Chapter 2The Secret in the Study

Arthur came home early tonight.

Seeing the living room lights off when he came in, he called out my name.

"Chloe Vance."

I braced myself and walked out of the bedroom.

"You're home. I didn't make dinner tonight."

Arthur still had that same unsmiling expression.

Whenever he called me, he always used my full name.

But I had read the diary...

Just thinking about him, with that aloof face, secretly using my nightgowns to...

I couldn't even look him in the eye.

Completely oblivious to my unusual behavior, he handed me a blue gift bag.

"That's fine. We can go out to eat.

"This is a gift for you."

I reached out to take it.

The back of my hand accidentally brushed against his fingertips.

I pulled back quickly.

Arthur's eyes darkened for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.

Today was our third wedding anniversary.

The gift I had prepared for him was a divorce agreement.

Yet he had bought me a pearl necklace.

I suppressed my complicated emotions and said softly:

"I'm sorry, I forgot to get you a gift."

Thankfully, he didn't seem to mind.

"It's okay. I don't need anything.

"This necklace suits you, so I picked it up."

I quietly said thank you.

Arthur said flatly:

"You're welcome. Get ready, I'll go make a reservation."

I changed into a strapless velvet dress, paired with a fur shawl.

And put on the pearl necklace he gave me.

It was an elegant outfit, not overly flashy.

When I opened the door, Arthur looked up and was visibly stunned for a second.

Our eyes met, and my heart suddenly beat faster.

Before I could speak, he had already looked away.

"Let's go."

Watching his indifferent back, I muttered to myself:

Let's see how long you can keep this act up.

...

The temperature in the restaurant was a bit high. Just as I was about to take off my shawl,

He suddenly looked up and stared at me.

Arthur had sharp features and deep-set eyes.

Wearing glasses usually softened his aggressive aura, giving him a more refined look.

But right now, I saw danger in his eyes.

"Wh-what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm going out for a smoke."

As soon as he left, that suffocating feeling instantly dissipated.

For a second there, I thought he was going to eat me alive.