Evelyn sat rigidly in the back of the black town car.

The vehicle merged onto the congested FDR Drive. She stared blankly at the murky, gray waters of the East River. Her pulse raced, a frantic thudding in her ears that drowned out the hum of the engine.

She unlocked her phone and pulled up Gigi's Instagram post again. She scrolled down to read the comment section.

Several mutual socialite friends were congratulating Gigi. Three of them subtly tagged Chadwick's inactive handle with champagne emojis.

Evelyn felt a tight, suffocating knot forming in the center of her chest.

She quickly opened her contacts and dialed Chadwick's private cell phone number. She pressed the phone hard against her ear.

It rang four agonizing times. The line finally clicked open.

"What?" Chadwick answered. His voice was hushed, clipped, and dripping with thinly veiled impatience.

"Are you free for a quick lunch?" Evelyn forced a light, breezy tone. "I have something incredibly important to discuss."

"I'm trapped in a critical quarterly board meeting," Chadwick lied immediately. "Don't bother me at the office."

He hung up abruptly. The dial tone buzzed in Evelyn's ear.

She slowly lowered the phone. A deep, hollow sense of rejection settled in the pit of her stomach.

Driven by a masochistic urge, she opened Instagram one more time. She refreshed Gigi's profile.

Gigi had just uploaded a brand new temporary story. It featured a steaming matcha latte resting on a sleek glass desk.

Evelyn's eyes narrowed. She zoomed in on the background of the photo, just beyond the steaming latte. She clearly recognized the distinctive silver cigar box engraved with the Christensen family crest resting on the corner of the desk. Right next to it was the custom marble pen stand she had personally sourced and bought for Chadwick for their anniversary.

A freezing realization hit her entire body. The hairs on her arms stood up. Chadwick was absolutely not in a board meeting.

He was sitting right across from Gigi at this very second.

The town car smoothly pulled up to the towering glass facade of the Christensen Group headquarters.

Evelyn shoved her phone deep into her bag. Her hands shook with a violent mix of anger and grief.

She pushed the car door open herself. She ignored Mitch's startled attempt to assist her.

She marched through the massive revolving glass doors into the bustling corporate lobby. Her heels clicked sharply against the marble floor.

The head of security immediately recognized the CEO's wife. He hastily stepped aside, clearing her path without a word.

Evelyn swiped her biometric VIP card at the restricted private elevator bank.

The heavy steel doors closed. She was isolated in the polished mirrored box. She stared at her own pale reflection.

She watched the digital floor numbers climb rapidly toward the executive penthouse level.

The elevator chimes softly. The doors slid open with a quiet hiss.

Evelyn stepped out onto the plush, sound-absorbing carpet of the executive floor.

She instantly heard a woman's soft, familiar, flirtatious laughter echoing down the otherwise silent hallway.

Evelyn walked stiffly down the carpeted hallway.

Her eyes locked on the heavy mahogany double doors at the far end. The laughter grew louder.

Chadwick's executive assistant, Landon Pierce, spotted her from his desk. His face went completely pale.

Landon leaped up, knocking his pen off the desk.

"Mrs. Christensen, wait-" Landon stammered, stepping out to physically block her path.

Evelyn shot Landon a glare so icy it froze the young assistant in his tracks. He swallowed hard and lowered his arms.

She bypassed him effortlessly. She reached out, gripped the brass handle, and pushed the heavy mahogany door wide open without knocking.

The scene inside the sprawling office hit Evelyn like a physical blow to the stomach.

Chadwick was kneeling on the imported Persian rug right next to the custom Italian leather sofa.

Gigi was perched on the edge of the sofa. She looked fragile, her knees pressed together, holding a matcha latte in both hands.

Chadwick was gently, almost obsessively, applying an ice pack to a microscopic scratch on Gigi's ankle.

Gigi looked up. She saw Evelyn. A calculated, triumphant smirk flashed across her face for a fraction of a second before vanishing.

Evelyn's feet remained glued to the floor. Her hand still gripped the brass door handle. Her knuckles were white.

Chadwick finally registered the draft from the open door. He snapped his head up. His expression instantly darkened into a scowl.

He stood up, dropping the ice pack onto the glass coffee table with a loud thud.

"Why do you lack the basic manners to knock?" Chadwick demanded harshly, glaring at Evelyn.

Evelyn's throat tightened painfully. She gestured to the room with a trembling hand.

"Is this the critical board meeting?" she asked.

Chadwick didn't flinch. He smoothly adjusted his silk tie.

"Gigi had a severe PTSD panic attack in the lobby," he stated flatly.

Gigi immediately shrank back into the cushions of the sofa. She pulled her knees up, playing the role of the terrified, traumatized victim perfectly. She let out a soft, pathetic whimper.

Chadwick stepped between Evelyn and Gigi. He physically shielded his ex-girlfriend from his own wife.

Evelyn looked at Chadwick's defensive posture. She felt completely, utterly marginalized in her own marriage.

She realized the tender, patient man who had been kneeling on the floor was a stranger she had never met.

A wave of extreme physical nausea hit Evelyn. The pregnancy hormones and the raw heartbreak collided in her gut. The room spun.

Her grip weakened. Her heavy Birkin bag slipped from her fingers. It crashed onto the hardwood floor, spilling her lipstick and keys.

The loud noise made Gigi jump.

Chadwick instantly snapped at Evelyn. "Stop being hysterical."

He pointed toward the door. "Go home. Stop embarrassing yourself in my place of business."

Evelyn stared into his dead, furious eyes. Her idealized love for him fractured into a million unrecoverable pieces.

She didn't argue. She didn't scream.

She slowly bent down and picked up her bag. She shoved the items back inside.

She turned her back on her husband and the woman he was protecting.

Evelyn walked out of the office. Her spine was rigid. She refused to let them see her cry.

The heavy mahogany door clicked shut behind her, sealing Chadwick and Gigi inside.

Evelyn stood in the empty elevator lobby. The nausea rose so violently she had to cover her mouth with both hands.