Chapter 1 The Room That Should've Been Safe

Evelyn stood at the end of the hallway, her fingers clutching the doorknob of the guest room-a room she had cleaned just days ago, the same room she had offered to Clarisse without hesitation. The woman had shown up at their door three months ago, teary-eyed and desperate, claiming she had nowhere else to go. Evelyn, always too trusting, too soft-hearted, had opened her home.

She hadn't expected to open that door and find her world collapsing.

The low murmur of voices inside was unmistakable. A man's voice-her husband's-and Clarisse's soft laughter. Evelyn froze. It wasn't the first time she'd had suspicions. Late-night calls Nathan claimed were work emergencies. Clarisse avoiding eye contact. Her gut had whispered, but her heart hadn't wanted to listen.

Until now.

With a breath that trembled in her chest, Evelyn pushed open the door.

Time seemed to stretch.

Clarisse was on the bed, legs tangled with Nathan's, her bare shoulders glowing under the warm light. Nathan turned his head, shock crawling slowly across his face like a stain. Clarisse didn't even flinch. Instead, she tilted her chin up with a kind of defiance that made Evelyn's stomach twist.

"Evelyn," Nathan said, scrambling to sit up, covering himself with the blanket as if modesty mattered now.

She didn't speak. Her eyes darted between them. Her husband. Her best friend. In her house. In her bed.

Clarisse smiled-calm, unapologetic. "I guess this saves us the trouble of telling you."

"What... What the hell is this?" Evelyn's voice cracked.

Nathan opened his mouth, but Clarisse was faster.

"We didn't mean for it to happen," she said smoothly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "But it did. And now, it's real. Nathan and I... we're in love."

Evelyn blinked, the words slicing into her. Real? Love?

"I've been your friend since college," Evelyn whispered. "You cried in my arms after every failed relationship. I gave you a place to stay. I trusted you-"

"And I'm grateful," Clarisse cut in. "But maybe that's the problem. You see trust as a weakness. You give too much and expect everyone to treat you like you treat them."

Nathan stood, his face pale. "Evie, I didn't want you to find out like this."

Evelyn laughed bitterly. "Then maybe you shouldn't have f*cked her in our guest room."

Silence.

Nathan flinched. Clarisse didn't.

Evelyn took a step forward, her eyes locked on her husband's. "What exactly are you trying to say now, Nathan? That it's over? That you're leaving me?"

He hesitated. "We want to get married."

The words were a punch to her ribs.

"You want my permission?" she asked, stunned. "After everything?"

Clarisse slid off the bed and stood beside Nathan, sliding her fingers into his. "It's the least you could do. You can't stop us from being together."

The arrogance. The cruelty. Evelyn felt something harden inside her.

She smiled. It wasn't the sweet, forgiving smile Nathan had known for the past seven years. This one was different-sharper. Measured.

"No," she said calmly. "You don't get my blessing. And you don't get to walk away clean."

Nathan frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Evelyn said, stepping closer until she could see the flicker of fear in his eyes, "if you think I'm just going to disappear quietly, let you two run off into some fairytale ending, you don't know me at all."

Clarisse's eyes narrowed. "So what? You're going to fight for a man who doesn't want you?"

"I'm going to fight for everything you thought you could steal from me," Evelyn snapped. "And then I'll make sure both of you know what it feels like to lose."

Nathan's jaw tensed, but he didn't speak. He couldn't. Somewhere deep inside, even he knew-he'd unleashed something in her that couldn't be undone.

Evelyn turned on her heel and walked out, not waiting to hear their excuses or their shallow declarations of "it just happened." The tears would come later. The heartbreak could wait.

Tonight, she didn't fall apart.

She started planning.