Married For Assets Not For Love Chapter 2

The next morning, pale sunlight spilled through the gap in the curtains.

Colin was already awake. He was lying on his side, watching me. When my eyes fluttered open, he reached out, his fingers gently brushing the hair from my face. His voice carried that deep, gravelly rasp of sleep.

"Morning."

"Morning," I murmured. I stretched, feigning a casual yawn. "Oh, by the way, the college group chat was losing its mind last night. Vanessa is back in the States. She's talking about a reunion this weekend. Are you going?"

His hand paused in my hair. Just for a fraction of a second.

Then he rolled onto his back, staring blankly at the ceiling. His tone was perfectly flat.

"No."

"Why not?" I propped myself up on one elbow, studying his profile. "I mean, back in the day, you guys—"

"There's no point," he cut in, turning his head to meet my eyes. His gaze was steady, unblinking. "It’s all in the past. Besides, those things are exhausting. A bunch of people pretending to still be close, inflating their resumes. I’m not interested."

I didn't say anything. I just waited.

He reached out, pulling me down by the waist until my head rested on his chest. He pressed his chin against the crown of my head. His voice vibrated against my ear, sounding slightly muffled.

"You shouldn't go either."

"Why?"

"Noah has his ballet evaluation this weekend. He needs one of us there. If you go play catch-up, who’s going to take care of him?"

I lay against his chest, listening to the rhythmic, steady thud of his heart. I let the silence stretch for a few heavy seconds before I spoke.

"You’re right. I’ll skip it."

Colin pulled me tighter, pressing a long kiss to my forehead. "Good girl."

Friday night, Colin came home earlier than usual.

At dinner, he plated a piece of salmon for me, his voice light and affectionate.

"By the way, I’m going to have to go into the office this weekend. We’ve got a massive push for the new acquisition."

My fork hovered over my plate. I looked up at him.

"Both days?"

"Yeah. It’s going to be a late one, too," he nodded, pouring himself a glass of water. "I’m going to drop Noah off at my parents' place tomorrow morning. Let them spoil him for the weekend. You should just rest. You've been burning the candle at both ends lately."

I looked at his face. It was the same gentle, trustworthy face I had woken up to for a decade. I forced a soft smile and nodded.

Deep inside my chest, the last glowing ember of hope hissed and went dead.

"Okay. Don't work yourself to the bone. Make sure you actually eat something."

Colin looked at me, his eyes softening with what looked incredibly like love.

"What would I do without you?"

Saturday morning, Colin slipped out of bed with the practiced silence of a considerate husband.

I kept my eyes shut, breathing deeply. I felt the mattress shift as he leaned over, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek. He tucked the duvet securely around my shoulders, then tiptoed out of the room.

The moment I heard the heavy thud of the front door closing, my eyes snapped open.

Ten minutes later, dressed in a nondescript trench coat, a baseball cap, and oversized sunglasses, I was sitting in the back of an Uber, trailing Colin’s Audi.

He didn’t take the highway toward the financial district. Instead, the car wound its way toward the east side of the city, pulling into the manicured driveway of a highly exclusive, private country club.

I told my driver to idle across the street. Through the tinted window, I watched my husband step out of his car.

And then, I saw her.

Vanessa.

She was wearing a striking crimson dress, her dark hair cascading in perfect waves over her shoulders. She stood near the ivy-covered entrance, laughing. A bright, intoxicating laugh.

Ten years hadn't touched her. She was still the breathtaking, radiant girl who owned every room she walked into.

Colin walked toward her. Vanessa met him halfway, seamlessly slipping her arm through his. She tilted her head back, smiling up at him, her lips moving as she whispered something meant only for him.

Colin looked down at her. The sharp angle of his jaw caught the morning light—the exact, tender expression I knew so intimately.

Then, Vanessa unspooled her arm from his, stepping fully into his space, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Colin froze. His whole body went rigid.

But he didn't push her away.

They stood there, wrapped in each other in front of the club, like two star-crossed lovers reuniting after a lifetime apart.

I sat in the back of the idling Uber, perfectly still. My heart wasn't racing. I didn't feel the urge to cry. There was only a cold, sweeping expanse of clarity.

That pathetic, fragile expectation I had harbored? Extinguished. Gone.

I pulled out my phone, zoomed in on the two figures, framed the shot perfectly, and tapped the shutter button.

"Sir," I said to the driver, my voice steady. "Take me to the financial district. I need to see a lawyer."