Evelyn sat rigidly in the back of the black town car.
The vehicle merged onto the congested FDR Drive. She stared blankly at the murky, gray waters of the East River. Her pulse raced, a frantic thudding in her ears that drowned out the hum of the engine.
She unlocked her phone and pulled up Gigi's Instagram post again. She scrolled down to read the comment section.
Several mutual socialite friends were congratulating Gigi. Three of them subtly tagged Chadwick's inactive handle with champagne emojis.
Evelyn felt a tight, suffocating knot forming in the center of her chest.
She quickly opened her contacts and dialed Chadwick's private cell phone number. She pressed the phone hard against her ear.
It rang four agonizing times. The line finally clicked open.
"What?" Chadwick answered. His voice was hushed, clipped, and dripping with thinly veiled impatience.
"Are you free for a quick lunch?" Evelyn forced a light, breezy tone. "I have something incredibly important to discuss."
"I'm trapped in a critical quarterly board meeting," Chadwick lied immediately. "Don't bother me at the office."
He hung up abruptly. The dial tone buzzed in Evelyn's ear.
She slowly lowered the phone. A deep, hollow sense of rejection settled in the pit of her stomach.
Driven by a masochistic urge, she opened Instagram one more time. She refreshed Gigi's profile.
Gigi had just uploaded a brand new temporary story. It featured a steaming matcha latte resting on a sleek glass desk.
Evelyn's eyes narrowed. She zoomed in on the background of the photo, just beyond the steaming latte. She clearly recognized the distinctive silver cigar box engraved with the Christensen family crest resting on the corner of the desk. Right next to it was the custom marble pen stand she had personally sourced and bought for Chadwick for their anniversary.
A freezing realization hit her entire body. The hairs on her arms stood up. Chadwick was absolutely not in a board meeting.
He was sitting right across from Gigi at this very second.
The town car smoothly pulled up to the towering glass facade of the Christensen Group headquarters.
Evelyn shoved her phone deep into her bag. Her hands shook with a violent mix of anger and grief.
She pushed the car door open herself. She ignored Mitch's startled attempt to assist her.
She marched through the massive revolving glass doors into the bustling corporate lobby. Her heels clicked sharply against the marble floor.
The head of security immediately recognized the CEO's wife. He hastily stepped aside, clearing her path without a word.
Evelyn swiped her biometric VIP card at the restricted private elevator bank.
The heavy steel doors closed. She was isolated in the polished mirrored box. She stared at her own pale reflection.
She watched the digital floor numbers climb rapidly toward the executive penthouse level.
The elevator chimes softly. The doors slid open with a quiet hiss.
Evelyn stepped out onto the plush, sound-absorbing carpet of the executive floor.
She instantly heard a woman's soft, familiar, flirtatious laughter echoing down the otherwise silent hallway.
