Chapter 2

The next morning, Cora posted a clarification video.

Bare-faced, eyes faintly red, she sat in the private room where Keith's restaurant did most of its livestreams.

"What was said at the reunion was just friends joking around."

"Mrs. Henson is a sensitive person, and Mr. Henson didn't want her getting the wrong idea, so when something came up last minute, he'd send her a transfer to smooth things over."

"During that surgery, Mr. Henson did go out of town with me, but it was only for work. There's nothing between us. I hope everyone will stop hurting people."

Every line sounded like she was defending me.

But every line nailed down three things.

When I had my surgery, my husband went out of town with her.

I really had taken his money.

And I was still a sensitive, difficult woman who had to be soothed with cash.

The comments flipped within the hour.

【She's been branded a mistress, and the wife still won't come out and apologize?】

【Husband earns the money to support the family, what's the problem with a last-minute business trip?】

【Bottom line, she just thinks $130,000 wasn't enough.】

By the time I got to the restaurant, Keith was in the back kitchen testing a new item.

He saw me and held out a piece of fresh pastry first.

"You came on an empty stomach?"

I didn't take it.

"Have Cora take the video down."

He set the pastry back on the plate, washed his hands, and only then brought me into the office.

"She's been dragged all night. She has to protect herself."

"She can protect herself however she wants. Why drag my surgery into it?"

"She didn't say what kind of surgery it was."

"So it's fine to let everyone guess whatever they like?"

Keith pressed his brow.

"The fact is, I didn't cheat."

"The fact is also that when I woke up, you weren't there."

"That client was tied to the financing for the new location. If I hadn't gone, the company would've lost millions."

"So you took her?"

"She was the project lead."

His patience was thinning by the second.

"Violet, work and your surgery were two separate things to begin with. You're the one who insists on tying them together."

My phone rang right then.

A brand I'd worked with for three years.

The voice on the other end was polite, and left no room at all.

"Violet, the PR risk is too high right now, so the planned project is on hold for the time being. Keep the deposit. We'll cancel any follow-up work for now."

The office was very quiet.

Keith heard every word.

When the call ended, he asked, "How much?"

I didn't follow.

"However much you lost on the project, I'll make it up to you."

"What I wanted was the work."

"Is there a difference?"

He opened his banking app.

"How much would you have made off this project? Twenty thousand? Thirty?"

I clamped my hand over his.

"Don't transfer it."

Outside, a chorus of voices went up in unison.

"Welcome to the $5,200 Move-On Package livestream!"

A few employees had new badges pinned to their chests.

Inside a red heart, the words read:

【Transfer it, move on, never a cold shoulder.】

I pushed the door open and yanked the promo poster off the display stand.

The livestream camera swung around at exactly the wrong moment.

On screen, my face was white, my hand crushing a torn "$5,200 Package."

The comments exploded.

【The real wife came to trash the place!】

【Didn't smash anything while she was taking the money, now it goes viral and she throws a fit?】

【Poor Mr. Henson, married someone this unstable.】

The staff scrambled to cut the stream.

Keith came out fast, shrugged off his jacket to block the camera, and hauled me back into the office.

"Do you have any idea how many people were watching just now?"

"That poster is making money off my marriage."

"We didn't use your photo. We didn't put your name on it."

"Everyone knows exactly who it's about!"

He stared at me, his chest rising and falling a few times, and then he reached out and pulled me in.

"Okay, I know you've been through a lot."

His palm moved slowly against my back, the way it had after every fight before.

"Come home tonight, I'll have dinner with you. I'll just mention it a little less on the livestream, all right?"

"Mention it a little less?"

"I can't exactly shut it all down now."

I pushed him off.

"Cora gets dragged, and you have her post a video right away."

"I get dragged, and you tell me to ride it out."

"You're my wife."

He said it like it settled everything.

"A couple days of it won't kill you."

The words landed, and even he paused for a second.

Then he took a bank card out of the drawer and pressed it into my hand.

"Don't take on any work for a while. I can afford to keep you."

Outside, the livestream countdown started up again.

So it turned out the protection he kept talking about meant this: once I lost my work, I'd only need his money more.