Heena Sterling stared at the same paragraph she'd been reading for the last twenty minutes and realized she hadn't absorbed a single word.
Her mind was still trapped in the echo of her husband's voice.
He had stood in the doorway of this very office, adjusting his silk tie with a flourish that felt entirely too rehearsed.
"Heena, darling," he had purred, his voice wrapped in that careful, rehearsed concern.
"I've just had a few urgent departmental matters to attend. Truly tedious stuff. Don't wait up for me; you know how these 'emergencies' can spiral."
He hadn't even looked her in the eye. He had just offered a dismissive wave and vanished into the corridor, leaving behind only the cloying scent of his expensive cologne.
"Important work, huh?" Heena whispered to the empty room, her voice a jagged, mocking edge.
She wasn't naive. She knew exactly where he was heading with such sudden urgency.
