice, whining from within.

"You guys can laugh? I'm being tormented by that ice queen and you think it's funny? Where's the sympathy?"

The room was full of people. Our friends. The same friends from the gala.

They were lounging, relaxed, not one of them defending me.

As their laughter echoed around the room, a chill snaked down my spine.

In the center of it all, on a plush sofa, sat Sabrina. She toyed with a champagne flute, tilting her head as she smiled up at Julian.

"And whose fault is that? You're the one who got careless. One wrong move and she noticed."

"I just reacted. Instinct. I saw your tie was crooked and I fixed it."

"I didn't think she was that sharp. I guess I was wrong."

She set down her glass and picked up a fresh one, raising it to her lips.

Just as it reached her mouth, Julian instinctively snatched the glass away.

"You're going to be a mother. You can't be so reckless. I told you, not a single drop, for the baby's sake!"

Sabrina had been the spoiled queen of our circle forever, a girl who bowed to no one. When her father forbade her from dating a rock star, she ran away from home without a backward glance.

But now, looking at Julian, her face softened into a docile, unfamiliar smile.

"Alright, alright. You're right. No more drinking."

"You're the father, after all. You call the shots."

She rested a hand on her still-flat stomach and leaned her head on Julian's shoulder.

In that instant, my blood ran cold.

An affair... and a baby? My God, they were having a baby.

"Honestly, Genevieve just doesn't get it. She's more interested in building skyscrapers than starting a family."

"Exactly. The Pierces are counting on Julian for an heir. She's just making his life difficult."

Hearing the casual mockery from our friends, I watched as Sabrina, my supposed best friend, let out a disdainful little laugh. "She's spoiled rotten," she chimed in. "She never learned to think about anyone but herself."

And my husband, Julian, squeezed Sabrina's hand, his smile drenched in affection.

"Sabrina, by bearing my child, you're not just my savior—you're the savior of the entire Pierce family!"

"From now on, our lives are bound together. We'll never be separated!"

His words were a physical blow. Tears streamed down my face, and my knees felt weak.

Years ago, I'd watched a friend's mother bleed to death in childbirth. She never even got to hold her baby.

The trauma left me terrified of pregnancy. I'd told Julian early on that it would take me a long, long time to overcome that fear. If he couldn't accept that, we should end things.

He had held me tight, whispering, "Finding you was the best thing that ever happened to me. A child doesn't matter. I will love you just as much, always."

I was so moved, believing I had found a man who loved me for me, not just for my ability to produce an heir. A love I thought was one in a million.

But seeing the adoration in his eyes as he looked at Sabrina, I knew how wrong I had been.

Someone in the lounge asked, "But you're not really going to hide this from Genevieve forever, are you?"

"There's a baby on the way. Just tell her, get a divorce, and be together."

All eyes turned to them. Julian shook his head instantly.

"No. She and Sabrina have been friends for twenty years. I can't be the reason they fall out."

"Besides, my career is completely entangled with the Lancaster family. I can't afford to burn that bridge."

"So, from the start, Sabrina and I agreed. Genevieve can never know. A divorce is out of the question."

So he knew. He knew his entire empire was built on my family's money and my connections.

The real reason he was staying with me… was the money.

A few people sighed, casting sympathetic looks at Sabrina.

"But Sabrina, you've always been so proud. Are you really okay with your child being a secret forever?"

Sabrina just laughed. She pulled Julian's face to hers and gave him a long, deep kiss.

"Marriage is just a piece of paper. I don't care."

"Besides," she added, a wicked glint in her eye, "the thought of sneaking around behind Manhattan's ice queen for the rest of our lives… it's thrilling."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing—not from the woman who had been my best friend for over twenty years.

The room was alive with laughter, but I was in my own private hell.

Overnight, my perfect life had shattered. I was a clown, betrayed by my husband and my best friend.

And the most tragic part? I was the last to know. Our so-called friends had been covering for them, watching me be played for a fool, and not one had said a word.

With tears blurring my vision, I stumbled out of the gallery and dialed the number of my family's head counsel.

"Prepare the divorce papers. I want Julian Pierce to walk away with nothing."

"And I need you to do a few other things for me…"