I Found His Mistress in His Virtual Fitting RoomChapter 2

At the company celebration dinner, I wear a plain cream sweater dress, the exact kind of dress Ethan wants me to wear.

He gives me a quick once-over, then reaches out and tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"Clean and simple," he says. "You look beautiful."

His hand rests warmly against the back of my neck.

"After the engagement, I'll take you shopping myself. You can buy whatever you want."

Before I can answer, a wave of quiet gasps rises from the entrance.

Lena walks in. She's wearing the red satin backless dress from the virtual fitting room, the same one Ethan had selected for her barely thirty minutes before coming home to me.

Under the chandelier lights, the dress looks expensive and daring. Her pale back is bare, her waist impossibly tiny, and the slit reveals one long leg with every step.

People start teasing her immediately.

"Lena, wow. You look amazing tonight."

"Mr. Shaw has great taste. He picked that dress for you, didn't he?"

Lena blushes and glances quickly at me.

"Ethan only gave me a little advice," she says. "Nina, please don't take it the wrong way. I'm terrible at picking clothes."

Ethan pulls out the chair beside him and lets me sit.

His expression remains calm.

"She's young," he says. "It's part of my job to guide her."

Lena lifts a glass of wine to toast one of the investors.

Ethan doesn't even look up before reaching over and pressing two fingers against the rim of her glass.

"You're still on antibiotics. Why are you drinking?"

He waves over a server.

"Juice for her. No ice. Her stomach can't handle it."

Lena lowers her head with a soft laugh.

"I forgot myself. How do you even remember when I'm taking medicine?"

"I approved your sick leave," Ethan says. "It's not a big deal."

He forgets the date of my period half the time, but he remembers the exact schedule of his intern's antibiotics.

Halfway through dinner, the air-conditioning gets stronger. Lena curls in on herself and rubs her bare arms.

Ethan is talking to an investor about funding, but he still notices the movement out of the corner of his eye.

Without missing a beat, he takes off his suit jacket and drapes it over her shoulders.

"Don't get cold," he says.

Lena pulls the jacket tighter around herself and smiles up at him.

"Thank you, Ethan. You're so thoughtful, like an older brother. Nina is really lucky."

Only then does Ethan reach for my hand.

My fingers are cold.

He frowns, takes the coat from the back of my chair, and lays it across my lap before tucking my hands into the pockets.

"Lena just had an appendectomy," he says. "She gets cold easily. You're stronger. Let her have the jacket for now. I'll make you ginger tea when we get home."

That suit jacket around Lena's shoulders is the one I spent four weekends helping Ethan choose.

I slowly pull my hand away.

Ethan looks down at me with a smile and taps the bridge of my nose.

"Are you seriously jealous like a kid? It's her first time at an event like this. I have to look out for her. Be good. Don't make a scene."

When dinner ends, Ethan takes me to the underground garage.

Then he stands and opens the front passenger door.

For Lena.

She slips into the seat, still wrapped in his jacket.

Ethan turns back to me and strokes the top of my head.

"Lena lives far away," he says. "It's not safe for her to go home alone. I'll drop her off first. Nina, sit in the back. There's more space. You can lean back and sleep."

I get into the back seat without saying a word.

A new gardenia air freshener hangs from the vent in front of me.

Lena loves gardenias.