Chapter 1

I was doing my husband Jack’s laundry when I found a crumpled hotel receipt in his pants pocket.

Condoms. Two boxes. Total cost: fifty dollars.

I didn’t cry. I didn’t make a scene. I folded the receipt back up, slipped it into his pocket, and pretended I knew nothing.

The next day, I quit my dead-end, $1,500-a-month job. I got a fresh haircut at a high-end salon, and applied to be a janitor at his company.

Later, he walked right past me with his female secretary, spat on the floor near my shoes, and said, "Clean that up."

I smiled, knelt down, and let my phone slide from my sleeve into my palm. I quietly aimed the camera at the two of them, who were already passionately kissing in the elevator.

But Jack had no idea. The wealthy client, Mr. Vance—the one he had been practically begging on the phone for a contract—was actually my biological brother, William.

I was doing my husband Jack’s laundry when I found a crumpled hotel receipt in his pants pocket.

Condoms. Two boxes. Total cost: fifty dollars.

The receipt was dated yesterday at 3:00 PM.

At that exact time, Jack had sent me a Snapchat saying he was in a meeting with a client and told me not to wait up for dinner.

I didn’t cry. I didn’t make a scene.

I folded the receipt back up, slipped it into his pocket, and washed and hung his clothes as if nothing had happened.

For dinner, I cooked a whole table of his favorite food. He didn’t get home until 10:00 PM.

He smelled like body wash. It wasn’t the brand we used at home.

"I’m exhausted," he said, loosening his tie and throwing himself onto the couch. "That client was a total pain in the ass."

I poured him a bowl of soup and handed it to him with a smile. "You’ve been working so hard."

He took it and drank, but his eyes never left his phone screen.

While I was clearing the dishes, I caught a glimpse of his Snapchat screen.

The contact was saved as "Chloe." The last message was a blowing-kiss emoji.

The next morning, I went to my office and handed in my resignation.

My HR supervisor, Mrs. Gable, was surprised. "Sera, you’ve been doing so well here. Why are you leaving?"

"Just some family stuff to handle," I smiled, offering no further explanation.

For $1,500 a month, where I had to beg for time off, there was really nothing to regret leaving behind.

After leaving the office, I drove straight to the building where Jack worked.

Sterling Group was one of the most famous private corporations in the city. Jack was a sales manager there, making $120,000 a year.

During our three years of marriage, he always complained about how hard it was to support the household. He told me to save every penny, and I believed him.

For three years, I hadn't bought a single piece of clothing that cost over thirty dollars.

I sat in the coffee shop across the street until 4:00 PM.

Then, I saw him walk out. A young woman in a tight red dress was walking beside him, holding his arm. They were laughing and talking as they headed into the parking lot.

I took a sip of my coffee. It was no longer hot. It was just right.

The next day, I passed the interview at Sterling Group.

My position: Janitorial Staff.

When I went to pick up my uniform, the supervisor, Martha, looked at me.

"You look pretty young. Why do you want to do this kind of work?"

"I need the cash," I said.

Martha didn't ask further. She pointed toward the locker room.

I put on the dull gray uniform, grabbed my mop and bucket, and started my new job.

My husband had no clue.

Every day he walked past me, his gaze never staying on me for more than a millisecond.

His office was on the twelfth floor. My assigned area was the ground floor lobby and public restrooms, so we rarely crossed paths.

But I had my ways.

Being a cleaner had one major advantage—nobody paid attention to you.

It took me three days to map out all the blind spots of the building’s security cameras.

It took me another two days to hide a voice recorder and a tiny pinhole camera inside the twelfth-floor restroom supply closet.

On the afternoon of the sixth day, I saw Jack and his secretary in the red dress enter the elevator together.

Before the doors closed, he spat on the floor right by my feet.

"Hey, cleaner," he called out, not even looking at my face. "Wipe that up."

I looked up and smiled at him.

"Of course, sir."

I knelt down and wiped the spot clean with a rag.

The elevator doors slowly shut in front of me. Through the final gap, I saw his hand already sliding down to squeeze the secretary’s waist.

Once the elevator went up, I stood up and pulled my phone from my apron pocket.

On the screen was the live feed from the elevator.

The moment he kissed her was captured in perfect clarity.

I saved the video to an encrypted folder.

There were already thirty-seven files in there, spanning from six months ago to now.

I named the files by date. Who he was with, and on what day—it was all perfectly organized.

He had no idea.

In his eyes, I was just a clueless housewife making $1,500 a month. A woman with no education, no skills, who couldn't survive without him.

He had no idea about something else, either.

Sterling Group’s biggest client was Vance Enterprises. And the legal owner of that company was William Vance.

My older brother.

And all I was doing now was waiting for the perfect moment to ruin Jack completely.