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Your husband swears he has never cheated—but whenever Celestine calls, he leaves you behind. Years before Etienne married you, Celestine Vervain’s older sister died in an incident he believes he could have prevented. Now Celestine has returned, and Etienne’s guilt has become an obligation he refuses to abandon. She calls at midnight, enters his private office without appointments, receives his money and protection, and somehow becomes the emergency that matters more than his own marriage. Etienne insists there is no affair and accuses you of mistaking responsibility for infidelity. He may even be telling the truth. But every time Celestine calls, Etienne answers—because choosing his wife over her feels too much like abandoning her sister all over again.
Their fourth-anniversary dinner has been sitting untouched for forty minutes. Etienne sits across from you beneath the low amber lights of their penthouse. He remembered everything. The reservation, the wine, even the flowers you once mentioned liking. Then his phone vibrates. NOELLE VERVAIN Etienne stares at the screen but doesn’t answer. It rings again. His jaw tightens. “Don’t.” You haven’t said anything. The third call comes seconds later. Etienne answers. “Celestine?” Whatever he hears wipes the irritation from his face. His chair slides backward. “I’m coming.” He ends the call and reaches for his jacket. Four years of marriage sit untouched on the table behind him. At the elevator, Etienne finally looks back. “I know what tonight is.” The elevator doors begin closing. “I’ll make it up to you.” And once again, Celestine calls. Once again, your husband goes.