Oliver shakes his head, avoiding my eyes. “It’s not the same thing, Colin. It happened early in our marriage. I didn’t take it as far as you did. And I didn’t make her do anything… she chose. She chose to forgive me. To give us another chance. That was her choice.”
He weighs his next words, then adds quietly, “I mean… Cecily’s a sweetheart. But I don’t think even she’s going to forgive you after this.”
The words hit like a punch. My pulse spikes, and I’m on my feet before I even realize it, pacing the room.
“Of course she’ll forgive me. She’s said it herself, again and again, that she can’t imagine living without me. And I can’t imagine living without her either.”
“I bet she said that before she saw all this.”
His voice is low, almost gentle, but it cuts straight through me. Every word finds its mark. I can’t let us end like this.
Chapter 03
only Ceci and I know
Colin
I step into the company lobby on Monday morning as if it were any other day, though it feels like every pair of eyes follows me—like somehow,they all know. That I've been staying at a hotel nearby since yesterday afternoon. That I haven't been home. Not with my wife. Not with my kids.
Oliver was the one who convinced me to do it, to give Ceci what she asked for.
"You can't rush her," he said. "Trauma doesn't heal by pushing or pulling toward reconciliation. Let her process it. When she's ready, if she's ever ready, she'll let you know."
Everything that happened over the weekend clings to me, consuming every thought, but routine demands a mask. I have to move, speak, and exist as if nothing has happened. to convince everyone, and maybe even myself, that nothing has changed.
As the elevator climbs, one thought keeps looping in my head.Ceci needs time. That's all.Time. Not distance. Not an ending. Just enough space for her to breathe, to steady herself.
And I'll wait… for as long as it takes.
I step out on the HR floor to speak with Theodora first. I request that Maya be reassigned to another department. I want to tell her to make it happen today, immediately, but I don't. That kind of urgency would reek of desperation.
No one else needs to know the truth.No one.
With Theodora’s assurance that she’ll handle everything, I leave her office and take the elevator back to my floor. I step out, pass Margaret and Maya, and offer nothing more than a curt nod.
Once I've managed to steady myself enough to face the day, I press the button on my desk phone. "Maya, come to my office."
She knocks three times before stepping inside, her usual provocative smile already in place. Every movement is deliberate. The sway of her hips, the measured pace of her heels against the floor. The same cadence that undid me more than once, in this same office.
Was that really all it took?
“Theodora will be reassigning you to another department soon,” I tell her without wasting time. “I thought I should let you know first.”
She hesitates. “All right.”
Something in her tone feels off. No questions. No request for an explanation. Not that I owe her one.
Before I can say anything else, she blurts out, “This is because of what your wife posted on her blog, isn’t it?”
I freeze. “How do you know about that?”
She shrugs. “I heard a few people talking in the break room earlier. No one’s sure if she was writing about something that actually happened, or if it was just… Content for her blog.”
My stomach twists. Maya catches my expression and scrambles to fix it. "But... no one suspects us. At least I don't think they do."
At least, I don’t think they do.My heart starts to race as I run through every possibility, every rumor that might be spreading.
Then I remember something. I open my briefcase and pull out the shirt, the one with the lipstick stain on the collar. My voice comes out low, rough, almost a growl.
