Chapter 2 - The Secret in Her Purse
"Her sister," Griffin answered. "Paige Marlowe."
Dominic stared at the ballroom doors.
"Get the cars ready."
Celeste's fingers tightened around his arm.
"Dominic, don't."
He looked down at her.
"Don't what?"
"Chase after your wife in front of four hundred people. That's exactly what she wants. She made a scene, handed you those papers, and walked away. If you follow her, she'll think she has won."
Dominic's jaw moved.
"She didn't make a scene. I did."
Celeste's expression faltered.
He handed the envelope to Griffin.
"Find out where she's going."
"Already working on it."
Dominic turned toward the private elevator, but Celeste stepped in front of him.
"What about us?"
He looked at her as if he had temporarily forgotten she was there.
"Not now."
"You just announced that you intend to marry me."
"I remember what I said."
"Then perhaps you should act like it."
A muscle tightened in his cheek.
"Celeste, move."
She stepped aside, but not before whispering, "You cannot keep both of us waiting forever."
Dominic entered the elevator without answering.
Across town, Eliza sat in Paige's guest bedroom, still wearing the champagne-colored dress.
Her phone had not stopped vibrating.
Twenty-three missed calls.
All from Dominic.
She turned it facedown.
Paige placed a mug of ginger tea on the bedside table.
"You should eat something."
"I'm not hungry."
"You haven't eaten since lunch."
"I said I'm not hungry."
Paige sat beside her.
"Fine. Then let's talk about the other problem."
Eliza knew what she meant.
The pregnancy.
"There's no other problem."
"Dominic doesn't know."
"And he won't find out from me."
"Eliza, he's the father."
"He's also the man who stood in front of four hundred people and announced he was replacing me."
Paige sighed.
"I know. I'm not defending him. I'm asking what happens when he discovers the truth."
Eliza looked at the tiny ultrasound photograph resting on the nightstand.
"By then, I want a lawyer, a separate home, and enough money to make sure he cannot use our daughter to control me."
Paige nodded slowly.
"Then we'll arrange all three."
Eliza had spent seven years believing that loving Dominic meant trusting him with everything.
She had shared her bank accounts, her family history, her fears, and eventually her dream of becoming a mother.
But she had also learned to keep one thing separate.
Her grandmother's inheritance.
Three years earlier, when Dominic's business empire had faced a devastating financial investigation, Eliza had discovered that her grandmother had left her a substantial portfolio of investments and a controlling interest in a small property company.
She had never transferred it into the Rourke family estate.
At the time, Dominic had encouraged her to keep the inheritance independent.
"Never let anyone mix your name with my business," he had told her.
She had thought it was protection.
Now she wondered whether it had been the first lesson in surviving him.
Her phone vibrated again.
This time, a message appeared.
Dominic: We need to talk. Come home.
Eliza deleted it.
Another message arrived.
Dominic: Don't make decisions while you're upset.
She almost laughed.
He had spent three years making decisions for both of them.
At 11:42 p.m., the doorbell rang.
Paige rose immediately.
"Stay here."
Eliza heard the front door open.
Then a familiar male voice.
"Where is she?"
"Not here to see you," Paige replied.
"Paige."
"Don't use that voice with me."
Eliza stood.
She didn't want Dominic coming upstairs and finding her hiding.
She walked into the hallway.
Dominic was standing in the entryway, his black overcoat soaked from the rain. His hair was disheveled, and the white envelope was still in his hand.
For the first time that night, he looked less like a powerful businessman and more like a man who had lost control of something important.
His eyes found hers.
"Come home."
"No."
"We're not discussing our marriage in your sister's hallway."
"We weren't discussing it in the ballroom either. You were announcing your replacement."
"Celeste and I—"
"Don't."
Eliza held up one hand.
"Whatever explanation you prepared, keep it. I don't want it."
Dominic looked at her stomach for a brief moment.
Then his gaze returned to her face.
"Is there something you're not telling me?"
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
For one terrifying second, she thought he knew.
"No."
He studied her.
"You've never been good at lying."
"Then you should know I'm telling the truth about wanting a divorce."
Dominic stepped closer.
"Seven years, Eliza."
"Exactly."
"You're throwing everything away over one announcement?"
She stared at him.
"One announcement?"
Her voice shook.
"Dominic, Celeste wore your grandmother's necklace. You introduced her as your future wife. And you stood there while your entire business circle watched your wife discover she was being replaced."
His expression hardened.
"The necklace was a gift."
"Then you should have given it to her privately."
He looked away.
Eliza continued.
"You didn't just betray me. You made sure I was the last person in that room to know."
Silence filled the hallway.
Dominic finally lowered his voice.
"Come home. We'll sort this out."
"No."
"Eliza, I'm not asking again."
"And I'm not your employee."
She turned toward the stairs.
His voice stopped her.
"Who is Paige's attorney?"
Eliza looked over her shoulder.
"Someone who knows how to protect me."
Dominic's eyes narrowed.
"Protect you from me?"
She didn't answer.
When he finally left, Paige locked the door and turned toward her sister.
"That was terrifying."
Eliza leaned against the wall.
"I know."
"Are you okay?"
Eliza shook her head.
Then she looked down at her purse.
The tiny ultrasound card was still inside.
And for the first time, she understood that her silence was no longer about protecting Dominic from pain.
It was about protecting her daughter from becoming another possession in his empire.
What she didn't know was that Dominic had noticed something else before leaving.
On the hallway table, beside Paige's keys, lay a medical appointment reminder.
Maternal-Fetal Medicine — November 8.
May you like
Dominic had read the clinic's name.
And he had memorized it.
