Dominic stared at his phone as another notification appeared.
I had never seen him look that way before.
He was usually the calmest person in a room.
Even when his company was struggling, he knew how to hide his worries behind a confident smile.
But that evening, his confidence was slipping.
"What is happening?" he asked the executive standing beside him.
The man lowered his voice.
"The board has requested an emergency review."
Dominic frowned.
"An emergency review of what?"
"The financing arrangements. They're asking for the original documents."
Dominic glanced toward me.
I said nothing.
He looked back at the executive.
"Who authorized this?"
The man hesitated.
"The board received a formal notice."
"From whom?"
"I don't have that information."
Dominic's jaw tightened.
"Find out."
The executive nodded and hurried away.
I watched my husband turn his attention back to his phone.
He was no longer interested in the people around him.
Not the guests.
Not the investors.
Not even the woman in the cream-colored dress.
His entire world had narrowed to the screen in his hand.
Sophia tugged at my coat.
"Mommy, can we go home?"
I looked down.
"Yes, sweetheart."
Dominic immediately stepped toward us.
"Vivienne, wait."
I stopped.
He looked at Sophia, then at me.
"We need to discuss this."
I kept my voice low.
"You had plenty of time to discuss things with me."
His eyes moved toward the woman behind him.
She was pretending to speak to another guest.
But I could tell she was listening.
"Not here," he repeated.
I almost asked him where he thought would be appropriate.
Our home?
The place where I had waited for him?
The kitchen where Sophia had drawn pictures of our family?
Or perhaps one of the hotel rooms where he had been entertaining his other life?
I didn't ask.
I had no interest in giving him another opportunity to control the conversation.
"Then don't discuss it."
He looked stunned.
"You're being unreasonable."
I looked at him for several seconds.
"Is that what you call it when your wife discovers another woman has been introduced as your wife?"
His face changed.
"Keep your voice down."
I glanced at Sophia.
"I am."
He rubbed his forehead.
"Vivienne, you don't understand the situation."
"Then explain it."
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
The woman in the cream dress approached him.
"Dominic, we should go upstairs."
He turned sharply.
"Not now."
She looked at me.
Then at Sophia.
Her expression was difficult to read.
I wondered whether she had been told I was an ex-wife.
Perhaps he had told her we were separated.
Perhaps he had invented an entirely different explanation.
I didn't know.
And I wasn't going to ask her in front of my daughter.
Dominic lowered his voice.
"Please. We can talk at home."
I looked at him.
"You still have a home to return to?"
He flinched.
For the first time, he had no answer.
My phone vibrated.
Victor had sent a message.
The review is underway. Legal counsel is present. Don't sign anything.
I read it and put the phone away.
Dominic noticed.
"Who are you talking to?"
"Someone who listens when I speak."
His expression hardened.
"Is this about your brother?"
I didn't answer.
He took a step closer.
"Did you call Victor?"
I looked directly at him.
"Why does that matter?"
"Because this is a private business matter."
I gave a small nod.
"Then perhaps you should have kept your private business separate from your marriage."
He looked away.
The senior executive returned.
This time, he was carrying a folder.
"Dominic, the board wants you in the conference room."
"Tell them I'll be there shortly."
"They said immediately."
Dominic stared at him.
"Do you understand who you're speaking to?"
The executive didn't lower his eyes.
"Yes, sir."
He paused.
"But they still need you upstairs."
I watched Dominic take the folder.
His fingers were tight around its edges.
The woman in the cream dress moved closer.
"What's going on?"
He ignored her.
That was when I understood something.
For years, Dominic had made everyone believe he was the person who controlled the room.
Now the room was beginning to make decisions without him.
I took Sophia's hand.
"Let's go."
Dominic called after me.
"Vivienne!"
I stopped near the reception desk.
He was standing beneath the large chandelier.
His expensive suit looked exactly the same.
But something about him had changed.
"Don't do anything you'll regret."
I looked at him.
"I've spent years regretting what I didn't do."
Then I walked away.
The paper necklace was still inside my handbag.
I could feel its small shape whenever I moved.
And I knew I wasn't going to throw it away.
Click here to continue reading: PART 6: The First Documents Reached the Boardroom, and My Husband Learned That His Biggest Investors Were Not Who He Believed
The Little Girl With a Handmade Gift Was About to Discover That Her Father Had Built a Second Family
Part 5 of 20
