The silence in the room was broken by a soft, sobbing sound. Michael looked up from his work only to see Erica collapsed on the sofa, her face buried in her hands.
The sight tugged at his heart, and he set down his pen and walked over, squatting beside her. "What is it now, Erica?"
She didn't speak, only wept harder until she practically fell into his arms. Michael caught her, his right foot sliding back to brace their weight.
"Michael, I'm so sorry," she choked out, her tears soaking into his shirt. "I know I threw everything away. I regret it every single second. Please, just tell me there's a way back to us."
Michael gently but firmly uncurled her fingers from his waist. He looked at her, his eyes clouded with a lingering pain. "It's too late, Erica. Some things, once broken, stay broken."
He escorted her down to his Car and drove her back to the villa in heavy silence. After dropping her off, he returned to the office to finish his work, but the shadow of her grief followed him.
When Michael finally returned back home that evening, the house was eerily quiet. Mrs. May was nowhere to be seen, and the second floor was empty. He walked toward the back garden and saw a cluster of figures near the swimming pool.
Evelyn was standing there, her face pale, flanked by the house keeper and two new staffs.
"Michael! Snowy is gone!" Erica shrieked from the living room. She ran out, her eyes red from crying. "I can't find her anywhere!"
"Check your room," Michael said shortly, walking toward the pool. "Evelyn, what's going on?"
Evelyn pointed a trembling finger toward the shimmering blue water. Floating on the surface was the stiff, white body of the little dog.
"Snowy!" Erica screamed, collapsing at the water's edge.
Michael's jaw tightened. That dog was a living relic of his youth, a shared memory of a simpler time. Without a word, he stripped off his suit jacket and dove into the chilly water. He fished the animal out, but it was far too late. The body was cold.
"What happened?" Michael's voice was dripping with venom as he looked towards the house staff.
"We don't know, Sir," a young maid named Catherine whispered, her eyes darting to Evelyn. "The mistress called us out here, we only saw the dog once we arrived."
"Evelyn!" Erica lunged at her, pointing a trembling finger. "You killed her! You hated that she was a link to our past, so you drowned her!"
"Don't lie!" Evelyn snapped, her voice rising in defensive panic. "I didn't touch your dog! It must have fallen in!"
"Michael, look at her!" Erica wailed. "She's the only one who hated Snowy! She told me yesterday to get rid of her!"
"Evelyn," Michael said, his eyes dark and unreadable. "What were you doing by the pool?"
Evelyn faltered. She had been upset after seeing Erica's post on Instagram and had gone out for a walk to clear her head. "I was just... walking. I saw it floating and called the others. I didn't do this, Michael. You have to believe me."
"A walk? At this exact spot?" Erica sneered. "How convenient."
Michael didn't argue. He picked up his jacket, his expression unreadable. "Find a pet cemetery. Bury her properly." He turned and walked back into the villa, the wet animal still in his peripheral vision.
"Evelyn, don't you dare walk away!" Erica grabbed Evelyn's arm as she tried to follow Michael.
"Get your hands off me!" Evelyn swung her arm back to break the grip. She didn't use much force, but Erica suddenly gave a sharp cry and tumbled backward, plunging into the deep end of the pool.
Splash!
Michael, who hadn't made it through the glass doors yet, spun around. He didn't hesitate. He dropped his jacket again and dove back into the water, surfacing seconds later with a gasping, and shivering Erica in his arms.
He carried her past Evelyn, his clothes dripping wet. He didn't look at his wife.
That night, the master suite felt so cold to Evelyn. She layed on her side, staring at the wall, while Michael's breathing remained steady and even beside her. The silence was draining. When she couldn't take it anymore. She reached out and pinched his arm.
"You can't seriously be sleeping right now," she whispered into the dark.
"Go to sleep, Evelyn," he murmured, his eyes still closed. "I know you didn't mean to push her."
"Didn't mean to? Michael, I didn't push her at all! She fell on purpose!" Evelyn sat up, her heart aching. "You think I'm a murderer and a liar?"
Michael didn't answer. He simply sighed and pulled the covers higher. Evelyn lay back down, her chest tight with a mix of anger and pain. She eventually fell into a painful sleep, unaware that the moment her breathing evened out, the man besides her opened his eyes. He stayed awake for a long time, staring into Oblivion.
The next morning, the breakfast table was colder than any other time. Erica was there, wrapped in a robe, sipping tea with a satisfied smile. Michael was reading the news.
Evelyn felt a surge of nausea. She grabbed her bag and headed for the door.
"Eat something," Michael said, not looking up from his tablet.
"I'm not hungry," Evelyn replied, her voice cold."
As the door slammed behind her, Erica's smile widened. She had lost a pet, but she had created a crack in the foundation of Michael's marriage. That was a fair trade indeed.
The Design department was unusually quiet during the lunch hour. Evelyn had stayed behind to finish a sample she had been working on during this period, making her the only person in the office at that time.As she was focused on her work, a man she didn't recognize approached her desk. "Miss Meyers? The manager said you should go into the research lab and retrieve the new safety supervisor's prescription. He needs it immediately."
Evelyn looked up, blinking. "Who are you?"
"Oh, I'm Timothy Sanders. I just resumed today," the man said with a disarming smile.
Evelyn didn't suspect a thing. New hires were common in a conglomerate as large as Thorn International. She headed into the restricted lab, found the formula sheet the manager had been working on, and stepped back out. Back in the office, She saw "Timothy" waiting by the emergency exit, casually smoking.
"Here it is," Evelyn said, handing him the file containing the work. "Should I take it to the manager?"
"No need, I'm heading that way after my smoke. Go and get some lunch," he replied, taking the file from Evelyn.
Evelyn nodded and headed for the elevator. Coincidentally, "Timothy" caught the same lift. As they walked toward the lobby, he leaned in with a smile. "Would you like to join me for lunch Miss Meyers?"
"No, thank you. I have an appointment," Evelyn replied politely, walking in the opposite direction.
At 2:00 PM, the peace of the department was shattered. The supervisor Helen slammed her office door open, her face flushed with rage. "Who entered the research lab during the break?"
Evelyn stood up, confused. "I did. A new employee named Timothy Sanders told me the manager needed your Design formula sheet." And Helen's eyes narrowed. "Timothy Sanders? We don't have a staff member with the name 'Timothy Sanders' here. And the manager never asked for that sheet."
A chill ran down Evelyn's spine. Before she could process the information another worker, let out a blood-curdling scream from the lab. "My test bench! Everything is destroyed!"
The department rushed in. The whole place was in chaos. Years of research, gone.
Because Evelyn was the only person caught on camera entering the lab alone during lunch, the finger was pointed directly at her. Within minutes, they were summoned to the top floor.
In the executive boardroom, the atmosphere was tense and quiet. Michael was staring at the security feed projected on the wall. The footage showed Evelyn entering the lab, looking around "nervously" and leaving with the file in her hand.
Worse, the next clip showed her walking side-by-side out of the building with a man Michael recognized instantly.
"How do you know Mark Campbell?" Michael's voice was laced with anger now.
Evelyn stared at the screen. "Who is Mark Campbell? That's the new guy, Timothy Sanders!"
Michael inhaled deeply to calm himself, then paused the video at the man's picture. "That is Mark Campbell. He's a lead Designer for our biggest rival in Arise City. Why were you handing him our Sample designs, Evelyn?"
"Miss Meyers," Elizabeth Bern whose works had been destroyed spat, her voice trembling with hate. "Just because you're the CEO's wife doesn't mean you can sell our hard work to the competition. You destroyed my life's work!"
"I didn't do it!" Evelyn cried, looking at Michael. "I was framed! He told me his name was Timothy Sanders!"
"I will investigate this," Michael said, his hand rubbing his temple in a gesture of deep frustration. "The rest of you, get out. Evelyn, stay."
Once the room was cleared, Evelyn grabbed Michael's arm. "Michael, I don't know who Mark Campbell is. I didn't destroy the lab!"
"Evelyn, you handed a confidential information to a stranger just because he asked?" Michael's eyes were cold, filled with a disappointment that hurt worse than his anger. "In what world is that not a betrayal of this company?"
"I thought he was a colleague! I was trying to be helpful!"
"Dominic has already tracked him down," Michael said, looking past her. "He's being brought in for questioning now. I suggest you prepare a better explanation than 'I didn't know,' because right now, the evidence says my wife is a corporate spy."
Evelyn recoiled as if he had slapped her. First, it was the dog, now the company. It felt like someone was out to get her.