Chapter 2

MARCUS

"I want a divorce."

I never thought I would hear Olivia utter those words. As she walked down the hallway without even looking back at me, a strange numbness washed over me. For a while, I couldn't even think straight. I couldn't properly understand what she was saying, until I allowed the words to wrap around me like a warm blanket.

And then I felt relief.

I'd been waiting for an opportunity to end things with her for a very long time. It had been six months since the idea first came to me, and I knew that it would be the best way to end this sham of a marriage.

And I was going to do it, until about four months ago when I got a phone call that sent me down this road.

"Come home right now. I need to speak with you."

A call from my mother was rarely good news. Even after all these years of retirement, she still liked to keep an eye on things. At first I thought it was something to do with the company. Maybe she wanted to talk about our latest project, or maybe she had learned something about our shareholders.

Or maybe—and even the thought alone was enough to piss me off—it was something to do with him.

Nevertheless, I found myself sitting in the living room shortly after she called, and I waited patiently for her to show up. I never imagined that she would want to talk about my personal life, until she came downstairs finally and sat in front of me.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush, Marcus," she said. "I just spoke to the David Cowell about my contracts I needed him to draft, and he informed me that you asked him to prepare divorce papers."

I gritted my teeth in annoyance as I realised the mistake I'd made. Being the family lawyer, David was loyal to my mother above anything else, and he told her everything. I should have known that he would tell her about this too.

"Are you out of your goddamn mind?" she snapped. "You've only been married for a few years, and already you want to throw it all away? What has gotten into you?"

"You don't understand, mom," I said. "I don't love her anymore. Every time I walk into that house and see her, it just pisses me off. I want to get rid of her and move on with my life."

In an instant, she crossed the space between us and slapped me across the face. I remained frozen on the spot, the sting on my cheeks reminding me of all those times she would hit me when I said something stupid.

I guess some things never changed.

"How dare you sit there and say such nonsense to me?" she yelled angrily. "Olivia is like a daughter to me. All that girl has ever done is love you, which I never understood why. And now you want to turn your back on her? You want the whole world to know how incompetent you are?"

I couldn't bring myself to say anything, so I just kept my head down and stared at my feet.

"Think about what would happen if the press gets wind of this," she continued. "You would be ruined. The entire company would crumble. We promoted an image of inclusivity, tolerance and togetherness among our staff members and our customers. Reynard Tech is all about family. So what will happen when the CEO of the company files for a divorce? Suddenly that whole image comes crashing down. How could you not see this?"

I never even thought about that. But as she said it now, it made perfect sense. If the press found out about this, there would be a lot of questions about why we were separating. Questions would be raised, theories would be put forward, and there would be nothing to stop the mob from taking us down. Our enemies were circling like vultures, waiting for an opportunity to pick us apart. And this would the perfect opportunity for them.

But what about my own happiness? What about my own choice? Didn't it matter in this situation?

"You're lucky I found out about this in time," she said, straightening up. "I've already told David to throw away those divorce papers. As long as I'm alive, you will remain married to Olivia and you will not destroy all the hard work that your father and I have put into making Reynard Tech the empire it is today."

"I want a baby," I suddenly blurted out, causing her to pause and look straight at me.

"What?"

"I said I want a baby," I repeated, staring pointedly at her. "I've wanted a baby for quite some time now. Olivia and I have been trying for years now, but it's not working. We finally went to the doctor a few months ago, and he revealed to me privately that the chances of Olivia ever conceiving a baby is one in a billion."

She took a step back, and I could see that the realisation had gotten to her. Surely this would bring her around. She must understand the need for someone to have a child of their own.

"Don't you see?" I continued. "I can't stay in this marriage any longer. I want a baby, and I want it now. I want to grow up with my child, so I can experience all the moments in their life that I don't want to miss. Time is running out, and Olivia cannot give me what I want. And I am not open to adoption. I want my own flesh and blood. So you understand, don't you? I have to divorce her."

For a moment, I really thought she would understand. I really thought she would see things from my perspective and allow me to go ahead with my decision. But then a shadow came over her eyes, and her lips tightened as she turned away from me.

And I knew that she wasn't going to back down.

"My decision is final," she said. "You will not divorce Olivia. If you want a baby, then find some other way to get one. But you will not do this to her. To me. Not now, not ever."

"Mother..."

"Get out!" she said, keeping her back to me. "And if you dare continue with this plan of yours, you will force my hand. You already know that your position as CEO is not permanent. If you put another toe out of line, then I will have to call him back to take over."

I stiffened at the mention of him, and bile rose to my throat as I imagined what that would mean for me if he ever came back. I didn't even realise my hand was trembling until I walked out of the room and stopped in the hallway, leaning against the wall and trying to catch my breath.

Even though I tried not to do it, I looked up at our family portrait, and for a moment I almost couldn't breathe. My eyes shifted from my dad's stoic face, to my mom's satisfied smirk and then to my blank teenage expression. It would have been the perfect family if it was just the three of us, except for the fourth person in the picture.

The one who looked exactly like me.

Ethan stared directly at me with a smile that seemed almost insulting to me. I stared at the face which had been a reflection of mine since the day I was born, and the face which had haunted me for several years now.

It had been sixteen years since I saw him. Sixteen blissful years since I was forced to endure his presence. Now, the mere thought of him showing up again was like a knife to the chest. And I wasn't going to let that happen.

If he could see me now, standing in my wife's former apartment with her best friend, I would be destroyed.

"Marcus?" Emily called, pulling me out of my reverie. "Are you alright?"

I looked up at her slowly, and tried to hide the feeling of dread that was creeping over me. I smiled at her, and made my way towards her on the couch.

"I'm fine," I said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"This is bad," she said, biting her lip. "I didn't want her to find out this way. She's..."

"She's not important right now," I said, pulling her towards me and setting her down on my lap. "She can jump off a fucking bridge for all I care."

"She's my best friend," she said, although a soft smile crept onto her lips. If Olivia disappeared, then we would be free to do whatever we wanted. Suddenly I wouldn't be the asshole who cheated on his wife. I would be the grieving widower who would give anything to have his wife back. I already had a fake speech planned, and I knew exactly how long Emily and I would have to wait before we made our relationship public.

"What are we going to do now?" Emily asked. "Your mother already said that you're not to divorce her under any circumstances."

"She did," I shrugged as I slipped off the shirt she was wearing and began to nuzzle her neck. "But she never said anything about Olivia initiating the divorce herself. I haven't broken any rules."

"Well, since you put it that way..." she gasped as my lips moved down to her nipple.

"Exactly," I said, lifting her up as I stood up and wrapped her legs around me. "Now, let's go back to the bedroom and continue what we were doing."

"That sounds like a plan," she moaned as I pressed my erection against her exposed vagina. "We never got to finish."

"I'm a free man now, remember?" I chuckled as I squeezed her butt and kissed her. "I'll worry about Olivia tomorrow. But tonight, I'm going to fuck your brains out."

She giggled as we headed for the bedroom, and I continued to kiss her while the weight which had settled on my chest for the past few months slowly disappeared.

Today, I would celebrate my freedom.

And tomorrow, I would call David Cowell.

And then I would call my brother.