Chapter 9: The Hotel Reservation Wasn't for Me

I stared at the joint account until the numbers blurred.

Two guests.

Two nights.

Portland.

Tomorrow.

I checked the reservation details again.

The guest names weren't listed, but the booking had been made using Callum's business email.

The same email attached to the campaign documents.

I didn't call him.

Not yet.

Instead, I opened the shared account history.

The jewelry transaction wasn't the only unusual charge.

Over the previous three weeks, there were several smaller purchases I'd never seen before.

A boutique hotel.

A restaurant in Portland.

A florist.

A designer clothing store.

Every charge had been categorized as business expenses.

But the dates told a different story.

They all fell on evenings when Callum had told me he was working late.

I opened the florist receipt.

There was a note attached to the order.

"Deliver before 7 p.m. Recipient: D.C."

Delaney Cross.

My hands went cold.

I wasn't looking at one bad decision anymore.

I was looking at weeks of choices.

Maybe months.

I called the bank and removed my authorization from the shared business card.

Then I transferred my portion of the household funds into an account only I could access.

I didn't touch Callum's money.

I simply stopped giving him access to mine.

At 8:14 p.m., my phone rang.

Callum.

I answered.

"Why did you freeze the card?"

"Because someone tried to spend eighteen thousand seven hundred dollars at a jewelry store."

Silence.

"That was a mistake."

"Whose mistake?"

"The card was selected automatically."

"And the hotel reservation? Was that automatic too?"

He didn't answer.

"Maren, you're checking my transactions now?"

"They're transactions from an account with my name on it."

"I was going to tell you."

"When? After the hotel stay?"

"It's not what you think."

"Then tell me what it is."

His voice dropped.

"Delaney and I needed somewhere to finish the edit."

I almost smiled.

"A luxury hotel? For two nights?"

"The studio is paying for it."

"Then why was it booked through our shared account?"

Nothing.

That silence told me more than any explanation could have.

"Did you buy her the ring?"

Callum's breathing stopped for a second.

"No."

"Then what were you trying to buy?"

"Maren, please."

"What were you trying to buy?"

"A necklace."

"For her?"

He didn't answer.

I closed my eyes.

"Seven years, Callum."

"Don't do this."

"You keep saying that."

"Because you're making everything sound like a betrayal."

"Because everything keeps turning out to be one."

He became defensive.

"Delaney has worked incredibly hard on this campaign."

"She deserves recognition."

"She doesn't need a necklace from you."

"It's a professional thank-you."

"Then buy it with your professional money."

He went quiet.

"I already canceled the card."

"Maren, you had no right—"

"I had every right."

I ended the call.

For several minutes, I sat in silence.

Then I received a message from Willa.

"Are you awake?"

I replied immediately.

"Yes."

"I found something you should see."

A file appeared in the chat.

It was a screenshot of a production schedule.

Tomorrow's location: Portland waterfront.

Talent: Callum Reid and Delaney Cross.

Scene: Proposal rehearsal.

My heart stopped.

Willa sent another message.

"This was scheduled before you canceled the engagement party."

"Callum told everyone the party was still happening."

"He said you would come around."

I looked at the screen.

He hadn't been trying to save our engagement.

He had been trying to keep his production alive.

Then Willa sent one final message.

"Maren, there's something else on the schedule."

"What?"

"After the proposal rehearsal, they're filming a private dinner."

"The notes say: 'Test chemistry for future couple campaign.'"

I read that sentence twice.

Then I understood.

The engagement party wasn't the end of Callum's plan.

It was only the beginning.

And tomorrow, while I was supposed to be his fiancée, he planned to test whether he and Delaney could sell themselves as a couple.