Chapter 1 - The Strands on the MirrorThe first thing I saw in the mirror was the empty patch above my left ear.

Not a bad haircut. Not an accident.

Someone had cut a fist-sized section of my hair down to the scalp while I was unconscious in the private recovery room.

My hands were still shaking from the sedative when I noticed the black strands scattered across the white pillow behind me.

Then I saw the note taped to the mirror.

Maybe now he'll stop pretending you're the beautiful one.

I knew exactly who had written it.

Vanessa Cole.

My husband's mistress.

I didn't scream. I didn't call security. I didn't even cry.

I calmly picked up my phone and called my husband, Grant.

He answered on the fourth ring, sounding irritated.

“Claire, I'm in a board meeting.”

“You have five minutes.”

Silence.

“Excuse me?”

“Tell Vanessa to come back to the clinic, apologize for what she did, and explain exactly how she got into a secured medical room.”

Grant laughed. Actually laughed.

“You're being dramatic again.”

I stared at my reflection.

“Five minutes, Grant.”

“And if I don't?”

“Your entire world ends today.”

His voice turned cold. “Are you threatening me?”

“No. I'm giving you your last chance.”

He hung up.

At exactly five minutes, I opened the encrypted folder I'd been keeping untouched for three years.

Bank transfers. Shell companies. Forged signatures. One secret acquisition Grant believed no one knew about. And a document with my name at the top that could remove him from his own company before dinner.

I pressed send.

Thirty seconds later, my phone started exploding with calls. Grant. His attorney. The chairman of the board.

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Then a text appeared from an unknown number: Do not leave that room. Vanessa isn't the person you should be afraid of.

I looked toward the clinic door. The handle slowly began to turn.