I didn’t scream, cry, or wait for him to come home. Instead, I marched straight to his downtown Columbus headquarters with a huge bouquet of red roses and announced, “Congratulations! My husband just bought another woman a mansion.”
PART 1
My name is Gwen Brennan, and my husband, Colton, was among the most influential men in Columbus.
To everyone else, he was intimidating, composed, and nearly impossible to stand up to. But apparently, to Selena Pierce, his thirty-one-year-old personal assistant, he was generous enough to buy her an entire house.
That morning, I was nursing our one-month-old daughter when my best friend, Joanne, sent me several pictures.
The first was of a stunning mansion located in one of Dublin’s most exclusive gated communities.
The second showed the property’s purchase agreement.
The third made my stomach turn.
Buyer: Colton Brennan.
Property owner: Selena Pierce.
I stared at my phone, my baby sleeping peacefully against my chest.
Colton hadn’t rented the property.
He hadn’t simply lent her some money.
He had bought the mansion outright and registered it under Selena’s name.
I sent him a message immediately.
Congratulations. Since when did you start purchasing mansions for other women?
Three minutes later, he sent me a voice message.
“Gwen, don’t start with this. Selena has been working for me for years. She’s raising Miles on her own, and their apartment wasn’t appropriate for them. I helped them out. That’s all.”
Then he said something that almost made me burst out laughing.
“It’s just a house. I can afford it.”
Just a house.
A luxurious mansion registered under another woman’s name.
I gave him twenty minutes to explain himself.
He read my message.
He never bothered to respond.
So I ordered a bouquet of roses.
Forty minutes later, I walked into Brennan headquarters carrying an enormous arrangement of flowers and an elegant card congratulating someone on their good fortune.
The receptionist greeted me with a nervous smile.
“Mrs. Brennan, how can I help you?”
“Actually, you can help me quite a bit.”
I set the bouquet down on the counter.
“Would you please deliver these to Selena Pierce?”
She blinked in surprise. “Is there a special occasion?”
I smiled sweetly.
“Oh, an incredibly special occasion.”
Several employees standing nearby turned to look at me.
I raised my voice just enough for everyone around us to hear.
“Your boss has just purchased a magnificent mansion for his personal assistant. Selena and her son are about to enjoy a beautiful new home, and as Colton’s wife, I thought it would be terribly rude of me not to congratulate her.”
The entire lobby fell silent.
I pushed the card across the counter.
Inside, I had written:
Congratulations, Selena, on your gorgeous new mansion. What an extraordinary gift from my husband. I hope you and your son enjoy every single moment in your new home.
Whispers began spreading throughout the lobby almost immediately.
Within minutes, the elevator doors slid open.
Colton stepped out wearing a perfectly tailored black suit, his expression dark and furious.
Selena walked out behind him.
“Gwen,” he snapped. “What exactly are you doing here?”
I met his gaze without the slightest hint of anxiety.
“What does it look like I’m doing?”
“About the house…”
I interrupted him before he could continue.
“Go home, Colton.”
His expression shifted instantly.
I went on.
“Your grandfather and your father already know what happened. They want both of us at the family estate.”
For the first time, Colton stood completely still.
He could intimidate businessmen, executives, and practically anyone who worked under him.
But he understood perfectly well what it meant when both his father and the family patriarch demanded that he attend a private meeting.
Then I turned my attention to Selena.
