I received a 25-year prison sentence for a crime I didn’t commit. My husband stood beside his pregnant mistress while my mother-in-law pretended to cry. I calmly revealed one secret. The officers froze, and the prosecutor shouted, “Stop the transfer!”

The prosecution presented the evidence surrounding Clara’s disappearance, Arthur’s death, and the financial crimes committed against Vance Holdings.

After the court delivered its decision, Silas faced a life sentence.

Beatrice also received a lengthy prison term for her role in concealing evidence and other offenses.

When Silas heard the sentence, he turned toward me.

“Eleanor, please.”

I remained silent.

He gripped the edge of the table.

“We were married. We made promises to each other.”

I looked at him.

For one brief moment, I remembered the man who had brought me soup during a snowstorm.

The man who had waited outside my office with flowers.

The man who had knelt in the rain and promised to love me forever.

But I finally understood something.

Those moments hadn’t been proof of his character.

They’d been part of the image he’d wanted me to believe.

I stood.