Chapter 1

Thanksgiving happened to fall on my mother's birthday, and my husband, Adrian, was overseas on business, but he told me he'd already sent his assistant over with a gift.

Half an hour later, his assistant, Sabrina, showed up at the door carrying two pieces of pecan pie.

"Mrs. Preston, Mr. Preston asked me to deliver these to your mother."

My mom froze where she stood and my dad's expression darkened.

I reached for my phone, ready for an explanation from Adrian, when a line of floating comments suddenly flashed before my eyes.

[Don't do anything stupid! Your husband actually bought your mother an antique necklace while he was overseas!]

[Sabrina is using those pies to drive a wedge between you and Adrian!]

[She's trying to wreck your marriage so she can take your place. Don't let her get what she wants!]

I stared at the comments, completely stunned.

Before I could process what I'd just seen, Sabrina had shoved the pies into my arms.

"Mrs. Preston, why do you look so pale? Are you unhappy with Mr. Preston's gift?"

"You know how busy he is overseas. He's got a million things to deal with. He can't be expected to handle every little detail himself."

Another comment popped up.

[She's recording you on her phone! If you so much as show your displeasure, she'll use it against you. Keep cool!]

I took the pies and gave Sabrina a faint smile.

"Of course not."

"It's a very thoughtful gift. My parents love pecan pie, so these are perfect. One for each of them."

The smile on Sabrina's face faltered for a split second.

……

I acted as though I hadn't noticed and set the pies on the console table by the front door.

"Thank you for bringing these over, Sabrina. Why don't you come in for a cup of tea before you go?"

"I can't. Mr. Preston still needs me to take care of a few things."

She turned toward the door and reached for the handle.

Just then, as if she'd suddenly remembered something, she paused and looked back at me.

Her eyes settled on my face, her expression carrying just the right amount of reluctance.

"Oh, right, Mrs. Preston. Mr. Preston asked me to tell you."

A knot formed in my stomach, though I kept my expression neutral.

"Go ahead."

Sabrina sighed.

"There have been some problems with Mr. Preston's overseas project, and the company is running short on cash. He needs to use this house as collateral."

"Mr. Preston feels terrible about asking your parents to leave, but he wants them to stay somewhere else for a few days. Once the project is back on track, he'll bring them home."

The moment she finished, my father shot to his feet.

"What?!"

"Adrian bought this house for us just three months ago. He went out of his way to find the place himself, looking at dozens of houses before he settled on this one!"

"It was five minutes from the senior center and just a mile from the hospital. My wife has a heart condition, and Adrian said this was the perfect place for her to rest. And now he's just putting it up as collateral? Just like that?!"

Sabrina maintained a polite, unreadable smile.

"Please don't get upset, sir. There's nothing I can do about it."

"Mr. Preston says it's only temporary. He hopes you'll understand and not make things difficult for him."

"Make things difficult...?"

My mother's face drained of color. She let out a shaky breath, pressed a hand to her chest, and sank back onto the sofa.

The floating comments flashed across my vision one after another.

[It's a lie! The house belongs to your parents outright. It has absolutely nothing to do with his overseas project!]

[She’s trying to record you complaining about Adrian, then send him the footage to drive a wedge between you and him!]

[Whatever you do, don't call him now. He's in the middle of crucial negotiations, and he won't be able to answer anyway!]

[She planned this timing. Don't take the bait. Play along and move out!]

I took a deep breath and put a steadying hand on my dad's arm.

"Dad, please don't make things harder for Sabrina."

I turned to Sabrina and gave her a faint smile.