Chapter 2 Piper pov

Piper's POV

The slam of the door echoed in my ears like a gunshot. My hands trembled at my sides, the phantom imprint of his grip still burning into my skin. I stood in the hallway, numb, staring at the closed door as if it might open again and everything would reverse-the betrayal, the humiliation, the cold look in his eyes.

But it didn't.....nothing happened.

I turned slowly, one hand brushing the wall for balance. The marble floors of Ethan's empire gleamed beneath the sterile lights, mocking me with their perfection. Everything in this building was crafted for control, power, and illusion. It was just like him.

Selena's laugh still rang in my ears.

I walked out of the building in a haze, not stopping at the elevator but taking the stairs down all fifteen floors and each step was a descent into reality, into the kind of pain you don't cry about-you survive it.

I came out of the company and the city air hit me like a slap, cold and damp, but at least it was real.

I didn't go home.

I wandered the streets, wrapping my arms tightly around myself as if I could hold the pieces of me together. I passed people on their phones, couples laughing, children begging for ice cream-and I hated them all for a moment, for their simplicity and their happiness, their freedom.

I ended up in Central Park, sitting on a bench by the lake. The skyline shimmered above the water like a mirage, and I stared at it, feeling smaller than I ever had before.

How had I become this woman?

The kind who accepted silence as love, who stayed even after the affection ran dry, who clung to a marriage just because divorce felt like failure. I used to be someone and I used to matter.

Now I was just Ethan Miller's wife-his soon-to-be-ex, maybe already replaced.

My phone buzzed. I snatched it up with desperate hope in my chest, praying maybe, just maybe- but when I looked at it as an Unknown Number.

I hesitated, then answered. "Hello?"

It was nothing but silence.

"Who is this?" I asked again.

A low chuckle came through the line. It sounded like a male, it was rough. "Poor little Piper. Still pretending you're the queen when you've already lost the crown."

My blood ran cold. "Who the hell is this?"

Click........... The line went dead.

I stared at my phone, dread curling in my gut. That voice-it wasn't Ethan's but it knew me, knew something about me and it doesn't sound like someone is pulling a prank.

I stood, scanning the trees and the darkness, and it was nothing but rustling leaves and city sounds. I was alone... or so I hoped.

I left the park quickly, heart pounding. It was just a call. A weird one, yes but maybe a sick joke. One more thing to pile onto this hellish week.

By the time I got home, the house felt even colder than usual. Ethan's things were still there-his coats by the door, his cufflinks in the tray by the stairs, his presence haunting every corner-but he wasn't here.......he rarely was here.

I showered and slipped into a sweatshirt and leggings, curling up on the couch with a glass of wine and the TV on mute. I didn't need noise-I just needed distraction.

Just then, another buzz came through my phone. I checked it, and it was another--Unknown Number.

I stared at it, my breath catching. This time, I let it go to voicemail. Then a notification popped up seconds later---One new voice message.

With shaking hands, I pressed play.

"You really should watch your back, Piper."

My hand flew to my mouth. This wasn't just about Ethan. This was personal. I dialed Ethan's number immediately, panic clawing its way up my throat and it went straight to voicemail.

Of course it did. I didn't know what I had expected, for him to swoop in like the husband he pretended to be in public? To comfort me, protect me?

No...... That version of Ethan was long gone or it never even existed at all.

I dropped my phone on the table and stood abruptly. I needed to clear my head. I needed answers and maybe I needed protection, because whatever this was, it was getting out of hand.

********************************

The next morning, I went to see someone I hadn't spoken to in years.

Cameron Rhodes.

He used to be Ethan's head of security before he quit-or was fired, depending on who you asked-but he was loyal to me once, and if there was anyone who might still give a damn about my safety, it was him.

When he opened the door to his small, cluttered office on the Lower East Side, he blinked in surprise. "Piper?"

"Hi, Cam," I said, trying to sound stronger than I felt. "I need your help."

His expression darkened. "What happened?"

I stepped inside and shut the door behind me.

An hour later, I walked out of Cameron's office with a burner phone, a voice recorder, and one truth I didn't want but couldn't ignore.

"She didn't just come back for a job," Cam said. "She came back with something planned."

"What kind of plan?" I asked

He shook his head. "Not sure yet but whatever it is-she might have gotten Ethan by the throat."

I left with more questions than answers, but at least now I had a direction. A thread to pull. If Selena was back to playing power games, I needed to know what hand she was holding.

That night, I returned to Ethan's office building-but I didn't go through the front. Cameron had taught me well, once. I used the underground parking level, slipped in with a cleaning crew, and took the back elevator to the executive floor.

His office was dark. I checked my watch-he was supposed to be in a dinner meeting uptown-Perfect.

I crept in, heart racing, and closed the door softly behind me.

The desk was exactly as I remembered it-neat, organized, obsessive. I moved quickly, checking drawers, folders, and his laptop. Cameron had given me a flash drive and I plugged it in.

I didn't expect much-but what I found made my blood run cold.

Emails, dozens of them. It was between Ethan and someone named C.H."

"The transfer is ready and she suspects nothing."

"Make sure Piper doesn't find out. If she does, this all falls apart."

"Selena is handling it. You just keep your wife in line."

I stepped back from the screen, stomach lurching. What the hell was this? Who was "C.H."? What were they planning? What was Selena handling?

I grabbed the flash drive and turned to leave-but I stopped cold in my tracks. I heard Ethan's voice in the hallway.