“I hope you manage to get a little rest while you’re away,” Elena said gently.
Julian smiled, clearly relieved by what he assumed was her complete trust.
In reality, Elena had been noticing small changes for weeks.
Late-night messages.
An unfamiliar perfume on his coat.
A sudden obsession with the gym.
Phone calls that ended whenever she entered the room.
She had dismissed them as work stress because she had no proof.
Now she did.
The next morning, after dropping Maya at school, Elena drove to a private investigative agency in downtown Boston and placed a retainer check on the desk.
“I just need to know who my husband is traveling with, and how long this has been going on,” she said.
Five days later, she received an encrypted USB drive containing photographs and a surveillance report.
One image showed Julian with his arm around a younger woman outside an upscale Back Bay restaurant.
Another showed them entering a boutique hotel.
In a third, Julian tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she kissed his cheek.
Her name was Chloe.
She was twenty-nine, worked as a junior marketing specialist, and had been involved with Julian for at least six months.
The final line of the investigator’s report hurt Elena most:
*Subject repeatedly reassures the associate that his marriage is completely over and that they will be starting a new life together shortly.*
Elena closed her eyes.
For twenty minutes, she sat on the hardwood floor of her home design studio and cried silently among fabric samples and architectural plans—the business she had built through years of work.
Then she stood, washed her face, and called her sister.
“I need Maya to stay with you for four days,” Elena said steadily. “Don’t say anything to Julian.”
Two days later, Julian left for Logan International Airport carrying his luggage and an easy smile.
