Page 127 of My Husband’s New Fiancée

“Let me be the judge of that.”

She gets to her feet. The way she leaves the room—without slamming the door, without a single unnecessary word—confirms exactly what I was hoping for.

She still thinks she has a chance.

She took the bait.

*

At lunch break, I head to the boxing gym located ten minutes from the office. I’ve always been highly athletic. Boxing, just like swimming, has long helped me relieve the pressure that comes with my position. After Valeria disappeared, boxing became my escape.

Today, after my meeting with Bianca, I need to hit something until I stop thinking.

That woman who claimed to love me had used my grief as a way into my life.

I replay every conversation we’ve had over the past two years. The skillful way she used my pain to make herself indispensable. All she had to do was mention Valeria’s name, and I would cling to every word she said.

Now I find myself wondering how much of what she told me was sincere.

All this time, all she really wanted was to take her place.

I unleash my frustration on the punching bag with barely controlled violence. But I’m no longer sure whether all this rage is directed at Bianca or at myself.

By the time I step into the shower, I feel slightly calmer.

Then, as I eat lunch alone in one of my favorite places, only one thought keeps crossing my mind: going to Valeria.

But that’s impossible. Not now.

The more our enemies believe nothing has been resolved between us, the easier they’ll be to manipulate. The easier it will be for them to believe I’m still blind to their schemes.

I return to the office shortly before the meeting with Ciphera.

Bianca intercepts me in the lobby, smiling. Peltier arrives right behind her.

“Gaspard. You’re early.”

He greets me warmly before turning to Bianca.

Her smile, on the other hand, looks far more forced.

We walk into the meeting room just as Wald and his lawyers arrive. Smiling. Relaxed.

By now, he probably already knows about the trackers and the disappearance of the NRX-889 file.

The handshake he offers me practically burns my skin.

Bianca is about to speak, but Wald cuts her off immediately.

“Ms. Delorme won’t be joining us?”

“No. She had another commitment this afternoon.”

Wald freezes for a fraction of a second before adjusting the cuff of his sleeve.

“In any case, there’s no urgency,” I say calmly. “Everything is frozen until her legal situation has been clarified.”

“How long do you think it will take before discussions can resume?” Wald asks evenly.