Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Chapter 1

At first, she just stared at it. It just sat there innocently, a clear bottle with blood-red liquid in it. She wanted to do so many things in that instant, scream, break it, and smash it so that the crystal fragments would shatter on the floor. She gripped the bathroom countertop with her left hand, dizzy with knowledge she hadn't wanted, knowledge she never would have guessed had it not come upon her so abruptly. She should have known, of course. Everyone who is in a truly loving, caring relationship makes time for their significant other. Everyone but her husband.

She gritted her teeth in anger, feeling the screams of frustration building in her chest. It had all hit her, as soon as she'd seen the bottle sparkling in the light. Why he'd sent her away for a week, telling her she just needed some time to relax. Why he was always out late working, now that she was home. 'But most importantly', she thought, 'This explained the look in his eyes.' The look of sorrow, of guilt, of restlessness. The look of fear.

He realized that through common law marriage, he would lose half of his wealth. Wealth that he had spent years building up. Her lips curled into a sneer as she realized how blind she'd been. He was keeping her, not out of love, not even out of lust, but because of his insatiable greed! The anger continued to flood through her body. She could taste the coppery feeling of rage building, driving her forward. Without conscious effort, she left her bathroom, walking through the hallway, past the living room to the front door. She slipped an arm through her purse strap, barely pausing, except to acknowledge the fact that her purse was several years old, while her husband had bought himself a new car last month.

None of her clothes were new. When they had first started out as a young married couple, he had delighted in showering her with gifts. As it was now, she hadn't seen a new purse, dress, or even scarf in years. But as she gathered her coat, she began to wonder if even in the beginning it was all a ruse, merely something to keep her from seeing the inevitable end. Well now it was unavoidable. Everywhere she looked she saw the truth. She couldn't hide from it any longer, and neither could he.

She locked the front door behind her out of habit, and got into her black car, pausing to slip sunglasses over her eyes and shift the car into gear. (She put her seatbelt on too, for all you safety lovers.)

Lost in her thoughts, she sped through the town at twice the regular speed limit, stopping at the high rise that her husband worked at. It was a very impressive building, covered in the reflective glass that offices always pay so much for. In her eyes, it was just another way to show her husbands love for his money. She fumed outside for a moment, then collected herself and walked inside.

She quietly walked up to the receptionist, a bubbly girl named Keira that had introduced herself at one of her husband's company social events. The girl was hard at work, but looked up when she heard the approaching footsteps. The smile that was already pasted on her face froze when she realized who it was, and her eyes grew wide. "Mrs. Taisho," she stammered. "What are you doing here?" The older woman ignored the girl's nervous reaction and smiled coolly at her. "My husband was expecting some news that I must deliver," she stated, her eyes like shards of ice in her blank face. "I see," Keira stuttered. "Would you like me to let him know that you're coming?" "No, thank you," Mrs. Taisho said as she walked to the elevator, the petite and anxious secretary trailing after her. She turned around as the elevator doors started to close, only to smile chillingly at the bubbly girl. She winked without humour. "I'm going to surprise him."