The Line He Crossed

Ethan has never been a morning person.

So, for this business trip, when he booked a six a.m. flight, it was more than just unusual. It was a red flag.

I couldn't help but ask him why he'd bought a ticket for such an ungodly hour.

A rare, helpless smile touched the lips of a man who was usually so cool and composed.

"The new assistant isn't very experienced," he said. "She told me the earliest flight was the cheapest."

I took a slow, deep breath, a sudden, chilling clarity washing over me.

This marriage was finally on its last legs.

1

Ethan was never the kind of boss who went easy on people.

On the contrary, he was a notorious perfectionist, with zero tolerance for rookie mistakes.

His last assistant, who had been with him for three years, was exiled to a branch office in Chicago simply for mixing up his coffee order.

But this time, a new assistant's blunder had him waking up at four a.m. for a flight, and all he did was laugh it off.

A delicate string inside me suddenly vibrated with unease.

Then I told myself I was overthinking it.

I knew Ethan. I trusted our eight years together.

Besides, he had always despised incompetence. I figured he'd fire the new girl the second he got back from this trip.

The last day of his trip happened to be our third wedding anniversary.

I'd booked a table at our favorite restaurant a month in advance to celebrate.

But Ethan, whose meetings ended that morning, dragged his return out until he landed just after midnight.

I was dozing off in the driver's seat of our car at the arrivals curb. The moment he pulled open the passenger door, a wave of disappointment washed over me.

"The restaurant is closed," I grumbled. "What took you so long? Was the flight delayed for hours?"

Just as the words left my mouth, the back door opened.

I turned my head. A young, beautiful girl slid into the back seat as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She looked up at me and smiled sweetly.

"Hi, you must be Claire. I'm Sienna, Mr. Hayes's new assistant."

She beamed. "I hope you don't mind me catching a ride. Thanks so much for dropping me home!"

Ethan, now buckling his seatbelt, had an amused smirk on his face. "Ask her," he said, nodding toward the back.

He was answering my complaint.

"Ethan!" the girl whined, drawing out his name and pouting. "Don't tease me! I only booked the red-eye to save the company money!"

I didn't start the car. I narrowed my eyes, my gaze shifting to my husband.

He was looking down at his phone, showing no signs of the fatigue or irritation that usually came with a late-night flight.

My heart sank.

These all seemed like trivial little things.

But after eight years together, I knew Ethan better than anyone.

He was a man who lived by firm boundaries. He hated mixing his professional and personal lives. The company had a generous car service policy, yet even in a downpour, he'd never let an employee hitch a ride.

What's more, Sienna had just committed two major professional sins in the span of a few minutes.

My hands tightened on the steering wheel.

My intuition screamed that there was something unspoken between them, a current of ambiguity that I couldn't ignore.

It felt like a tiny needle pricking my heart, releasing a slow, spreading poison of anxiety.

I lifted my eyes, meeting Sienna's gaze in the rearview mirror.

The smile was still on her face, but beneath the bright surface, there was a flicker of something else—a challenge that only another woman would recognize.

But I wasn't the type to swallow my feelings and play nice.

"Sorry, Sienna. That's not going to work for me," I said, my voice cold as I unlocked the doors.

The smile on her face froze.

She clearly hadn't expected the CEO's wife to be so blunt.

But she recovered quickly, pressing her palms together in a playful, pleading gesture. "Oh, please, Claire? It's impossible to get a cab at this hour. I had to beg Ethan to give me a lift. I promise I won't get in the way of your date night."

Ethan, who had been absorbed in his messages, finally seemed to notice the storm brewing in the car.

He turned his head to look at me.

His expression held a hint of disapproval.

But he didn't say anything.

I raised an eyebrow, my gaze unwavering.

"I saw a whole line of taxis at the arrivals terminal when I pulled up," I said evenly. "Remember to get a receipt for reimbursement."

"Claire… I…"

The girl bit her lip, her eyes welling up with tears as she darted helpless glances at Ethan.

My patience was gone. "Get out of the car," I said, my voice sharp.

Sienna flinched, and tears began to stream down her cheeks.

Ethan cleared his throat.

In the end, he wasn't going to piss me off for the sake of a new assistant.

"Just call an Uber," he said to her, his tone gentle but firm. "Be safe. And text me the license plate number when you get in."

2

Just like he'd always promised, Ethan had my back.

Whenever it mattered, he stood firmly behind me, no questions asked, ready to protect me.

But this time, I felt no joy.

The concern and softness Ethan showed for another woman was like a thorn in my side.

Finally, we were alone in the car.

But the silence was a living thing, a vine that crept and coiled between us.

Ethan was the first to break.

He sighed, a sound of resigned indulgence, and took my hand, lifting it to his lips for a soft kiss.

"She's just a young girl, Claire. I was worried about her going home alone this late."

I stared directly into his eyes.

"Weren't your other assistants young? Weren't they girls? I don't remember you ever showing this much compassion before."

Ethan blinked, then a small laugh escaped him.

"Is it that time of the month? Why are you letting your imagination run wild?"

"She's just my assistant. That's all."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a necklace, and leaned over to fasten it around my neck.

"Alright, baby," he murmured, his voice softening. "Today is our anniversary. Let's not let someone irrelevant ruin the mood."

"Let's go home. I'll grill you a steak myself, how about that?"

He looked at me with that familiar gaze, warm and deep, the kind of look you could drown in.

The moisture in my eyes hadn't dried, but the corners of my mouth had already begun to curve into a smile.

Absence does make the heart grow fonder. Ethan's spirits were high, and we spent most of the night tangled up in each other.

The next day was a workday, but we slept in until the sun was high in the sky.

I decided to take the day off, but Ethan had to go into the office to deal with work.

He'd never had a sweet tooth, but as he was leaving, he asked our housekeeper to pack up some of the dessert she'd just made.

My intuition told me his unusual behavior had something to do with that new assistant.

Since I had the afternoon free, I drove to his office.

He was in a meeting.

Through the crack of the conference room door, I saw his brow furrowed as he scanned a report.

He tapped his knuckles on the table. "This data has a 0.1% margin of error. Redo it."

A subordinate started to explain, but Ethan tossed the file back at him. "I want a revised version on my desk by the end of the day."

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