The sharp, aggressive buzzing of the doorbell shattered the quiet of the penthouse. Diana jumped, her book slipping from her lap and hitting the floor with a thud. She tightened the belt of her thick cotton robe and walked to the door, assuming it was the building manager.
She pressed her eye against the peephole. Her stomach dropped instantly. Julian's arrogant, smirking face stared back at her through the distorted lens.
Diana backed away from the door. Her palms began to sweat. She decided to stay silent and pretend she was not home.
"Diana, open the door!" Julian shouted, banging his fist against the heavy wood. "I know you are in there, and I know you are not alone!"
Diana crept closer to the door and looked through the peephole again. Behind Julian stood another man. It was the tall, terrifying man from the study, the one Julian called his uncle. Beside him stood Mr. Davenport and two men holding video cameras.
Diana's heart hammered violently against her ribs. Did they figure out her trick? Or did Julian actually believe a man was inside?
"Julian, please leave," Diana called out through the door, her voice shaking. "Or I will call the police."
Conway stepped forward. His face was a mask of cold fury. He gave Mr. Davenport a sharp nod.
The lawyer stepped up to the door. "Mrs. Maxwell. According to the prenuptial agreement, we have the right to enter the premises to investigate suspected breaches of contract. If you refuse, it will be considered obstruction, which is also a breach."
Diana froze. Her breath caught in her throat. They brought lawyers. They were serious.
Before she could process her next move, Conway lost his patience. He snapped his fingers at the building security guard standing nervously in the hallway. The guard quickly swiped a master keycard over the lock.
The lock clicked. Conway pushed the door open with enough force to bang it against the interior wall. He stormed into the entryway, his eyes scanning the space like a predator.
Diana stood barefoot in the hallway, clutching the collar of her robe, her eyes wide with panic.
"Where is he?" Conway demanded. His voice was pure ice.
Heat rushed to Diana's cheeks. Anger quickly replaced her fear. "Who? What gives you the right to break into my home?"
Julian stepped in behind Conway, sniffing the air dramatically. "Stop acting. We saw the underwear on the balcony. Bring him out."
Conway ignored her protests. He looked at the two men with cameras. "Search every room."
The men scattered. Doors slammed open. They tore through the guest bedroom, the walk-in closet, and the master bathroom. Diana stood frozen, her entire body trembling with a mixture of humiliation and rage. They were treating her like a criminal.
Five minutes later, the men returned to the living room. "Sir, there is no one here."
Conway's jaw tightened. The muscle ticked violently under his skin. "Impossible. The underwear..."
He shoved past Diana and walked directly into the master bedroom. His sharp eyes immediately locked onto the nightstand. A bottle of men's cologne and a razor sat next to the lamp.
He walked over and picked up the cologne. The plastic wrapping was still perfectly intact. He picked up the razor. It was brand new, still in its cardboard packaging.
He turned and walked out to the balcony. He grabbed the black underwear off the rack. He flipped the waistband over. A thick, unbreakable plastic zip-tie held a white paper price tag from Walmart, still stubbornly attached to the fabric. He rubbed the material between his fingers. The fabric was stiff, clearly unwashed, and smelled sharply of factory chemicals and warehouse dust, not a man.
A bizarre, ridiculous realization crashed into Conway's brain.
He walked back into the living room and threw the underwear onto the coffee table. He stared dead at Diana. "Explain."
Diana looked at the underwear, then at Conway's furious face, and finally at Julian's confused expression. She let out a sharp, breathless laugh.
"Explain what?" she fired back, her voice rising. "Explain why you broke into my apartment like a pack of rabid dogs over a pair of underwear I bought at Walmart?"
She marched into the bedroom and dragged out a plastic male torso mannequin from the closet. She grabbed a small tape recorder from the drawer. She walked back and threw them onto the floor at Conway's feet.
She pressed play on the recorder. The sound of a man coughing and heavy footsteps filled the quiet room.
"There is your man!" Diana yelled, pointing at the plastic torso. "Are you satisfied? I did this to protect myself from a husband who thinks he can treat me like garbage!" She glared directly at Julian.
The room fell dead silent. The recording of the coughing man echoed absurdly off the walls.
