And if the shares had become his, would he have filed for divorce right away? Would he have simply thrown her out the door?
Anger pulsed in her head. Heavy and poisonous.
Nina opened her phone and logged into their joint bank account.
Her intuition hadn’t failed her.
The balance had been shrinking month after month. Drained in small, systematic increments so as not to arouse suspicion. And she didn’t even know how much money he might’ve siphoned out of the company through shell firms.
What had he been spending their money on?
On Vivian? On their son?
How she hated that Vivian right now.
But at this moment, Nina couldn’t do anything. She desperately wanted to share what she’d discovered with someone. But her only confidantes were Vivian, the viper, and Nadine, the gossip. Was she supposed to trust something like this to Nadine? Unlikely. She might as well book another therapist’s appointment—just to have someone she could actually speak to.
Why had he done this to her?
She’d done everything for him. Frank had come into her life as no one. An ordinary guy with ambition, but without connections or real opportunities.It was her and her father who’d made him who he was. A wealthy, respected man.
She’d supported him while he built his career, trusted him, stayed out of company affairs because she’d always believed he understood business better than she ever could.
Where would he be without her?
And then another thought struck her.
The ground dropped out from under her.
Nina closed her eyes, trying to drive it away. No. She didn’t want to think about what she’d sacrificed for Frank. It hurt too much.
Breathing became difficult. She grabbed her phone and made a decision. She needed proof. She had to see everything with her own eyes. Because her mind still refused to believe that Vivian—of all people—and her caring husband could betray her like this.
Her hand was shaking as she typed into their group chat:
“Girls, I’m leaving town for a week. Don’t wait for me at yoga.”
Vivian had to know that Nina wasn’t in the city. Most likely, Frank would go straight to her. He’d spend time with her, convinced that Nina knew nothing.
Nina herself didn’t even understand why she needed this. Maybe she wanted to make sure it was real. That he truly was capable of this.
Or maybe she just wanted the pain of betrayal to burn everything inside her to the ground once and for all.
She closed her eyes, trying to calm down, but it didn’t help.
If she could, she would have stormed home right now. Thrown a copy of Ethan’s birth certificate in his face, accused him of cheating, filed for divorce on the spot. But she couldn’t act on impulse. She had no idea what state their affairs were in right now. Maybe he’d already moved half the assets. She needed patience. And she needed to wait for the lawyers’answers.
***
Nina was sitting on the bed in the hotel room, staring blankly at her phone, when her gaze caught on Vivian’s social media post.
A photo from the spa resort she and Frank had visited together several times. Nina instantly recognized the luxurious lobby with its golden chandeliers, snow-white sofas, and panoramic windows overlooking the forest.
The caption under the photo read:
“A day with the family♥”
She flinched.
