Chapter Four

The black car arrived exactly at noon. The driver was professional and quiet. He didn't ask questions, just opened the door and waited for me to get in.

I'd told Flinn I was having lunch with Miranda. He'd barely looked up from his laptop. We hadn't spoken since last night's argument. The house felt like a tomb this morning, cold and silent.

The car drove through the city to a part of town I didn't recognize. Expensive buildings. Private clubs. Places where people like me didn't belong.

We stopped in front of a tall glass building. The driver opened my door. "Top floor, Mrs. Morgan. Mr. Hart is expecting you."

The elevator was made of mirrors. I watched myself rise higher and higher. My reflection looked nervous. I tried to fix my face into something braver.

The doors opened into a beautiful office. Floor to ceiling windows showed the whole city. Sebastian stood by the window, looking out. He turned when he heard me.

"You came," he said.

"You knew I would."

He smiled. "Yes. I did." He gestured to a table set with lunch. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really." But I sat down anyway.

Sebastian poured water into crystal glasses. "How are you feeling?"

"Confused. Angry. Scared." I looked at him. "Your team recorded Flinn's phone call last night. You're watching my house. Listening to everything. Doesn't that feel wrong to you?"

"No." His answer was simple. "I'm protecting you."

"By spying on me?"

"By making sure I know everything before we make our move." He sat across from me. "Kelsey, Flinn is dangerous. Not just to you, but to a lot of people. The illegal deals he mentioned to Victoria? They're worse than he admitted."

"How much worse?"

Sebastian opened a laptop and turned it toward me. Documents filled the screen. Numbers. Names. Bank accounts.

"He's been stealing from his own investors," Sebastian explained. "Hiding money in offshore accounts. Using shell companies to cover his tracks. If this comes out, he won't just lose his business. He'll go to prison."

My stomach turned. "And Victoria knows all this?"

"She helped him set it up. They were partners in crime before they were anything else." Sebastian's jaw tightened. "That's probably why he went back to her. She's the only person who knows where all the bodies are buried."

"So his story about blackmail might be true?"

"Partially. Victoria is blackmailing him. But not just for love. She wants half his fortune. And she'll destroy him if she doesn't get it."

I sat back, trying to process everything. "What does this mean for me?"

"It means you need to file for divorce immediately. Before his empire crashes. Before the authorities start investigating. If you're still married when it all comes out, they could come after your assets too."

"I don't have any assets. The prenup—"

"The prenup is garbage." Sebastian pulled out another folder. "I had my lawyers look at it. Flinn's team made several mistakes. Clauses that won't hold up in court. Signatures that weren't properly witnessed. With a good lawyer, you could walk away with millions."

"I don't want his money."

"Yes, you do." Sebastian's eyes were hard. "You want him to hurt. You want him to pay. Money is the only language men like Flinn understand."

He was right. I did want Flinn to hurt.

"What do I do?" I asked quietly.

Sebastian reached across the table and took my hand. "You let me help you. My lawyers will handle the divorce. We'll make sure you get everything you deserve. And when Flinn's business collapses, you'll be far away from the disaster."

"And what do you get out of this?"

His thumb brushed across my knuckles. "I get you back. I get the chance to show you what real love looks like. What it should have been all along."

"Sebastian—"

"I know you don't love me anymore. Not the way you did before." His voice was soft. "But maybe you could learn again. Maybe we could start over."

My heart twisted. Part of me wanted to say yes. Wanted to fall into his arms and let him fix everything. But another part, a smarter part, knew this was dangerous.

"I need time," I said.

"I'll give you time. But not too much. Every day you stay with him is another day he could hurt you." Sebastian squeezed my hand. "Promise me you'll be careful. Promise me if anything feels wrong, you'll call me immediately."

"I promise."

We ate lunch, talking about safer things. He told me about his company, his travels, his life over the past seven years. I told him about my architecture dreams, the ones I'd given up.

"You could go back to school," he said. "After the divorce. I could help—"

"I don't want your charity."

"It's not charity. It's an investment." He smiled. "You're brilliant, Kelsey. You always were. And when you're free from him, you'll remember that."

The afternoon passed quickly. Too quickly. When it was time to leave, I felt strange. Like I was walking out of a dream into a nightmare.

"Be safe," Sebastian said at the elevator. "And remember, I'm always watching."

The words should have scared me. Instead, they made me feel protected.

The driver took me home. As we pulled up, I saw Flinn's car in the driveway. He was home early.

My heart started racing. Did he know where I'd been? Had someone seen me?

I walked inside slowly. Flinn stood in the living room, still in his suit. His face was unreadable.

"How was lunch with Miranda?" he asked.

"Fine. We went to that Italian place she likes."

"Really?" He pulled out his phone. "Because Miranda just posted on social media. She's at a business conference in Boston. Has been since yesterday."

My blood went cold. I'd forgotten to check Miranda's schedule.

"I misspoke," I said quickly. "I meant I had lunch alone. I just said Miranda because—"

"Because you were lying." Flinn walked toward me. "Where were you really, Kelsey?"

"Out. I needed to think."

"Think about what?"

"About us. About our marriage. About whether I want to stay in it."

His expression darkened. "Is there someone else?"

"Would you care if there was?"

"Yes." The word came out like a growl. "You're my wife."

"And Victoria is your what? Your business partner? Your blackmailer? Your ex-fiancée?" I threw my purse on the couch. "You don't get to be jealous, Flinn. You lost that right."

"I made mistakes. I'm trying to fix them."

"By going to Singapore with her? By spending two weeks in a romantic villa?" I laughed bitterly. "That's not fixing things. That's making them worse."

Flinn ran his hand through his hair. "I have to go. If I don't, she'll release the documents. Everything will collapse."

"Then let it collapse!" I shouted. "Let it all burn down! At least then we'd have the truth!"

"You don't understand what you're saying. If my company fails, people lose their jobs. Investors lose money. Lives are ruined."

"What about my life? Doesn't that matter?"

"Of course it matters!" He grabbed my shoulders. "You matter more than anything! That's why I'm doing this! To protect you!"

"I don't need your protection! I need your honesty! I need you to choose me for once!" Tears streamed down my face. "But you won't. You'll choose your business. Your reputation. Your precious empire. Just like you always do."

"Kelsey—"

"I want a divorce."

The words hung in the air between us. Flinn's face went pale.

"What?"

"You heard me. I want a divorce. I'm done pretending. Done waiting. Done being the stupid little wife who believes your lies."

His hands dropped from my shoulders. "You don't mean that."

"I do." My voice was steady now. "I'm calling a lawyer tomorrow. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your choice."

Flinn stared at me like he'd never seen me before. "Is this about whoever you were with today? Did he put this idea in your head?"

"This is about me. About finally choosing myself."

"I won't give you a divorce." His voice turned cold. "The prenup is solid. You'll get nothing. You'll leave with the clothes on your back and that's all."

"I don't care about your money."

"Everyone cares about money, Kelsey. You're just too naive to realize it yet." He walked to the door. "I'm going to the office. When I come back, we're going to talk about this like adults. And you're going to tell me the truth about where you were today."

He left. The house shook when the door slammed.

I stood there, shaking. What had I done? I wasn't supposed to ask for a divorce yet. Sebastian said we needed more time. More evidence.

But I couldn't help it. The words just came out.

My secure phone buzzed.

"I heard everything. Don't panic. This might actually work in our favor. Come to my office tomorrow morning. Nine o'clock. We need to move fast now."

I typed back: "He won't give me a divorce. He said the prenup is solid."

"Let me worry about the prenup. You just worry about staying safe tonight. Do you want me to send security?"

"No. That would make things worse."

"Okay. But I'm one phone call away. Anything happens, anything at all, you call me."

"I will."

I went upstairs to pack a bag. If Flinn came home angry, I wanted to be ready to leave. I threw clothes, documents, and jewelry into a suitcase.

In the back of my closet, I found a shoebox. Inside were photos from my college days. Me and Sebastian, young and happy. Me alone, dreaming of buildings I would design.

Who was that girl? Where did she go?

My phone rang. The regular one. Miranda.

"Hey, I saw Flinn's assistant called me three times," she said. "Is everything okay?"

"No. Nothing is okay." I told her everything. The party. Victoria. Sebastian. The divorce.

Miranda was quiet for a long moment. "This is a lot, Kels."

"I know."

"Sebastian Hart. Your Sebastian. The one you cried over for months."

"Yes."

"And he wants to help you destroy Flinn?"

"Yes."

"This sounds like a movie. A really dramatic, possibly dangerous movie."

"I know that too."

She sighed. "What do you need from me?"

"Just be my friend. Like you always are."

"Always." Her voice softened. "But Kelsey? Be careful. Both these men are rich and powerful. And powerful men play dangerous games."

"I'll be careful."

But as I hung up, I wondered if careful was even possible anymore. I'd stepped into something big. Something that could destroy all of us.

Around midnight, I heard Flinn come home. His footsteps were heavy on the stairs. He stopped outside the guest room where I'd locked myself in.

"Kelsey?" His voice was soft through the door. "Are you awake?"

I didn't answer.

"I'm sorry. For everything. For Victoria. For the lies. For not being the husband you deserved." A long pause. "But I meant what I said. I love you. And I'm not giving up on us. I'm not giving you a divorce."

His footsteps moved away.

I lay in the dark, my mind racing. Tomorrow, everything would change. Tomorrow, the war would really begin.

My secure phone lit up with one final message from Sebastian.

"Get some sleep, princess. Tomorrow, we will take the first piece off the board. Tomorrow, we will make Flinn regret ever hurting you."

I closed my eyes, but sleep wouldn't come. Instead, I planned. I strategized. I imagined Flinn's face when he realized he'd underestimated me.

The scared little wife he'd controlled for three years was gone.

In her place was someone new. Someone angry. Someone ready to fight.

And with Sebastian's help, I was going to win.

But somewhere deep in my heart, a small voice whispered a question I couldn't ignore. What if winning meant losing myself completely?