Chapter 3:Cracks in the Foundation.

The front door opened with a quiet click, and the sound of heels against the hardwood floor echoed through the house. Diana was home.

Karen quickly adjusted her tank top, smoothing down her shorts as if to erase any trace of the lingering moment she had shared with Mike. She picked up Liam’s plate and set it on the table just as Diana walked into the kitchen, her expression neutral but distant—always distant.

“Morning,” Diana said briskly, setting her purse on the counter and pulling off her blazer. She glanced at Karen and gave her a small nod before turning her attention to Mike. “You’re up early.”

Mike leaned against the counter, sipping his coffee. “Didn’t sleep much.”

Diana barely reacted. “Big day at the office,” she said, stretching her arms as she walked toward Liam, who was now seated, happily eating his pancakes. She ruffled his hair. “Hey, baby. Mommy missed you.”

Liam grinned up at her. “Karen made pancakes!”

Diana smiled politely, casting a glance at Karen. “That’s sweet of you.”

Karen shifted uncomfortably under Diana’s gaze. It wasn’t hostile, but there was something about it—something that made her feel as though she were being assessed, measured, and maybe even dismissed in the same breath.

“I don’t mind,” Karen said lightly, forcing a smile. “Liam’s a sweetheart.”

Diana turned back to Mike. “Are you heading to the office today?”

Mike shook his head. “Not much going on. I’ll be working from home.”

Diana nodded, already pulling out her phone, skimming through emails. “I have meetings all day. I won’t be back until late.”

Mike wasn’t surprised. “Figured.”

Diana glanced up, catching the tone in his voice. “Something wrong?”

Mike hesitated, then shook his head. “No.”

She studied him for a moment before sighing, already moving on. “I need to shower before I leave.”

As Diana disappeared down the hallway, Karen busied herself cleaning up, but she could feel Mike’s eyes on her. The weight of their unspoken words pressed between them, thick with something that neither of them was willing to name.

Karen turned to him finally, lowering her voice. “She barely looks at you.”

Mike clenched his jaw. “It’s just how she is.”

Karen hesitated, then took a step closer, voice softer now. “You deserve more than that.”

For a moment, he let himself believe it. Let himself sink into the warmth of her words, the attention she offered so freely. Then, just as quickly, he pulled himself back.

“This isn’t a conversation we should be having,” he said firmly, though his voice lacked conviction.

Karen studied him for a moment, then nodded, stepping back. “Of course, Mr. Adams.”

The words felt like a challenge.

And as she turned to walk away, Mike knew—deep down—that the cracks in the foundation of his marriage weren’t just forming.

They had already begun to break apart.