The decision didn’t come from anger.
It came from exhaustion.
Aira had spent the evening sitting at the edge of their bed while Lucien spoke on the phone in the study down the hall. His voice carried faintly — low, controlled, the same tone he used in boardrooms and negotiations. Calm. Authoritative. Detached.
She used to admire that about him.
Now it made her feel like she was married to a man who never truly entered the room emotionally.
On her phone screen was a photo she had not meant to see.
Someone from one of Lucien’s business circles had posted pictures from a corporate event the previous weekend. A charity launch. She hadn’t attended. She hadn’t even known about it.
In the third slide, Lucien stood beside Selene.
They weren’t touching inappropriately. There was space betwe
