THE DAY MY HUSBAND CHOSE HER

ight that, honestly, she hoped would remind her husband

he had ever

e the room was filled with white roses, because Lucian once said they reminded him of their first winter together. Dinner waited in the next

ards, it wasn't flash

s per

ng for their anniversary. She wanted to show him she

cked he

7 p

id he'd be th

sappointment pulled at her. He was probab

le was insane. Lately he seemed out of reach-even more meetings, surprise wor

noti

rse sh

You start making excuses f

supposed to

dding an

yea

m away from the meetings, the family, the reputation that came with being a

gift box in her bag an

wasn't fu

Lucian always

d it, jus

in, she heard a man's

raphina won't be m

pped br

didn't make any sense. Her brain refused to be

ob

me. She hadn't

er hand drop, the one

g about someone els

icu

h floated out. Soft

ien

nne L

events with him, always seemed to know where he was when Seraphina didn't. She'd once smiled a

'd even defended her when peopl

around the bottle, dig

uld hav

way before seeing someth

e pushed th

le in her hand, but the chilled champagne beside the b

lk dress o

hite shirt hanging open, dark hair a mess. Vi

na just

ed for any innoc

wasn

spun unde

g day, their first apartment, quiet mornings before work, anniversaries

watching the man she'd trusted with

cia

unded strang

heet tighter. Lucian didn't move, didn't sc

most more th

me the man she thought she knew. The man who'd com

reached for his shi

aphi

hort laugh. Rag

w I was

n't eve

s jaw c

"I didn't know sh

whipped

nig

shut he

sn't the problem. Tonight, she'd simply stumbled on

red at

w l

le

ong, L

th

yes b

Before my birthday? Before tha

aphi

on

out sharper th

pped fa

bag suddenly f

stressing over her dress, picking out Lucian's favorite wi

nted to bu

shoulders and lo

you were alwa

went hard. "I ne

hina

eeping with

make him c

ce was so calm

glanced

hat t

ent. Which sa

d hardly

ld have

kno

ended our marria

kno

ooked me in the eyes and

n, and for the first time, h

u love

back. Silenc

ch would be worse-a

, Lucia

has been over f

g way worse than

swal

w l

ant to do

t here." Her voice shoo

ightened. Maybe, for a second, something lik

ould go

e she waited for him to come back? The bed growing colder? Where s

into h

n wat

box, stared at it, then set it

ed, puzzled.

na igno

ked at

anniv

, just barely. His ey

erself not to break down in front of them. Five years spent

ed for t

spoke.

stop

she heard th

rned s

eaching for a black leather folder on

it up, hol

hina

is t

xpression

e noticed something re

ot shame-som

red the

voice low, "we might as w

na didn

oes tha

n ope

e stare

HINA

PETITION F

gers we

e was steady,

ady made m

hadn't stumbled into her husband's affair-s

rs were about to open a door to a secret that