" Yes , baby , I fu**kng love how you ride me" These were the shocking words Anna heard as she stood at the door.
Anna Monroe cradled the small lunch basket in her hands like it was something sacred. The scent of homemade lasagna drifted from beneath the folded linen cloth, warming her chest with pride and anticipation. She had woken up extra early that morning, excited. It was Levi's birthday, after all. Her husband. The man she had loved, stood by, and built a life with over the past five years.
They hadn't spent much time together lately—he was always "too busy" with work, taking on projects and meetings that bled well into the night. She missed him, but she understood. Running Graham Enterprises wasn't a small feat. Today, she thought, was her chance to reconnect. A small surprise, nothing extravagant—just a moment to remind him that he was loved. That she still believed in them.
Her heels clicked softly down the polished hallway of Graham Enterprises' top floor, her heart thumping a little faster with each step. She'd been here before, but today, it felt different—more intimate, more hopeful. A birthday lunch, a kiss on the cheek, maybe even a laugh between bites. They needed that. God, they really needed that.
As she approached Levi's office, she slowed. The door was shut, but there were voices inside. Not words. Sounds. Unmistakably breathless, muffled moans and a rhythm that made her blood run cold.
No.
She froze, eyes narrowing at the heavy wood door as she pressed her hand to it. Her knuckles were pale from the pressure. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he was watching something. Maybe someone was in distress. Her breath hitched. Anything but the obvious. Anything but what her gut was now screaming at her.
Still holding the basket, Anna gripped the handle and, with trembling fingers, turned the knob.
The door creaked open slowly, betraying her silent wish to remain invisible. The room smelled different—like perfume and sweat mingled with expensive cologne. Sunlight filtered in through the large windows, casting long golden rays over the desk, the floor…
And there they were.
Levi Graham, her husband—shirt unbuttoned, belt unfastened—pressed against his sleek, mahogany desk, moving with intention. His hand gripped the edge of the table as Vanessa Hart—his secretary—arched beneath him, her blouse undone, hair wild, eyes shut in rapture.
Anna's body turned to ice.
For a moment, no one moved. Just the sound of shallow breathing, and the awful thudding of her heart in her ears.
"Levi…?" she whispered.
He turned his head slightly, brows furrowing in irritation rather than shock. No shame flickered in his eyes, no panic, no remorse. His jaw tightened as if she'd interrupted something important.
"Close the door, Anna," he said, his voice low, flat. Not angry—annoyed. "I'll be done in a minute."
Vanessa didn't look back. She didn't need to. Anna could see her smirk, the satisfied curve of her lips even from the side. This wasn't new. This wasn't a mistake.
The basket fell from Anna's hand and landed with a soft thud on the plush carpet, the lasagna now meaningless. The container cracked open, the scent of garlic and cheese mixing with the scent of betrayal.
Anna stood there, staring. Waiting for something—anything. An apology. A flinch. A plea.
Levi gave none.
Instead, he turned back toward Vanessa, shifted slightly, and resumed.
Anna stepped back, one shaky foot at a time, her chest hollow. Her world was collapsing, and he didn't even care.
By the time she got back to the car, her hands wouldn't stop trembling. The air outside was cool, but she was sweating. Her mouth was dry. She stared ahead, numb, clutching the steering wheel like it was the only thing tethering her to reality.
What had just happened?
No.
What had been happening?
How long had he been doing this? And why hadn't she seen it? She tried to summon the pieces of a puzzle she never knew she'd been building—the late nights, the missed calls, the distant looks. The sudden business trips. The excuses. How did it all add up so perfectly now?
She drove home like a ghost, eyes vacant, vision blurry. Her chest ached from holding in the scream building deep inside her.
Back in their home—no, his home now—everything was still in place. The marble countertops sparkled. The flowers she'd bought last week were still fresh in the vase. Their wedding photo still smiled down from the fireplace mantle, mocking her.
Anna didn't cry. She wanted to. But it was like the tears were afraid to come out, too stunned to flow. She just stood there, waiting. Waiting for Levi to walk in and say, "It's not what it looked like," or "She means nothing," or even just, "I'm sorry."
When the front door finally opened, Levi stepped in, adjusting his cufflinks like he'd come from a board meeting rather than his wife's shattering heartbreak.
He didn't ask how she was. Didn't offer a single word about what happened.
Instead, he reached into his leather briefcase and pulled out a cream envelope.
He held it out to her without expression. "These are your divorce papers," he said simply. "My lawyer has already signed them. All that's left is your signature."
Anna stared at the envelope, her arms hanging limp at her sides. "Why?" she asked, her voice barely audible.
He exhaled, like she'd asked a foolish question. "Let's not pretend you didn't see this coming. We've been growing apart for months. I've moved on. You should too."
Moved on. Like love was a meeting scheduled on a calendar. Like vows were fine print in a contract he'd found a loophole in.
Anna didn't move. Didn't speak. Her heart was cracking in her chest, slow and cruel. She felt like she was watching herself from across the room—watching the woman who gave up everything for him now reduced to silence by the man who had promised forever.
Levi placed the envelope on the console table beside the door and adjusted his tie. "You can stay here until you figure out where you'll go. But I want this settled by next week."
He walked past her like she was a stranger.
And maybe she was. Maybe she always had been.
The front door clicked shut behind him, and the silence that followed was suffocating.
Anna stood still.
The woman who'd come bearing lunch and love hours ago was gone.
And something else—something fierce—had just taken her place.