Third person's POV
The morning sun had just risen when Moira arrived at her office. The familiar smell of her office that housed many different heavy law books and case files welcomed her back.
She settled at her desk, fingers already flying across the keyboard as she caught up on emails.
"Mrs. Sinclair? It seems you are fully back!" Katherine said as she appeared through the doorway, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Good morning, Katherine. Yes, I'm back." Moira replied with a smile.
"I hope you are very okay now?" She asked with concern and Moira gave her an assuring nod.
"Great! You know I don't like bothering you or overloading you with work, but actually, I was about to lose my mind! Mr. Thompson has called like a thousand times, and Mrs. Parker keeps sending these passive-aggressive emails." Katherine informed her.
"It's totally fine. I also can't wait to dive into work. Get Mr. Thompson on the line first thing. And bring me the Parker case files." Moira said.
"On it, ma'am! It's so good to have you back!" Katherine stated excitedly.
For the next few hours, Moira immersed herself in work. The rhythm of legal arguments and strategy sessions felt like coming home. By mid-morning, she had already resolved two pending issues and scheduled a court appearance.
"Mrs. Sinclair, your appointment for eleven o'clock is here. But let me warn you, she looks really sad." Katherine's voice said through the intercom.
"Send her in." Moira said simply, already adjusting her black blazer to appear more professional if possible.
"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice." The young woman who had just entered her office began softly.
Setting her eyes on her, Moira could see she had been crying.
"Of course, Mrs. Bradley. Please have a seat and let's discuss your situation." She said as gently as professionally possible.
The meeting lasted nearly an hour, with the woman trying to keep her sobs in and Moira carefully explaining the divorce process and what her client could expect.
"Just remember, document everything. Every conversation, every interaction." Moira said as they concluded.
"Even if I think he is being sincere?" Mrs. Bradley asked unsurely.
"Especially then. In my experience, sincerity can be the most effective mask." Moira's voice was firm.
After her client left, Moira leaned back in her chair, her own words replaying in her mind. She thought about Drake's behavior the previous night—his sudden warmth, the kiss on her hand, his easy agreement to her returning to work.
"Sincerity as a mask?" She muttered to herself.
She opened another case file but found herself unable to focus. Her mind kept drifting back to Drake. Did he have a mistress? Was that why he had been so absent lately?
"Mrs. Sinclair?" Katherine appeared at the door again, balancing a takeout bag.
"Your lunch is here!" The secretary announced, pulling Moira out of her thoughts.
"Thanks, Katherine. Hold my calls for the next half hour, please." She asked her.
"No problem, ma'am. I got it." Katherine replied and left.
Alone with her lunch, Moira stared at the sandwich with a lack of appetite.
"I can't keep going like this. I need to save my marriage, no matter what is happening. Mistress or not!" She said to the sandwich.
The web novel she had discarded came to her mind and she found herself pulling out her phone and scrolling through the reading app.
"Tale of an unwanted wife" Moira hesitated as she stared at the cover image of the novel, which showed a woman standing alone, staring at a mansion in the distance.
Remembering how disturbed she had been after reading the first chapter last week, she was reluctant to read further.
"It's just a wild imagination, Just because some details matched doesn't mean it's my story." She tried to reason and was able to open the app afterwards.
"Oh, the author has posted five new chapters?" She observed and skipped to the fourth chapter, titled "The truth she should know."
As she read, her eyes widened.
The chapter described the protagonist discovering that her husband, Michael, was secretly involved with another man named Andrew. The novel detailed their clandestine meetings and the tender moments they shared away from prying eyes.
"Michael knew his family would disown him if they discovered his relationship with Andrew..."
"The family fortune, his position, everything would be stripped away. He would definitely be ousted from the family's register and everything he has worked hard to acquire would be lost. So he maintained the perfect façade of a devoted husband while his heart belonged elsewhere." The passage read.
"This is ridiculous." Moira laughed nervously but read on nevertheless.
The next section described how Michael would sometimes return home in an unusually good mood after seeing Andrew, showing his wife small kindnesses to ease his own guilt.
Moira's laughter died in her throat as she remembered Drake's behavior the night before—his unexpected cheerfulness, the kiss on her hand, the way he had agreed so easily to her return to work after weeks of insisting she stay home.
"No... That's just a coincidence." She muttered, shaking her head.
She set her phone down and let her thoughts ran wild.
"Drake, cheating with a man?" She wondered but the idea seemed completely absurd.
"The Sinclair family is old money, traditional to their core. They would never accept such a relationship, and Drake knew that better than anyone. More so, Drake had never exhibited any behavior of homosexuality... He hasn't!" She reasoned quietly.
"That settles it! This is definitely just fiction. I am the paranoid one here, linking fiction to my life." She maintained firmly.
She picked up her phone again and continued reading, feeling so curious.
The chapter went on to describe a secret mansion where Michael and Andrew met. A place where they could be themselves without judgment or consequences.
"A mansion on the outskirts of the city..."
Her eyes widened further as she scrolled to the next page. The chapter continued, describing a scene where Michael arrived at the mansion to find Andrew with blood on his lips.
"What the hell? That sounds so creepy..." Moira nearly dropped her phone.
At that moment, the telecom rang, startling her. Katherine's voice came through.
"Mrs. Sinclair? I hate to disturb you when you are having a break, but your appointment for o'clock is waiting, and he is that impatient type. You know, checking his watch every three seconds."
Moira couldn't respond. Her eyes were fixed on the final paragraph of the chapter:
"The truth was darker than even Michael's wife could imagine. Michael's secret wasn't just his forbidden love with Andrew. It was his lover's insatiable thirst for blood. A thirst that Michael had sworn to help him control, no matter the cost."
Moira stared at her phone, her heart pounding.
"Blood?" Moira whispered, suddenly remembering the blood on Drake's collar and the way he had rushed out that day.
"What is this?"