lia

nt with what little liquid cash I had left from my personal account, before Jacob could freeze everything. It was a stark contrast to t

wever, demanded

ol of prestige, now felt like the entrance to a prison. I walked through the grand foyer, past the meticulously curated art collection, the echoes

th lemon butter sauce, and a bottle of the rare Bordeaux he cherished. I set the table for two, the finest china and crystal gleaming under the soft glow of the chandelier. A final supper, a last offeri

talk, rationally, calmly. I hoped for a closure t

telpiece chimed midnight, each stroke a hammer blow to my fragile composure. My h

oor. I heard his footsteps, steady and unhurried, as he made his way through the house.

m, mingling with the ever-present whisky. A lipstick smudge, faint but unmistakable, was visible on his collar.

mbol I had clung to for so long, was gone. His finger was bare, a p

a?" His voice was flat, devoid of curiosity or appreciation. "Some kind of grand gesture? A desperate attempt?

ewell dinner, Jacob," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "Bu

he registered the smudge. A muscle twitched in his jaw. He

o me. "I said I wanted a divorce," I continued, walking to the table and picking up the ne

ust demand a divorce, Aurelia? After everything?" He scoffed. "You found some silly draft agreement and no

thing, to leave me powerless while you showered billions on Kaleigh. And it wasn't just a draft, was it? It was a mirror

a contingency, a proposal for restructuring assets. Nothing more." His dismissiveness infuriat

he seen me as anything more than a means to an end, a convenient accessory to his public image, a fertile vessel for a child he in

seen his potential, his raw talent beneath the arrogant exterior. I' d poured my own savings, my family' s small inheritance, into shoring up his collapsing project. I' d worked tirelessly, using

tion and devotion, after the deal was saved. "You saved me. I owe you everything. My life, my fu

utions and his empire, ensuring I never truly had independent footing. My love, my loyalty, my

r, I poured my own capital into your failing venture, I saved you from ruin! You promised me everything.

Aurelia?" he said, his voice strained. "Name your price. I'll give

room. "You think you can buy back my wasted years, my shattered trust, with a check?" I picked up

nning a hand through his hair. "I'm n

gn them, or face a public divorce suit. And trust me, Jacob, you don't want me to start talking about

looked at me, really looked at me, for the first time in years, a

e in touch." Then, without another word, I turned and walked out of the dining room, out o

loding against marble. Jacob was unleashing his fury on the dinner I had

rn into a world of betrayal. A life I had almost, in my desperation, chosen to end. But the tiny kick, the flutter of ho