Cheat With A Masked Man

For three years, Katherine has been an afterthought to Julian. At a party, his sister Eloise keeps refilling her glass, insisting it's for Julian's business deal. Katherine drinks until the world tilts; the wine is laced with an aphrodisiac. She calls Julian, voice breaking, but he tells her he's busy and to call the police. She wakes up in a strange room with a man on top of her, his movements violent, ignoring her pleas. When she comes to, he's gone, leaving behind a Nash Group business card. Three years ago Julian forced her into this marriage using a bone marrow donation as leverage. That morning, she finally asks for a divorce.

She doesn't know the man who assaulted her was Julian. Using a masked identity, Mr. A, he answers when she texts the number on that card. They meet in a dark hotel room—no lights, no names. She breathes in cedar cologne, the same scent Julian wears, but pushes the thought away. His hand finds the small of her back, his kiss slow where the first night was brutal. She doesn't know she's meeting her own husband in the dark.

Meanwhile, Julian begins showing a version of himself she's never encountered. He arranges protection for her imprisoned father without telling her, drives her to the prison, and clasps a diamond necklace around her neck. But Eloise takes the necklace and gives it to Louisa, who posts a selfie wearing it. Katherine sees the photo and stops making excuses. She has already caught the clues—the scratch on Julian's wrist, the familiar cologne, the way his palm heats the same spot Mr. A held her. When Mr. A's mask finally falls, the lies don't just break. They shatter—and Katherine is standing right there to see it all.