It was noon on a Wednesday and sex was the last thing on Blake's mind as he sat across from Henry McCord.

"Henry," Elizabeth whispered.

It felt wrong that she'd taken the chair next to him instead of sitting on the couch by her husband, but this wasn't his fight. He looked confused and definitely a bit uncomfortable. He had a feeling that Henry would chastise Elizabeth for not having this conversation in private, but she'd begged him to stand by her side. It was to ease her own conscious, he knew, but tears had been flowing during the drive over and they were a weapon that he responded to quickly.

"What's going on?"

He could feel Nadine and Daisy hovering in the doorway.

It'd been a week since the May/June issue of Veranda had been released. And although the press hadn't seemed to have caught wind, DOD coincidently had. Elizabeth had received a Letter of Intent/Statement of Reasons from the Department of Defense investigators this morning. The LOI/SOR cited both Guidelines D and E, sexual behavior and personal conduct, for her security clearance being suspended. Without clearance, she couldn't be a secretary at the State Department, let alone the Secretary of State. It was only a matter of time before the news outlets were made aware that she was on leave pending an investigation.

"I um…"

Elizabeth twisted her hands together.

They'd been blatantly lying to Henry for the past year, her anxiety was understandable. The guilt had been so much these last three months that she was struggling to stomach her meals. Compartmentalization could only go so far, so she'd avoided home.

Her eyes turned toward her shoes. "I'm so sorry." Her voice cracked and the tears began again.

Henry looked even more concerned than he already had.

"Did something happen, Elizabeth?"

Yes, they happened. The past year consisted of days filled of late and lonely nights on the seventh floor. Sex happened. The past year consisted of days filled of discrete hand-holding, quick kisses hidden from the staff, and hotel rendezvouses kept from her family. Secrets happened. The past year consisted of days filled of laughter, of tears, of angry words screamed from across the room, and of apologizes and promises. Emotions happened.

When Elizabeth looked to him, so did Henry.

"Henry," Blake said. He would be strong for both of them. "Elizabeth and I, we're having an affair. We've been keeping it from you for a little over a year."

Henry's hands clasped together, and his head bowed as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.

"I know," he muttered.

"I'm so sor—" His brow pinched as he turned to Elizabeth.

He knew? He knew, but "keep it under their noses and they'll never know."

Elizabeth asked for a moment alone, just she and Henry, so Nadine and Daisy disappeared through the dining room. He took their place, hovering in the doorway.

"You knew?" She asked.

The guilt had eaten away at her. Nights curled up in his arms on his couch, crying because she couldn't face him, couldn't face the fact of maybe loving another man, had wasted their prized time together. Affairs weren't easy. They were messy, raw, and time-consuming. Certainly, it would end after today.

When he lifted his head, staring at his wife of twenty-plus years, his eyes were rimmed red. "Of course, I didn't know."

Maybe he'd been protecting his pride in front of the women.

"How could you?" He stared at his wife. "I trusted you," he gritted through his teeth. When Henry's eyes turned toward him, he swallowed. "I trusted both of you."

When Nadine touched his arm, he left husband and wife to hash it out.

"An article about the affair is breaking in the morning." Nadine handed over Daisy's iPad. "Laura owed me a favor and sent over a sample. From an outsider's perspective, it's all alleged."

His stomach sank.

"Do you know who the source could be?"