I realized my marriage was over while hiding behind a concrete pillar. Not because I caught my husband kissing another woman.

Not high.

Just enough.

Julian saw.

The ballroom lights dimmed.

Grant froze.

The screen behind him flickered from the Hawthorne logo to black.

Then the first image appeared.

Grant at Charlotte Douglas Airport.

Holding white tulips.

The room went silent.

On the screen, Elise walked into frame.

Grant embraced her.

Not like a colleague.

Like a lover.

The bouquet crushed between them.

The audio was faint but clear.

“I missed you,” Grant whispered.

Elise laughed softly.

“Tomorrow,” she said. “Then no more hiding.”

Gasps rolled through the ballroom.

Grant turned pale.

“Turn that off,” he snapped.

No one moved.

The video changed.

Security footage from our house.

Elise entering.