Chapter 2

That night, a storm rolled in.

I went back to the Central Park penthouse to pack.

There wasn't much to take.

I didn't touch a single thing that belonged to Stellan.

I took my parents' photo and my five-year-old Ragdoll cat, Snowball.

Snowball seemed to sense my mood and gently licked my fingers.

The lock beeped.

Stellan walked in, rain dripping from his coat.

He saw the suitcase by the door and his expression hardened.

"You're actually leaving?"

"Ines, I told you to move back to the Estate. What the hell are you packing for?"

I stuffed the last coat into my suitcase and zipped it shut.

"The papers are signed. Why would I go back to the Estate?"

"Save your energy for your precious twins."

Stellan strode over and slammed his hand down on my suitcase.

"Are you done throwing your tantrum?"

"I told you the divorce is just a formality. Why are you making this difficult?"

"You're a woman. Without me, without the Thorne family, where the hell do you think you're going?"

His eyes were full of certainty.

He thought I couldn't survive on my own.

I shoved his hand off.

"Where I go is none of your concern anymore."

Stellan's face darkened.

He was about to explode when Faye's call came through.

Her voice on the other end was a whimpering mess.

"Stellan, I'm scared without you here."

"The thunder is so loud. My stomach hurts. What if something's wrong with the babies?"

Stellan's expression shifted to panic.

"Faye, don't worry. I'm coming right now."

He hung up and shot me a cold glare.

"Ines, you better pray nothing happens to Faye's babies."

"Otherwise, I will never forgive you."

He turned and disappeared into the storm.

I watched his retreating figure and felt nothing but contempt.

When I was bleeding out in the operating room from an ectopic pregnancy, where was he?

He was touring venues for his first mistress's kid's shower.

I closed my eyes and buried that humiliating memory.

I grabbed my suitcase, scooped up Snowball, and left the penthouse for good.

The next morning, I showed up on time at my lawyer's office, waited until the close of business.

Stellan never showed. He didn't answer a single call.

As I was leaving, one of his friends called me instead.

"Ines, do you have any conscience at all?"

"Faye had complications last night. Stellan was at the hospital with her all night, and you're still pushing him to finalize the divorce?"

"Are you trying to kill his babies? Is that what you want?"

My voice was flat and emotionless.

"If he's busy, we can reschedule."

I hung up and headed straight to my firm.

The moment I walked through the door, I could feel the tension.

My assistant Clara rushed over, her eyes red and frantic.

"Ines, we have a problem."

"Thorne Enterprises' Legal Department just sent an email. They've terminated all contracts with us, effective immediately."

"And they're telling other clients that anyone who works with us is declaring war on Thorne."

I stopped in my tracks, my eyes going cold.

Stellan was trying to force me to crawl back.

He thought cutting off my income would make me submit.

I opened my laptop to find a dozen termination emails from the major clients I'd spent years building relationships with.

My phone buzzed with a text from Stellan.

[Apologize to Faye. Promise to behave and stay, Mrs. Thorne. I'll restore the contracts.]

[Ines, don't test my patience.]

I stared at the screen and laughed.

He always had that same condescending, magnanimous tone.

I didn't reply.

Then I blocked his number and dialed someone else.

The call connected immediately. A man's deep voice came through the line.

"So Stellan finally kicked you to the curb?"

"Evander, you win."

I stared out the window.

"I don't want Thorne's business anymore. But I need you to do something for me."