Elena
"Mommy, when is Daddy coming home?"
I smiled down at little Sophie, her chocolate-stained fingers gripping my dress as I wiped her face clean. At three years old, she still believed her father hung the moon and stars just for her.
"Soon, sweetheart," I whispered, brushing a curl from her forehead. "Daddy's working very hard today."
If only I knew how hard it was.
The twins, Marcus and Maya, were finally down for their afternoon nap after what felt like an eternity of tantrums and spilled juice. Sophie had reluctantly agreed to quiet time with her coloring books. The house, Adrian's sprawling mansion that never quite felt like home was blissfully silent for the first time all day.
My feet ached in ways I didn't know were possible. Four children under the age of six could drain every ounce of energy from a person, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. They were my world, my purpose, my reason for getting up every morning despite the growing distance I felt from their father.
Adrian had been working late again. Third time this week. The merger with Reynolds Corporation was consuming his life, or so he claimed. I barely saw him anymore, and when I did, he seemed distracted, distant. His touch had grown cold, his kisses perfunctory.
But today was different. Today, I had a plan.
I stared at the carefully prepared lunch sitting on the marble kitchen counter, Adrian's favorite grilled salmon with lemon herb butter, roasted asparagus, and wild rice. I'd even managed to bake his preferred chocolate tart from scratch while juggling diaper changes and breaking up fights between the twins.
"He'll love this," I murmured to myself, carefully placing everything into the elegant glass containers I'd bought specifically for occasions like this. "We need this."
The drive to Adrian's office building felt longer than usual. Traffic crawled through downtown, giving me too much time to think, to worry, to hope. When was the last time we'd had lunch together? When was the last time he'd looked at me, really looked at me the way he used to?
I shook off the negative thoughts. Today would be different. Today, I'd remind him why he fell in love with me in the first place.
The elevator ride to the forty-second floor felt endless. My reflection in the polished steel doors showed a woman who'd tried her best to look put-together despite the chaos of motherhood. I'd changed into the blue dress Adrian once said brought out my eyes, applied makeup carefully to hide the exhaustion, and even managed to tame my unruly brown hair into something resembling elegance.
"Mrs. Cole!" Adrian's assistant, Janet, looked up from her computer with surprise. "I didn't know you were coming by today."
"I wanted to surprise Adrian with lunch," I said, lifting the bag containing the meal I'd spent hours preparing. "Is he free?"
Janet's eyes darted toward Adrian's closed office door, and something flickered across her face—was it panic? "Well, he's in a meeting right now, but.."
"That's okay. I'll just wait." I was already moving toward his door. "It shouldn't take long."
"Mrs. Cole, wait.."
But I was already turning the handle, already pushing open the door with a smile on my face and hope in my heart.
"Surprise, honey! I brought your favorite.."
The words died in my throat. Time stopped.
The carefully prepared lunch slipped from my fingers, glass containers crashing to the floor with a sound that seemed to echo forever. Salmon and asparagus scattered across the expensive Persian rug, but I barely noticed.
Adrian was there, all right. But he wasn't alone.
Vanessa King, his secretary, the woman I'd always felt a twinge of jealousy about with her perfect blonde hair and curves in all the right places, was bent over his mahogany desk in a doggy pose naked. Her skirt was hiked up around her waist, her silk blouse discarded on the floor. And my husband, my husband, was behind her, his hands gripping her hips thrusting in and out of her, his face flushed with passion I hadn't seen directed at me in months.
"Oh God," I breathed, the words barely audible.
They both turned. Vanessa's face registered a brief shock before morphing into something that might have been amusement. Adrian's expression was the worst part, no surprise, no guilt, no shame. Just mild annoyance, as if I'd interrupted a business call instead of discovering him in the most intimate act possible with another woman.
"Elena." His voice was calm, controlled. He didn't even bother to step away from Vanessa. "You should've knocked."
I should've knocked. As if this was my fault. As if I was the one who'd done something wrong.
"How... How long?" My voice cracked, barely a whisper.
Vanessa straightened slowly, deliberately, making no move to cover herself. Her red lips curved into a cruel smile. "Oh, honey," she purred, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. "Did you really think those late nights were about business?"
The room spun. My legs felt like they might give out. "Adrian, tell me this isn't... tell me this doesn't mean..."
"What do you want me to say, Elena?" Adrian was already adjusting his tie, his movements casual, unbothered. "That I'm sorry? That it didn't mean anything?" He shrugged. "I'm not going to lie to you."
Vanessa laughed, a sound like breaking glass. "She looks like she's going to faint. How adorable."
"Don't." My voice came out stronger than I felt. "Don't you dare mock me."
"Or what?" Vanessa stepped closer, her perfume overwhelming. "You'll what, exactly? Run home to your little domestic life? Face it, darling, you let yourself go. You became boring. Predictable. Did you really think Adrian would be satisfied with... this?" She gestured at me dismissively.
Tears blurred my vision, but I wouldn't let them fall. Not here. Not in front of her. "Adrian, please. Think about the children. Think about Sophie asking when Daddy's coming home. Think about everything we built together."
For just a moment, something flickered in his eyes. Regret? Guilt? But it was gone as quickly as it appeared.
"The children will be fine," he said coldly. "They're resilient."
"How can you say that?" The words tore from my throat. "How can you stand there and act like our family means nothing?"
"Because it doesn't," Vanessa interjected, sliding her arms around Adrian's waist possessively. "At least, not anymore."
I turned and ran. Past Janet's horrified face, past the curious stares of other employees in the hallway, past everything that had once represented security and love and home. I ran until I reached my car, until I could finally let the tears fall, until the reality of what I'd seen crashed over me like a tidal wave.
My phone buzzed as I sat in the parking garage, sobbing into my hands. Adrian's name flashed on the screen.
With trembling fingers, I answered. "Hello?"
"Elena." His voice was as cold as winter steel. "I want you to pack your things tonight. All of them. I want you out of the house by morning."
The line went dead. I stared at the phone, my world crumbling around me like the shattered glass containers on his office floor. Twenty-four hours ago, I'd been a wife and mother. Now, I was nothing at all