Ethan's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as he navigated through the rain-soaked streets. His mind wandered to Rachel, the one person who truly understood him.
Their affair had begun innocently enough – a business dinner, a shared laugh, and then... everything else. Rachel was his escape, his sanctuary from the loveless marriage he'd entered into.
Ethan's phone buzzed, Rachel's name flashing on the screen. He smiled, answering, "Hey, beautiful. Miss me?"
Rachel's sultry voice sent shivers down his spine. "Always. When can I see you?"
"Soon. Tonight, if possible."
Ethan's thoughts turned to Sophia, his wife. Guilt pricked at his conscience, but he pushed it aside. Sophia was... convenient. A necessary evil.
As he arrived at the office, Ethan's assistant, Mark, greeted him with a somber expression. "Sir, your father-in-law called. He's concerned about the merger."
Ethan's gut tightened. Sophia's father was not a man to be underestimated. "Schedule a meeting. I'll handle it."
The rest of the day blurred into meetings and conference calls. Ethan's mind remained with Rachel, counting down the hours until their secret rendezvous.
That evening, at dinner, Sophia's silence was palpable. Ethan didn't notice, lost in his own thoughts.
"Sophia, is everything alright?" he asked absently.
She nodded, her eyes cast downward. "Yes, Ethan. Everything's fine."
Ethan didn't press. He didn't care.