The front door opened while Vanessa was still smiling at me. A moment later, Caleb stepped into the dining room, loosened his coat, and apologized for being late. Ethan looked up first. The color drained from his face so quickly that Vanessa noticed. Then Caleb crossed the room, kissed my temple, and rested one hand gently on my shoulder. “Sorry, sweetheart. The board meeting ran long.”
Vanessa stared between us. “You know him?” she asked Ethan. He swallowed before answering. Caleb was the majority owner of the consulting firm Ethan had joined two years earlier, the same company Vanessa constantly bragged had finally put them into “the right circles.” Caleb wasn’t Ethan’s immediate supervisor, but every senior executive ultimately answered to his board. Vanessa’s wineglass slipped from her fingers and shattered against the floor.
...
