of the mansion's second-floor study, casting long golden streaks ac

elled faintly of aged wood and the subtle jasmine diffuser she kept on the bookshelf, a small touch of personality in an otherwise austere space dom

Empire's upcoming projects, refining details that would soon be credited to someon

a charcoal gray suit tailored to perfection, crisp white shirt, and a silk tie in deep navy. His dark hair

tood, smoothing her simple cream blou

m with deliberate precision. The embossed seal of the family's prestigious law firm gleamed under the li

is voice low and even,

. The signs had been there for months: the late nights that stretched into mornings, Sophia's increasingly bol

lining the dissolution of their three-year marriage. The terms were generous, almost insultingly so: a substantial settlement, the deed to a modest apartment in the c

ad the papers and crumble. There would be tears silent at first, then pleading. She might beg him to reconsider, remind him of their wedding vows, or accuse him of c

ventual acceptance. It would be messy, but temporary. Sophia was

n did non

he clauses with surprising speed. No alimony beyond the lump su

rf

he had gifted her on their first anniversary, engrave

. You can have your lawyer review

n the designated lines. Evelyn Harper-Knight. The flourish at the end was elegant, practiced the sa

final sheet with today's date. Then she straightened, capped

s not bitter, not triumphant

he last three y

in the air, p

more. This wasn't the script. Where were the tears? The questions? T

s voice betraying the f

echoed, her s

touching. Her jasmine scent lingered faintly as she m

ed at her, the graceful line of her shoulders, the way she held her head high,

d, the word shar

but didn't turn fully, onl

ped before he could temper it. He wasn't used t

flinching. Because there's

allway toward the master bedroom

papers clutched in his grip. He flipped through the

otion, something that would affirm his decision, make him feel justif

ce felt like a dismissal. As if

be bar, the ice clinking sharply in the glass. Staring out at the

dn't been broken.

ly. Only then did she allow her breath to tremble. She leaned against t

as d

e dimming her light for a

t an older, practical one from her pre-marriage life. She began packing methodically: her personal clothes, th

, she wi

thought was his alone would begi

finished his drink and t

e: excited emojis and

ed his phone, th

hoed in his mind no

com

t name, it left him more unset