The wheeze in my chest grew sharper as I stared at Reya, her fingers still stroking that damned cat like she owned the place. Like she owned my husband. Like she owned my life.

"Hello, Melody," she repeated when I didn't respond, her voice carrying a sweetness so artificial it made my skin crawl. "I hope you don't mind—I brought Whiskers over. Francis said you were out of town."

Francis shot her a warning look, but she ignored him completely. There was something in her dark eyes that I'd never seen before—a cold satisfaction, like she'd been waiting for this moment.

"Actually," Reya continued, rising gracefully from the sofa with the cat in her arms, "I'm glad you're here. It saves us the trouble of having this conversation later."

"Reya, don't—" Francis started, but she cut him off with a laugh that sounded nothing like the grateful young woman who'd sent me thank-you cards.

"Oh, Francis, she was going to find out eventually." She turned back to me, and the mask finally dropped completely. "Did you really think this charade could last forever, Melody?"

My lungs burned, but I forced myself to stay upright. "What charade?"

"The loving wife act. The perfect marriage." Reya's smile was razor-sharp. "Francis never loved you. He told me everything—how he only married you for the Parker family money, how he's been counting down the days until he could access your trust fund."

Each word hit like a physical blow. I looked at Francis, searching his face for denial, for outrage at her lies. Instead, I found guilt written in every line of his features.

"That's not—" he began weakly.

"Isn't it?" Reya's voice grew stronger, more confident. "Tell her about our plans, Francis. Tell her about the house we've been looking at in Malibu. Tell her about the future we've been building while she played the generous benefactor."

The room spun around me. "Francis?"

He couldn't meet my eyes. "Melody, it's complicated—"

"No, it's simple," Reya interrupted, stepping closer. The cat's purring seemed to mock my labored breathing. "Your charity case days are over, Melody. I'm tired of pretending to be grateful for scraps from the Parker table when I deserve so much more."

"I put you through college," I gasped, my voice barely audible. "My family—we treated you like—"

"Like what? Family?" Reya laughed, the sound sharp and bitter. "You treated me like your pet project. Your little success story to make yourself feel better about having everything handed to you on a silver platter."

She moved toward the door, the cat still in her arms, and I realized with growing horror that she felt no shame. No guilt. No remorse whatsoever.

"Francis deserves someone who appreciates his ambition," she said, pausing at the threshold. "Someone who understands what it's like to fight for everything instead of inheriting it. We've been planning our future for months now, and frankly, you've been the only obstacle."

With that, she was gone, leaving Francis and me alone in the wreckage of our marriage.

The silence stretched between us, broken only by my wheezing breaths. Francis finally looked at me, and I saw him calculating, trying to find the right words to salvage this disaster.

"Melody, listen to me," he said, his voice taking on that soothing tone he used during business negotiations. "You're having an asthma attack. It's affecting your perception. What you think you saw—"

"What I think I saw?" The words came out as a rasp, but the fury behind them was clear.

"You misunderstood the situation." He stepped closer, his hands raised as if approaching a wounded animal. "Reya was going through a difficult time. She needed someone to talk to, and I was just being supportive. You know how emotional she can get."

I stared at him in disbelief. Even now, even after everything Reya had just revealed, he was trying to gaslight me.

"She brought a cat into our house," I whispered. "You know what cats do to me."

"That was an accident. She didn't think—"

"She didn't think, or you didn't care?" My voice grew stronger despite my breathing difficulties. "How long, Francis? How long have you been lying to me?"

He ran his hands through his hair, the gesture I'd once found endearing now seeming calculated and false. "There's nothing to lie about. This is all a misunderstanding. We can work through this together, Melody. We always do."

But as I looked at my husband—really looked at him—I saw a stranger. The man I'd loved, trusted, built a life with, had never existed at all.

That night, I lay awake staring at the ceiling while Francis slept peacefully beside me, as if nothing had changed. As if my world hadn't just imploded. Every breath was still a struggle, my lungs inflamed from the cat dander, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the hollow ache in my chest.

When dawn finally broke, I heard Jane's key in the front door—I'd given her one years ago for emergencies. This certainly qualified.

She found me in the kitchen, still in yesterday's clothes, my face pale and drawn.

"Oh, honey," she whispered, taking in my appearance. "What happened?"

I told her everything. Every cruel word from Reya, every pathetic excuse from Francis. When I finished, Jane's face was white with rage.

"We need to find out exactly what they've been planning," she said firmly. "And we need evidence."

I nodded, feeling something cold and determined settling in my chest where my heart used to be. "Francis changed his computer password. His desk drawers are locked."

Jane's eyes hardened. "Then we get creative. Because if they think they can destroy you and walk away with your family's money, they're about to learn exactly who they're dealing with."