The Wife Who walked away Richer

s tucked safely inside. I slid into the passenger seat and closed the door. The familiar leather interior should have been comforting, but my heart was racing. I'd rehearsed this moment a dozen times

elry brand. The same boutique I'd lingered outside last month, admiring a diamond necklace in the window display. Something warm bloomed in my chest, pushing back against the hurt. Maybe I'd been too harsh in my thoughts. Lucas wasn't good with words. He never had been. But this, this was his way of caring. He'd noticed. He'd remembered. He ended the call and turned to me. "See? There are too many things going on. The company really can't run without you." Guilt crept in, replacing the hurt. Maybe I really had caused problems by collapsing. The timing couldn't have been worse, with everything happening at once. "I'll come back tomorrow," I said quietly. He nodded and started the car. When we pulled into the driveway, I noticed another car already parked there. My stomach sank. That was my mother-in-law's car. I followed Lucas inside, my body still weak. Eleanor was standing in the foyer, arms crossed, her face set in that expression I knew too well. "Well," she said without preamble. "That was quite a performance this morning." I stopped on the bottom step. "Excuse me?" "Fainting at work. Very dramatic." Her lips curved into something cold. "Making a fuss over nothing, just to dodge your responsibilities." My hands clenched at my sides. "I was actually sick." "You look fine now." She looked me up and down with disdain. "Even though there are servants in this house, I need you to clean. My daughter is coming back today, and the house shouldn't look messy." Heat flooded my face. My daughter. Lucas's stepsister, the one Eleanor had brought into the family when she remarried his father. There were maids who came re