"What?"
"Sign the damn papers, Valentina," he said coldly, his lips curled into a mocking smile.
"When will you learn?" he began. "A simple sorry, and you were ready to change your mind. That's why I liked you in the first place. You are so cheap and easy to manipulate."
For a second, I didn't understand the word. It just floated there between us.
Cheap. Easy.
I was fuming internally.
I gripped the walker until my stitches pulled and a sharp pain tore through my side.
The nurse gasped softly, steadying me, but I barely felt her. My ears rang. My heartbeat pounded so hard I thought I might collapse right there at his feet.
Cheap?
A broken laugh escaped me—thin, disbelieving, almost hysterical.
I sighed deeply, straightening my back.
He had made his choice from the very beginning—he never wanted me. It was time for me to make mine.
"Fine," I began, snatching the paper from his hand, "but before I proceed, are you sure you've thought this through?"
He laughed.
"My lawyers will get in touch with the paperwork," he said evenly. "And I will decide what alimony you're entitled to."
I tilted my head slightly, let out a low laugh, and smiled.
His face twisted in confusion.
"Keep your money, Nate," I said softly. "And I will keep mine."
His smile froze, his eyes assessing me. "Cut the bullshit, Valentina. You have nothing. I made you. I own everything you have. Consider this a peace offering for the time you've wasted."
His tone was harsh.
"Time wasted?" I smiled. "Honey, I'm just twenty-seven. I still have a long way to go." I placed emphasis on "long."
I signed the paper, tossed it at him, turned my back on him, and walked away.
* * * * *
*Three Months Later*
The moment I stepped out of the black SUV, camera flashes were on me—paparazzi, reporters, all swimming toward me.
I tilted my head back and looked up at the skyscraper. The bold silver letters stretched across the glass like a declaration.
LUXERA.
The lights from the building reflected against the night sky, cold and magnificent.
"Valentina! Valentina!"
My name was on the lips of every reporter. They threw questions at me, demanding answers for my sudden disappearance.
I didn't respond.
Then I walked inside.
The lobby gleamed in marble and gold, soft music drifting through the air, champagne glasses clinking delicately. Familiar and unfamiliar faces turned in my direction.
And then I saw them.
Nate.
And his so-called cousin, Brianna.
Of course they were here.
The shock on their faces was almost comical. Nate's jaw tightened slightly, like he wasn't sure if I was real. Brianna blinked twice, her fingers tightening around her clutch.
If I said seeing him didn't affect me, I would be lying to myself. Three months of separation didn't erase three years of a lonely marriage.
The pain was still there—always there. I used to think he took my breath away. I lied—I was choking on his bullshit.
He looked at me, almost as if he regretted his decision, but as usual, it disappeared before I could register it.
I held their gaze for exactly three seconds. No more.
Brianna recovered first. She was always good at pretending. She walked toward me with that rehearsed smile, the one that never quite reached her eyes.
"Oh," she said lightly, dragging the word. "I didn't expect to see you here."
I didn't respond. I simply waited.
She leaned closer, lowering her voice just enough to sound intimate. "I'm really sorry about everything, by the way. You know… Nate chose me. Love can't really be controlled."
Her lips curved as if she were offering sympathy instead of insult.
Then her eyes flicked toward the ceiling, toward the grandeur of the building.
"But I'm actually surprised you got in," she continued sweetly, her fingers dragging along my designer bag. "This event is strictly by invitation. The CEO only invited people based on status. And I happen to know her personally."
Of course she did.
I let the silence stretch between us—long enough to make her wonder. I didn't argue. I didn't defend myself. I didn't even look offended.
I smiled.
Slow. Polite. Unbothered.
The kind of smile that said she was speaking from a place she didn't understand.
Her confidence faltered for half a second.
That was enough for me.
Without another word, I stepped around her and continued walking, my heels echoing softly against the marble floor.
In a blink, the grace I carried faltered. I suddenly missed a step, lost my balance, stumbled to the side, and my hand sank into the silver tray one of the servers was carrying.
A glass of champagne flew into the air, launching toward a man sitting beside the server. Pale gold liquid splashed across the crisp fabric of his suit.
The glasses fell and shattered on the ground around him.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," I said, almost falling to my knees.
I glanced over my shoulder.
And there she was.
Brianna.
Her hand lightly covering her mouth, shoulders trembling in silent laughter. Her eyes glittered with satisfaction, like she had just been handed front-row seats to my humiliation.
Of course she would enjoy this.
My jaw tightened, but I refused to give her more than a second of my attention.
I turned back.
Broad shoulders. Dark jacket, now stained across the chest. Champagne slid down the lapel slowly.
I grabbed a napkin from my bag, rushed toward him, and crouched down beside him, wiping his suit carefully.
The cleaners took immediate action and started packing the shattered glass.
He reached for my hand, gently prying the handkerchief from my fingers.
"It's fine." His gaze locked on mine.
For a moment, I felt seen. I guessed that's what three years of loneliness does to you.
"I'm so sorry," I broke our staring contest. "Give me one minute and I'll fix this immediately."
His eyes glistened with amusement.
"Fix this? You think you can afford it?" he said.
"I don't know, but we can definitely work something out." I pushed a stray hair behind my ear.
I didn't want to give him the idea that I could afford it.
"I like the sound of that," he said with a smile.
His gaze was steady, curious, almost amused—like I was far more interesting than the ruined suit.
Then he spoke. "How about you posing as my girlfriend on a triple date with my dad and brother?"