Mariana stared at the message as a cold detachment settled over her.
Chloe looked up, lowering her voice. “There’s one more thing.”
“What?”
“He told me that after your daughter died, he only stayed with you because if he walked out then, everyone in your social circle would see him as a monster.”
Mariana remained completely still.
When she finally stood from the booth, the question was no longer whether her husband was cheating.
The real question was how many years he had spent weaponizing the worst tragedy of her life to control the story of hers.
PART 3
Mariana returned to the condo shortly before six.
She didn’t cry.
Instead, she took a medium rolling suitcase from the master closet and left it open and empty beside the front door.
Twenty minutes later, Alejandro unlocked the door and immediately noticed it.
“What is this supposed to mean?” he asked, tossing his keys onto the entryway table.
