Lexi's POV
Morning light filtered through the sprawling penthouse windows, spilling across the sleek marble floors. Lexi Saintwood stood by the tall mirror in their master bedroom, slipping delicate pearl earrings into her lobes. Her blonde hair was perfectly arranged in a soft twist, her silk blouse immaculate, her designer heels clicking softly as she moved.
She was elegance personified, graceful and poised, as always. But today, something coiled in her chest—a faint unease she couldn't name.
"Ethan?" she called softly as she adjusted her bracelet. "Are you almost ready?"
She heard the faint rustle of his suit jacket in the walk-in closet. Moments later, Ethan emerged, sharp in his tailored navy suit, watch glinting on his wrist. His hair was perfectly in place, his face calm, composed.
But Lexi noticed the slight tension in his shoulders.
"Big day at the office?" she asked lightly, stepping close, smoothing his lapel. Her smile was soft, practiced.
"Yes," Ethan murmured. "Important project meetings."
Lexi tilted her head slightly, watching him carefully. She knew Ethan. Knew the way his mind worked. She had been his wife for nearly three years, even if theirs was a marriage built on contracts and family pressure rather than love.
"Something's bothering you," she said gently.
Ethan met her gaze briefly, then looked away. "It's nothing. Work stress."
Lexi arched a delicate brow. "Is it that new consultant? Emily? I heard her name mentioned at dinner last night."
At the mention of Emily's name, Ethan's jaw tightened just slightly—a flicker, but Lexi caught it.
Ah, she thought, heart giving a faint, warning thud. So that's it.
Ethan's POV
He cursed himself silently for that slip. Lexi was sharper than most gave her credit for. She noticed everything.
"She's just part of the project team," Ethan said smoothly, adjusting his cufflinks. "She has a reputation for delivering results."
Lexi gave him a long, searching look. "Is she from your past, Ethan?"
He froze for half a second before recovering. "We knew each other a long time ago. It doesn't matter now."
Lexi smiled sweetly, but inside, something tightened. She had played the gracious wife, the perfect partner, but she knew when another woman mattered. And Emily's name, it seemed, mattered a little too much.
Lexi's POV (later that morning)
At the breakfast table, Lexi picked at her fruit, her mind turning. She had done everything right. She had fulfilled her role as the wife Ethan needed—charming at parties, graceful in public, supportive in private.
But she wasn't blind.
She saw the way Ethan sometimes drifted away, his mind somewhere else. She had assumed it was the company, his father, the pressures of his position.
Now, she wondered.
Emily's POV (at the office)
Emily arrived early, determined to keep her focus. She greeted her team, reviewed notes, double-checked her slides for the afternoon presentation.
You can do this, she told herself firmly. Stay professional. Stay distant.
But when she entered the main conference room and saw Ethan already seated, reviewing documents, her heart gave a sharp, traitorous twist.
She took a breath and walked to her seat, careful to keep her expression neutral. Ethan glanced up briefly, their eyes locking for a charged heartbeat before he looked away.
Ethan's POV
He had barely slept. Thoughts of Emily had haunted him all night, pulling memories he had buried deep back to the surface.
He heard her light footsteps as she entered the room and forced himself to stay composed. Professional, he reminded himself. Stay professional.
But as the meeting unfolded, as Emily spoke with passion and determination, something inside Ethan stirred again—something dangerous, something he had sworn never to let rule him again.
Lexi's POV (later that day)
Lexi sat in her private car, fingers tapping lightly against her phone as she scrolled through updates from the office. She paused when she saw a photo attached to a press brief—a candid shot of the project team, Ethan standing at the far end, his eyes unmistakably fixed on the woman beside him.
Emily.
Lexi stared at the photo, her smile tight.
You're important to him, she thought darkly. But you don't belong here. Not anymore.