Chapter Five

Sebastian's office felt different in the morning light. Less romantic. More like a war room.

Three lawyers sat around the conference table. All women. All sharp-eyed and serious. Sebastian stood at the head of the table like a general planning battle.

"Kelsey, meet your legal team," he said. "Jennifer handles divorce cases. Maria specializes in financial fraud. And Christine is our expert on prenuptial agreements."

I shook their hands, feeling small and out of place.

"Mrs. Morgan," Jennifer said kindly. "We're here to help you. But we need complete honesty. Can you do that?"

"Yes."

"Good. Let's start with the prenup." Christine opened a thick folder. "I've reviewed it carefully. Sebastian was right. There are problems. Big ones."

She spread papers across the table. My signature appeared on several pages. Flinn's too. Dates. Witness signatures.

"First problem," Christine said, pointing. "The witnesses who signed aren't properly identified. No addresses. No identification numbers. In this state, that makes the document questionable."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means a judge might throw out the whole prenup." She smiled. "Which means you'd be entitled to half of everything Flinn owns."

My heart jumped. Half. That was millions. Maybe billions.

"Second problem," Christine continued. "You weren't given independent legal counsel before signing. Flinn's lawyers represented both of you. That's a conflict of interest."

"I remember," I said softly. "Flinn said we didn't need separate lawyers. That it was just a formality. That we trusted each other."

"He lied." Maria spoke for the first time. Her voice was ice. "He knew exactly what he was doing. Making sure you had no protection. No way out."

Anger burned in my chest. More lies. More manipulation.

"Third problem," Christine said. "The document states you give up all rights to marital property. But it doesn't properly define what counts as marital property. Any assets acquired during the marriage could be contested."

"So what's our strategy?" Sebastian asked.

Jennifer leaned forward. "We file for divorce today. We cite irreconcilable differences. We also cite adultery, which in this state affects property division. We demand full financial disclosure. And we prepare for a fight."

"Flinn won't make this easy," I said.

"We don't expect easy." Jennifer's eyes glinted. "We expect war. But we're very good at war."

"There's something else," Maria said. She pulled out another folder. "The financial fraud. If we expose it now, it helps your case. Shows Flinn's character. Shows he's been lying about everything."

"But it also destroys him," I said quietly. "Puts him in prison."

"Is that a problem?" Sebastian asked. His voice was careful.

I thought about Flinn's face last night. The way he said he loved me. The way he apologized through the door.

Then I thought about Victoria in my bedroom. The photos of them together. Three years of lies.

"No," I said. "It's not a problem."

Sebastian smiled. "Good. Then let's begin."

The lawyers spent the next hour preparing documents. I signed papers until my hand cramped. Divorce petition. Financial disclosure requests. Affidavits about Flinn's affair.

Each signature felt like breaking a chain.

"We'll file these tomorrow morning," Jennifer said. "Flinn will be served papers tomorrow. At his office. Very public. Very embarrassing."

"He'll be furious," I said.

"Let him be furious." Sebastian stood behind my chair, his hands on my shoulders. "You're protected now. My security team is watching your house. Your phone. Everything. He can't hurt you."

"What about Victoria?" I asked. "She has those documents. She could release them out of spite."

"Let her." Maria smiled coldly. "We have copies of everything she has. Plus more that she doesn't know about. If she makes a move, we bury them both."

It was all happening so fast. Too fast. My head spun.

"I need air," I said, standing up.

Sebastian guided me to the balcony. The city stretched out below us. So many people living their normal lives. Not knowing their worlds could explode in seconds.

"Are you okay?" Sebastian asked.

"I don't know. This morning I was just a wife. Now I'm... what? A warrior? A villain?"

"You're neither. You're a survivor." I turned to face him. "Flinn made his choices. Victoria made hers. Now you're making yours. That's not villainy. That's justice."

"It feels like revenge."

"Maybe it is. Is that so wrong?" His hands cupped my face. "He took three years of your life. Your dreams. Your future. He deserves to pay."

"And what about you?" I looked into his eyes. "What do you get from all this?"

"I already told you. I get you back."

"But what if you don't?" The words came out whisper-soft. "What if, when this is over, I don't want to be with anyone? What if I just want to be alone?"

Pain flashed across Sebastian's face. "Then I'll accept that. I'll help you anyway. Because that's what love is. Wanting someone to be happy, even if it's not with you."

He kissed my forehead gently. Not my lips. Just my forehead. Like a promise.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get you home before Flinn notices you're gone."

The drive home was quiet. My mind wouldn't stop racing. Tomorrow, Flinn would know. Tomorrow, everything would change.

I walked into the house expecting it to be empty. But Flinn sat in the living room, still in yesterday's clothes. He looked terrible. Exhausted. Broken.

"Where were you?" he asked. His voice was hoarse.

"Out. Thinking."

"With him?"

"Does it matter?"

Flinn stood up slowly. "It matters to me. Who is he, Kelsey? Tell me his name."

"Why? So you can destroy him the way you destroy everything?"

"I want to know who's filling your head with ideas. Who's making you think you can leave me."

"I don't need anyone to give me ideas. You did that yourself." I walked toward the stairs. "I'm tired. I'm going to rest."

"We need to talk about yesterday. About the divorce."

"There's nothing to talk about. I meant what I said."

Flinn moved fast. He grabbed my arm, not hard enough to hurt but firm enough to stop me. "I won't let you leave. I won't let him have you."

"Him?" I pulled away. "This isn't about anyone else. This is about us. About three years of lies. About Victoria. About the fact that you don't even know who I am anymore."

"I know you better than anyone."

"No. You know the version of me you created. The quiet wife. The obedient wife. The wife who doesn't ask questions." I met his eyes. "But that's not who I really am. I forgot for a while. But I'm remembering now."

Something changed in his expression. Fear, maybe. Or respect.

"I made mistakes," he said quietly. "Bad ones. But I can fix this. I can end things with Victoria. I can be the husband you need."

"It's too late."

"It's not. It can't be." His voice cracked. "Kelsey, please. Give me one more chance. Let me prove I can change."

For a moment, I almost believed him. I almost let myself hope.

Then my phone buzzed in my pocket. A text from Victoria.

"Enjoying your last days as Mrs. Morgan? Singapore is going to be amazing. Can't wait to celebrate when he finally leaves you."

I showed Flinn the message.

His face went white. "She wasn't supposed to contact you. I told her—"

"You told her what? To wait until after Singapore to destroy my life?" I laughed bitterly. "You're still protecting her. Still choosing her."

"I'm not choosing her! I'm trying to protect us!"

"There is no us!" I shouted. "There hasn't been for months! You killed us when you went back to her!"

Flinn's phone rang. He looked at the screen and his jaw tightened. "I have to take this."

"Of course you do. Business calls. Victoria calls. Everything except your wife."

He answered anyway. "What?" His voice was sharp. Then his face went pale. "What do you mean served papers? What papers?"

My heart stopped. No. It was too soon. Jennifer said tomorrow. Not today.

"Divorce papers?" Flinn's eyes locked on mine. "Kelsey filed for divorce?"

I backed toward the stairs.

"When?" he demanded into the phone. "An hour ago? Why am I just hearing about this?" He listened. "Fine. Get our lawyers on it now. I want everything frozen. Assets. Accounts. Everything."

He hung up and walked toward me slowly. Dangerously.

"You filed today," he said. "This morning. That's where you were."

"Yes."

"And him? The man you've been seeing? He helped you?"

"Yes."

Flinn's hand slammed against the wall beside my head. I flinched but didn't run.

"Who is he?" Flinn's voice was deadly quiet.

"Someone who actually cares about me."

"I care about you!"

"You have a funny way of showing it!"

His phone rang again. And again. He ignored it. "Tell me his name, Kelsey."

"No."

"Tell me!" He was yelling now. Out of control.

"Sebastian Hart!" I yelled back. "His name is Sebastian Hart! And yes, I've been seeing him! And yes, he's helping me! And yes, he's going to destroy you!"

Flinn stepped back like I'd slapped him. "Sebastian Hart. Your ex-boyfriend. The tech billionaire."

"Yes."

"How long?"

"That doesn't matter."

"HOW LONG?" His voice echoed through the house.

"A few days. Since the party. Since I saw you with Victoria."

Flinn laughed. It was an ugly sound. "So this is revenge. You're sleeping with him to hurt me."

"I'm not sleeping with him."

"Yet." His eyes were cold. "But you will. That's his plan. Seduce you. Use you to get to me. Sebastian Hart has hated me for years. This is his way of winning."

"This isn't about you! This is about me choosing myself!"

"You're choosing him. Don't lie." Flinn pulled out his phone. "I'm calling my lawyers. We're fighting this. Every document you filed is based on lies. I'll prove it."

"Go ahead. Try." I headed up the stairs. "Your lawyers won't find anything. Because everything in those papers is true. The affair. The fraud. All of it."

"Fraud?" He followed me. "What fraud?"

"The money you've been stealing. The illegal deals. The offshore accounts." I turned to face him. "Did you think I wouldn't find out? Did you think I was too stupid to understand?"

Flinn's face went from angry to terrified. "Who told you about that? Sebastian?"

"Does it matter? What matters is I know. And soon, everyone will know."

"You can't." He grabbed my arm again, harder this time. "Kelsey, if that information comes out, I'm ruined. We're both ruined."

"I'm already ruined. You made sure of that." I pulled free. "Now it's your turn."

I locked myself in the bedroom. Flinn pounded on the door.

"Kelsey! Open this door! We need to talk about this!"

I didn't answer. I called Sebastian.

"He knows," I said when he picked up. "About the divorce. About the fraud. About you."

"I heard. My team is monitoring the house, remember?" His voice was calm. "Don't panic. This is all part of the plan."

"He's angry. Really angry. I've never seen him like this."

"Do you feel unsafe? Say the word and my security team comes in."

I listened to Flinn's voice through the door. Angry but not violent. Desperate but not dangerous.

"Not yet," I said. "But stay close."

"I'm always close." Sebastian paused. "You did well today. I'm proud of you."

"I don't feel proud. I feel scared."

"That means you're smart. Fear keeps you alert. But don't let it control you. You're stronger than him now. Remember that."

We hung up. Flinn had stopped pounding. The house was eerily quiet.

I packed more clothes. More documents. I wouldn't spend another night here. Couldn't.

When I opened the bedroom door, Flinn sat on the floor in the hallway. His head was in his hands.

He looked up when he heard me. His eyes were red.

"Don't go," he said. "Please. We can fix this. I'll do anything."

"It's too late for anything."

"It's not. I'll end things with Victoria today. Right now. I'll call her and tell her it's over."

"And the blackmail? The documents?"

"I'll... I'll figure something out. I'll pay her off. Whatever it takes."

"What about Singapore?"

"I won't go. I'll cancel everything."

I looked at this man I'd loved for three years. This man who'd promised me forever. This man who'd broken every promise.

"I don't believe you," I said. "You've lied too many times."

"This time is different. This time I mean it."

"You meant it last time too. And the time before that." I walked past him. "Goodbye, Flinn."

"Where are you going?"

"Away. Somewhere you can't find me."

"Kelsey!" He stood up, following me down the stairs. "You can't just leave! This is your home!"

"This was never my home. It was your prison." I grabbed my suitcase by the door. "Have your lawyers contact mine. We'll settle everything in court."

"I'll fight you. I'll fight Sebastian. I'll fight everyone." His voice turned hard again. "You won't get a penny. You won't get anything."

"I don't want your money. I want my freedom." I opened the door. "That's worth more than all your billions."

A black car waited in the driveway. Sebastian's driver. He took my suitcase and opened the door.

Flinn stood in the doorway, watching. His face was a mask of fury and pain.

"This isn't over," he called out. "You're still my wife. You'll always be my wife."

"Not for long," I said.

The car pulled away. I watched the house disappear in the rearview mirror. That beautiful house that had been my cage.

My phone rang. Flinn. I didn't answer.

It rang again. And again. And again.

Finally, a text, "If you think Sebastian Hart is your hero, you're wrong. He's using you. And when he's done destroying me, he'll destroy you too. Come home before it's too late."

I stared at the message. Was he right? Was Sebastian using me?

But then I remembered Victoria's smile. Flinn's lies. Three years of feeling worthless.

Even if Sebastian was using me, at least I was choosing it. At least I had power now.

The car stopped in front of a luxury hotel. Sebastian waited in the lobby.

"Welcome home," he said, taking my hand.

Home. Such a strange word. I didn't have a home anymore.

But as Sebastian led me to a private suite, as he promised me everything would be okay, as he held me while I finally let myself cry, I thought maybe home wasn't a place.

Maybe home was the choice to fight back.

Maybe home was revenge.

And maybe, just maybe, home was the man who'd been waiting seven years for me to realize I deserved better.

Or maybe that was just another lie I was telling myself.

Time would tell.