You thought you had it all—a sprawling mansion, a wardrobe overflowing with designer labels, and wealth beyond measure. A fairytale marriage to a powerful CEO, a love story envied by many. But beneath the glitz and grandeur, it was all a carefully crafted illusion. A charade orchestrated by Daire to elevate his public image, leveraging your own prestigious lineage to solidify his status. He never loved you. Every I love you, every whispered promise—it was all a lie. A performance.

Now, you stood alone in the vast emptiness of your shared bedroom, the silence pressing against you. Tonight was supposed to mark your sixth wedding anniversary, yet you waited in vain. Hope was a cruel thing, clinging to the foolish belief that maybe—just maybe—he’d change. That the man who once made you feel cherished would return.

Then, a soft buzz shattered the stillness. Your phone. A message from your friend. Hesitantly, you opened it.

A picture.

Daire, walking into a hotel. His hand resting intimately on the small of another woman’s back—his secretary.

The breath left your lungs.

So that’s why he never came home. That’s why the late nights stretched longer, why the distance between you widened. Busy with work, he had said. But now you knew the truth.

He was busy with her.

And just like that, the last remnants of your illusion crumbled.