"I understand, Mom," Stacey said, catching the worry in her mother's voice. Debra nodded, her eyes glistening. "Get some rest, you and the kids. Lily, Kev, be good and let Mommy sleep."

Lillian's eyes widened. "Granny, will Mommy really rest?"

Debra smiled. "Absolutely! Sleep's the best beauty treatment. You'll wake up refreshed!"

"Let's all sleep!" Kevin cheered.

The children's bedtime excitement made reading impossible. Stacey abandoned the book and joined them. Debra, seeing their happy exhaustion, left feeling peaceful.

At the Edwards Villa, Theodore wrestled with a corporate crisis. Several bids, usually guaranteed wins, were mysteriously going to competitors. He'd suspected the Carters, but now he knew the truth: Jenny, his wife, was the saboteur. She'd stolen company data, causing significant losses. "Why?" he wondered.

For six months, he'd trusted Jenny implicitly. She'd supported him, hired a chef who catered to his tastes, even delivering meals to his office. This had eased the pain of his divorce from Rebecca. His only concern had been his career setbacks, his ambition to surpass the Carters – partly to spite Rebecca. Now, the person undermining him was his wife.

Jenny, finishing a file transfer, was about to leave when Theodore walked in. She paled, then recovered, smiling sweetly. "Theodore, you're early. I was just tidying."

"Give me your phone," Theodore demanded, his gaze sharp.

Jenny’s smile faltered. "Theodore, why? I—"

"Give me your phone!" he repeated.

Tears welled in her eyes. "Do you suspect me?" she whispered.

Before she could answer, Theodore lunged. Jenny reacted instantly, kicking him hard in the stomach. He grunted, stunned. She escaped.

He chased her, the pain hindering him. Jenny moved with surprising speed and precision. By the time he reached the stairs, she was already in her car, speeding away.

Theodore raced to the garage, grabbed a car, and sped after her, but she was gone. He pulled over, grim-faced, and called, but only got voicemail.

Jenny, constantly checking her mirror, relaxed only when she was sure she'd lost him. Then she changed course, driving purposefully to her destination.

Theodore, unable to reach Jenny, went to the police station. The officer on duty? Bryce, his ex-wife's brother. Theodore filed his report; Bryce, though privately amused, remained professional.

An hour later, they found Theodore's abandoned car in a run-down neighborhood, lacking surveillance cameras. Jenny was gone. The case was paused until morning. Bryce gleefully shared the news with his family group chat.

Stacey woke to ninety-nine notifications. The family chat buzzed with the Theodore-Jenny drama. "Jenny left him? And everyone's happy?" she thought, a dawning realization mixing with confusion.

As she read, she remembered her conversation with Gifford and Adrian's investigation into Jenny's past. "There was always something off about her. Maybe it wasn't love, but something else entirely," Stacey mused.