Chapter 6: The Shadow Queen Rises

I don’t know how I let go of Jenny. My memory is a blur—flashing lights, shouting, cold tile under my knees. My hands ached, my breath came in ragged bursts. Orderlies rushed in, nurses yelled, someone grabbed my arms. I let them. The chaos felt distant, like watching someone else’s life on a grainy security tape.

When I came to, I was in bed. The blankets smelled of bleach and stale perfume. The ceiling was off-white, a crack zigzagging above my head.

The doctor, young and tired, stood at the door with my test results. “Doctor, am I dying soon?” I tried to sound casual, but my voice came out brittle.

He fumbled his papers. “You’re awake.” He sounded relieved but uncertain. “No, don’t worry. It’s just dry weather and stress. That’s why you had a nosebleed.” He scribbled a note for saline spray and told me to rest.

“Did Jenny die?” I asked flatly. He hesitated. “No, Mr. Brian came by.”

I rolled over, facing the window, watching sunlight crawl across the linoleum. Tears pricked my eyes, but I blinked them away. I wouldn’t cry for Brian. Not now, not ever again.

When did I first know Brian was cheating? Maybe when I left lipstick on his neck and he recoiled—panic in his eyes, scrambling for an excuse. “My assistant almost fainted. I must’ve gotten it then.” He said it with a straight face. I wanted to believe him.

His words felt like a cruise ship hitting a rock, violently shaking me. That night, I sat in silence, city lights flickering outside. I tried to convince myself I was imagining things. Eventually, I threw the photos in his face, and he slapped himself, kneeling, begging me not to leave. “Maddie, I was wrong. Please forgive me this once. I swear if it happens again, I’ll die a horrible death.”

He wept on the floor, voice cracking. I wanted to believe him. I told myself I was too hard on him—that he’d just slipped up. I successfully gaslighted myself. Our life went back to normal. But once a man cheats, how could it only happen once?

The second time I caught him, he was still remorseful—but his apology was tinged with impatience. “Maddie, it’s just business, just playing along. Why can’t you be like other wives and turn a blind eye?” He looked at me like I was the problem. He let the girl provoke me in person. I called in favors—quiet, discreet. She disappeared from his life.

From nothing to a business empire, Brian and I couldn’t have made it without cutting corners. But now that he was successful, he left the dirty work to me. I became the fixer—the shadow queen. He probably never thought I’d cheat. He thought I’d always be loyal, always forgiving. He underestimated me.

After that, I realized young love was worthless. Success changed us both. I began quietly moving our savings into accounts only I could access, hiring a lawyer who made divorce look like a chess match. I became the generous, selfless Mrs. Brian he expected, smiling at parties, never letting anyone see the truth.

I no longer cared about his life. I had my own plans. And I no longer loved him. He kept one young woman after another, never more than half a year—until Jenny. She’s lasted almost two years. She was different—ambitious, determined. For the first time, I felt threatened.

Just because I don’t care about his women doesn’t mean I’ll tolerate him joking about my pain. There were lines I wouldn’t let him cross. Brian deserves everything coming to him. I closed my eyes, breathing in the cool hospital air. The game wasn’t over yet—not by a long shot. This time, I was playing to win—and Brian had no idea what was coming.