I’d just returned to New York early from a business trip in Europe, and a surprise was waiting for me. My husband, Liam Miller, pulled me into his arms, poured two glasses of champagne, and told me he wanted us to unwind in the hot tub on our penthouse terrace.

Just as our lips met, my gaze drifted to the living room bar. A half-empty bottle of cheap rosé sat there—a wine he knew I detested.

Ice flooded my veins. The apartment was pristine, not a single thing out of place. But where Liam was careless, I was meticulous, especially with scents. A faint, unfamiliar trace of an expensive niche perfume clung to the air in the bathroom.

In that instant, I knew. Liam had cheated on me.

————————

1

"Has someone been here?" I asked, pulling away from his kiss. My gaze was fixed on that bottle of rosé. Though a cold dread spread through my chest, my voice remained steady.

Liam followed my gaze, and the color drained from his face. He stammered, "Oh, uh, Dylan came over to crash. You were away, and I was bored out of my mind, so I invited him over for a few drinks."

The lie struck me like a physical blow, sapping all my strength. Dylan Shaw was his best friend. Only yesterday, I'd seen Dylan's posts from his vacation in California. Liam was lying through his teeth.

"Go run the bath," I said, gently pushing him back. "I'll start on dinner."

He bit his lip, panic flickering in his eyes. "Darling, you're not mad, are you?"

The nerve. He was the one with the guilty conscience, yet he was acting like I had the problem.

Seeing my expression, he added quickly, forcing a smile. "It's nothing. I know you're tired from your trip. I'll go run the water."

He leaned over and gave me a perfunctory kiss on the cheek. But as he leaned in, I caught a glimpse of a telltale bite mark on his collarbone, peeking out from the collar of his shirt.

It was all the confirmation I needed. I turned away, my hand trembling as I wiped his kiss from my face.

We had been married for five years. Everyone considered me the luckiest woman alive for marrying a man as handsome and talented as Liam. No one knew I’d deliberately put the brakes on my own career's global expansion just to soothe his ego.

He claimed the distance made him insecure, and I’d believed him. I even offered to bring him to Europe to expand the business with me. He'd refused, insisting his career in New York was just taking off and that he didn't want to feel like a kept man.

Only now did I see the truth. It wasn't his career he was afraid of leaving; it was his lover.

The sound of running water drifted from the bathroom. His phone, left on the bar, lit up. A message preview from "V.R. ️" flashed across the screen.

I was about to reach for it when the bathroom door was yanked open. Liam shot out, snatched the phone, and clumsily shoved it into his pocket, hiding it from my view.

I just stared at him, clad in nothing but a loosely tied bath towel. A bitter laugh rose in my throat. He avoided my eyes.

"It's just work," he said, his voice trembling with guilt. "Some project consultant who's always bugging me. I'm getting back in the shower. Hurry up with dinner, I'm starving."

He turned and retreated into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

I calmly picked up his laptop and used facial recognition to unlock it. The screen flared to life, and I quickly found a private cloud drive. It was filled with photos of him and the woman labeled "V.R. ️"—intimate snapshots from his so-called "business trips" that made my stomach churn.

The messages, laid bare, were a gut punch.

That was close. My wife almost found out. Liam had written.

Victoria’s reply was brazen. What’s the big deal? You said it would be more thrilling in our bed anyway.

You little devil, he’d responded. You’re turning me on again.

My blood boiled. I pressed the copy button, my fingers turning white from the force of it. But as more emails and photos downloaded, I stopped.

This wasn't enough. This alone wouldn't destroy them.

Their exchanges grew more and more graphic. I silently pulled out my own phone and began recording the screen, capturing everything. Then I opened the woman's social media profile.

It was someone I knew. Victoria Reed. She was Liam's superior, a star architect, and a frequent business partner of my own company.

I scrolled through their emails, pinpointing the day their affair began. Three months. They had been doing this for three months.

The bathroom door creaked open. I snapped the laptop shut and set it back on the bar.

Liam walked out, his face flushed, his eyes flickering with a mixture of nerves and guilt. He looked like he wanted to say something, but seemed to think better of it.

"Go get dressed," I said coolly. "Dinner will be ready soon."

He nodded and scurried toward the bedroom. As we passed each other, I allowed myself a small, cold smile.

Enjoy your last supper, Liam.

I've always been one to settle scores.

The next evening, at a major industry charity gala, I was a special guest. After Victoria finished her project presentation, I took the stage and, with surgical precision, pointed out every fatal flaw in her proposal in front of our peers and the media. I tore her "perfect" plan to shreds, leaving her humiliated.

As she stepped off the stage, head bowed, even her forced smile couldn't conceal the burning hatred in her eyes.

Back at my seat, I opened a tracking app on my phone. The previous night, while Liam was on the balcony texting Victoria, I had activated a hidden tracker in the custom Hermès keychain I’d given him.

Sure enough, his icon was on the move. He had left the gala and was driving toward the Pinnacle Grand Hotel downtown. The irony wasn't lost on me. It was the same hotel where we'd held our wedding five years ago.

My phone's wallpaper was still a photo from our wedding. Liam, in his custom suit, held my hand, his eyes brimming with tears of joy. Who could have imagined that five years later, he would be meeting another woman in the exact same place?

But I didn't rush to follow. Proof of the affair was crucial, but a simple photo of them in bed wasn't enough to ruin them.

In our circles, infidelity was merely idle gossip, often flaunted rather than hidden. But Liam had overlooked one key detail: the Pinnacle Grand Hotel was a Vance family property.

I called the hotel's general manager and instructed her to upgrade Liam's reservation to the "Celestial" Suite, free of charge. That particular suite, of course, was equipped with comprehensive hidden cameras I'd had installed for "special security drills."

The manager called back promptly. "Ms. Vance, we've informed Mr. Miller of the complimentary upgrade, citing his anniversary. He was thrilled. Didn't even blink at the mention of the wedding."

So much for his capacity for shame. He felt no guilt at all. Fine. That made things simpler. I would no longer hold back.

It was almost time. I had my assistant, Jessica, schedule my next meeting at the Pinnacle's Michelin-starred restaurant. As I was leaving my office, I caught her frantically texting someone.

The fish had taken the bait. I knew exactly who she was texting. My assistant was Victoria's mole. For months, she had been accepting expensive gifts from Victoria, which I’d known about but ignored, assuming Victoria was just trying to curry business favor.

Now it all made sense. Jessica had been their informant all along, feeding them my every move. No matter. An exposed spy is a useful tool.

I drove slowly to the hotel. Just before I entered, I spotted Liam and Victoria peeking out from behind a booth before quickly ducking out of sight.

Perfect. Pretending not to have seen them, I glided to my reserved table with its panoramic view.

It wasn't long before Liam approached my table alone, a look of feigned surprise on his face. "Juliana, what a coincidence! What are you doing here?"

"Meeting a client," I replied calmly, my eyes drifting past him to Victoria, who was attempting to slip out through a side exit. "And you, Ms. Reed," I added, my gaze locking onto hers. "I didn't expect to see you here."

A single bead of sweat trickled from her temple down her cheek.

I let out a soft laugh and shrugged. "I thought you'd be busy revising the 'Skyline' project proposal. It seems your company isn't in much of a hurry."

Victoria approached with her head bowed, but I still caught the flicker of resentment in her eyes. "Mr. Miller, Ms. Vance," she mumbled. "I had an impromptu meeting here. I was just about to head back to revise the proposal, as you asked."

Sensing her unease, Liam draped his arm around my shoulders, his voice cloyingly sweet. "Oh, darling, Victoria is my boss. She’s always looked out for me at work. Don't give her such a hard time."

He then grinned at her. "Ms. Reed, you're too formal. Didn't you know the 'Skyline' project belongs to my wife's company? You should have told me. For my sake, I'm sure she would have given the project to you."

I suppressed a sneer, keeping my expression placid. He really thought I was foolish enough to hand over a lucrative project to his mistress.

"If I had known Ms. Reed was so good to you, I wouldn't have been so harsh," I said, my voice steady. "But the proposal still has issues. Please revise it carefully, Ms. Reed. Then we can discuss the next steps."

Victoria sighed in relief, thanked me, and hurried away. In the reflection of the hotel's glass doors, I saw her disdainful, triumphant smirk.

She could smile for now. Before this night was over, I'd give her a reason to cry.

I gently removed Liam's arm from my shoulder, only to take his hand in mine, leading him deeper into the hotel. His cheeks were flushed as he asked tentatively, "Where are we going?"

I didn't answer. I just led him to the elevators and pressed the button for the top floor. As the doors slid shut, he leaned in, his eyes soft and suggestive.

But his breath carried the faint, sickeningly sweet scent of her perfume, and it made my stomach churn. In the small, enclosed space, the smell was overpowering.

He froze, his mouth clamping shut as his eyes darted to the glowing floor indicator. He finally realized where we were headed—to the very floor where he had just been with Victoria.