Betrayed Wife's Escape After Husband's Cruel Deception

The candles on my birthday cake had burned down to stubs by the time I gave up waiting. I'd spent hours preparing Reid's favorite meal—beef Wellington with truffle sauce, the recipe I'd perfected over years of marriage. The dining room looked beautiful with the crystal wine glasses I'd inherited from my grandmother and the silver candelabra that had been our first anniversary gift.

I smoothed down the red dress I'd saved for tonight. It was new, purchased months ago with this evening in mind. The fabric hugged my curves perfectly, making me feel young and desirable—things I desperately wanted Reid to see in me again.

"Maybe he got caught in traffic," I whispered to myself, checking my phone for the twentieth time. No calls. No texts.

I called his office. His assistant, Marcus, answered on the third ring.

"Mrs. Morrison," he said, his voice carefully neutral. "Mr. Morrison left the office around four."

"Did he mention where he was going?" I asked, trying to keep desperation from my voice.

There was a pause. "He's at Velvet Lounge downtown. Some kind of sales promotion event."

My stomach twisted. "Thank you, Marcus."

I hung up and stared at my reflection in the hallway mirror. The woman looking back at me was still beautiful, but there was something hollow in her eyes. Five years of marriage to Reid Morrison, and he couldn't even remember my birthday.

The drive to Velvet Lounge took twenty minutes. Each mile only hardened my resolve. I wouldn't cry. Not tonight.

The club was packed when I arrived, bass-heavy music pulsing through the air. I paid the cover charge and pushed my way through the crowd, scanning for Reid's tall figure.

I found him near the bar, surrounded by bottles of champagne. Not just a few bottles—hundreds of them, stacked in pyramids behind him. A young woman with glossy black hair and a tight white dress stood beside him, laughing up at his face with practiced adoration.

"Five hundred bottles of Dom P�rignon," the bartender was announcing to the crowd. "Mr. Morrison is tonight's champion!"

Applause erupted around them. Reid grinned, his arm sliding around the girl's waist.

"For my favorite sales associate," he announced, loud enough for me to hear over the music. "Nothing's too good for Cali."

Cali. The name hit me like a physical blow.

I moved closer, pushing through the circle of admirers. Reid didn't notice me at first. He was too busy pressing a kiss to Cali's temple, his fingers splayed possessively against her hip.

"Reid," I said, my voice sounding strange even to my own ears.

He looked up slowly, his expression shifting from surprise to irritation. "Evangeline? What are you doing here?"

"It's my birthday," I said, the words coming out steadier than I felt. "I thought we were celebrating tonight."

His eyes flickered to his watch, then back to me. "Right. I forgot."

Beside him, Cali's lips curved into a smile that never reached her eyes. "Oh, is this your wife?"