After Nathan dropped me off that night, I paced my apartment until the answer solidified. I had to go back.
As the saying goes, you have to walk into the tiger's den to catch the cubs.
My only desire was freedom. The thought of staying by Lucas's side another minute made my stomach churn, but I needed leverage.
I called Nathan to explain my plan. His voice came through tight with tension.
"Are you sure you want to go back there?"
"I have to," I murmured, staring at my reflection in the darkened window. "The evidence we have isn't enough. You know Lucas's personality—he's rotten to the core. Getting him to agree to a divorce without a fight will be impossible."
I took a breath, steeling myself. "I don't want to be entangled with him a second longer than necessary. My best option is to feign compliance, play the submissive wife, and collect the evidence I need to bury him."
Strategically, it was the right move. Lucas had only met Nathan once; he assumed I was the one cheating and had no idea the man he'd seen was a high-powered lawyer.
I wasn't about to let a scumbag ruin the rest of my life.
Hearing the resolve in my voice, Nathan let out a resigned sigh. "Alright. But promise me—if anything happens, you call me immediately."
Early the next morning, after settling matters at my shop, I drove back to Riverdale.
I had lived in that house for ten years, yet standing before it now, a wave of nausea washed over me. It didn't feel like a home; it felt like a crime scene.
But my mindset had shifted.
If enduring a little disgust was the price for permanently ridding myself of that man, then so be it.
I knocked. A moment later, a nanny I didn't recognize answered.
"Hello, Miss. Who are you looking for?"
From the entryway, the sharp wail of an infant drifted down the hall.
My jaw tightened. Sure enough, the moment I left, Lucas had moved Yolanda right in. He hadn't even waited for the ink to dry.
"Call Lucas," I said, my voice ice-cold. "Tell him I'm here to serve his mistress during her postpartum confinement."
The nanny's eyes widened. She froze, mouth opening and closing, unsure how to handle the sudden appearance of the actual lady of the house.
Before she could stammer out a reply, Yolanda came running from the master bedroom.
"Lexi! You're here!" She beamed, her face a mask of feigned innocence. "Why didn't you give me a heads-up? I would have had Lucas pick you up. This makes me look like a terrible sister."
I watched her descend the stairs, remembering the first time I met her—a timid intern under Lucas's supervision.
I didn't know if she'd ever been made a permanent doctor, but she had certainly succeeded in other areas. Relying on her abilities, she had climbed into her mentor's bed and secured her position with a pregnancy.
Truly capable.
And Lucas, the fool, had fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.
Looking at Yolanda's fawning, hypocritical face, I felt a dark laugh bubbling in my chest. I wondered if she could actually cross the threshold as a legitimate wife once I was gone.
"Save it," I said, brushing past her. "I'm going to my room to rest. Oh, and my fee is one hundred thousand dollars a month."
Yolanda froze. "One hundred thousand?"
I stopped and turned, fixing her with a bored stare.
"What? Lucas begged me to come back and serve you. Don't tell me you didn't know?" I tilted my head, eyes mocking. "Or does the future Mrs. Delgado think I'm not worth the price? Were you planning to use me for free?"
Before she could retort, the baby let out another ear-splitting shriek.
I didn't spare the sound a second thought. I walked straight past the master bedroom toward the guest room next door.
Yolanda scrambled after me, panic flaring in her eyes. "You can't stay in this room!"
"Oh?" I stopped in the doorway, spinning to face her. I stepped into her space, forcing her to retreat until her back hit the doorframe.
I leaned in close, staring hard at her seductive, terrified face. "Why not? Are you afraid Lucas might..." I let the sentence hang.
"Impossible!" she shrieked. "Don't you even think about it!"
"Is that so?" A cold smile played on my lips. "Men are fickle creatures, Yolanda. Nothing is guaranteed."
"You... just you wait!"
She slammed the door in my face. The frame rattled.
I chuckled softly. A few vague words and she crumbled. Her insecurity was palpable.
This month was going to be quite the show.
Once silence returned to the hallway, I opened my bag. I took out the miniature surveillance cameras I had prepared. Moving quickly and quietly, I began installing them in every blind spot of the room.
Alex Delgado was determined to reduce me to a glorified servant for his kept woman during her postpartum confinement.
If that was his game, he would find I wasn't playing by the old rules.
Initially, I just wanted a clean divorce and a quiet life. But now? I had changed my mind. I was going to use this opportunity to strip him bare and ensure he left our marriage with nothing.
