What Changed

Chapter 73

A few days later, Lily sat facing the waves of the ocean on the patio, nursing her mug of chamomile tea. She hoped this soothing ritual might help to quell her shaken nerves, but her mind was still running on agonizing spinning wheels.

She couldn't fathom how James—her James—could have perpetrated such comprehensive deception year after year. Yet the evidence in that damning folder made it impossible to go on deluding herself much longer.

Lily didn't know which was worse - the sickening realization that her marriage had been a mirage, or the nagging voice that wondered if she was just being naive again, desperate to cling to the man she loved no matter his sins.

A soft sound made her look up to see James approaching hesitantly. Her breath caught in her throat as her gaze drank in his haggard appearance - the rumpled suit, the dark circles under his eyes, the entire aura of a man pushed to the brink.

""Hi," he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. It was a very un