LOGINThe static hiss of the office air conditioning was the only thing filling the silence as I pushed open the heavy glass doors of Sunlit Legal. My heels clicked against the polished marble, a rhythmic, military precision that mirrored the cold wall I had built around my heart. The memory of the museum—the heat of Caspian’s skin, the intoxicating smell of cedar—tried to flare up like a dying ember, but I doused it with the icy recollection of waking up to an empty bed.I was done being a plaything for powerful men."Jenny, thank God," Rita said, looking up from a mountain of files in my office. She had a streak of ink on her cheek and a double espresso in her hand. Lucas was leaning over a whiteboard, his blond hair uncharacteristically disheveled, marking out a complex timeline of Hynes family shell companies."No more distractions," I said, my voice cutting through the room like a scalpel. I didn't wait for them to ask about my morning. I threw my bag onto the desk and pulled out my la
The first rays of dawn, pale and tentative, filtered through the blinds, casting soft stripes across the unfamiliar room. My eyelids fluttered open, heavy with a blissful exhaustion I hadn't known in years. My body felt… utterly languid, every muscle singing with a sweet ache. Slowly, my mind resurfaced from the depths of sleep, bringing with it fragmented, intoxicating memories of the night before. Caspian. The fierce passion, the tender devotion, the way his lips had found every hidden sensitivity, the strength of his arms around me… A blush crept up my neck.I reached out, my fingers seeking the warmth beside me on the bed. But the space was cool, smooth. Empty.My eyes snapped open completely. I sat up, the soft silk sheets pooling around my bare waist. The other side of the bed was perfectly undisturbed, devoid of any sign he had ever been there. No dented pillow, no stray dark hair, not even the lingering scent of his cologne.Panic, cold and sharp, pierced through the afterglow
The noise all around seemed sealed off by an invisible barrier. Caspian’s hoarse, bewitching words—He’s watching. Do you want revenge?—shot through every layer of my feigned calm like an electric current. My heart lurched into a frantic pounding, slamming against my chest as if desperate to break free.Alexander.The man I had once regarded as my salvation stood not far away, his eyes like two poisoned blades, piercing straight into me. Beside him, Anna’s face looked grotesque under the dazzling lights, consumed almost entirely by rage and jealousy.Revenge. The word was like a forbidden spell, stirring a tempest deep inside my heart.A thrilling, taboo excitement I had never known raged through me like wildfire. All the long-suppressed resentment, the overlooked pain, and the humiliation of having my worth casually dismissed by him burst free at last. I could practically feel my blood burning in my veins; the heady rush of adrenaline left me barely able to stand steady.Caspian’s fin
Caspian’s hand rested steadily on my waist, the warmth of his palm seeping through the fine wool fabric. The touch held no trace of ambiguity; instead, it carried a stern, business-like resolve, as if he had erected an unshakable steel barrier behind me.I straightened my back, tilted my chin up, and gazed past the shifting crowd in the foyer, my eyes locking straight onto Alexander.Pushing aside two businessmen who tried to block his way, he strode toward me in such a hurry that the polished gentlemanly demeanor he always maintained cracked at the edges. He stopped two meters before us, his chest heaving violently. His gaze swept over me before fixing sharply on Caspian.“Caspian Knight, what do you think you’re doing?” Alexander’s voice was low, every word ground out between clenched teeth. “Parading my wife around an event like this—just how far do you intend to provoke me?”Anna clung to his arm, her nails digging hard into the cuff of his suit sleeve. She had changed into a whit
I stood in front of the full-length mirror, straightening the mist-blue suit one last time.The woman in the reflection looked cold and composed. The faint redness at the corners of my eyes had faded, replaced by a taut, razor-sharp edge. I didn’t put on the soft peach lipstick that made me look gentle—I chose a deep matte red called “Power.” It carved my lips into something like a line of defense.I wasn’t wearing any of the jewelry Alexander had given me. The only thing on my wrist was an old stainless-steel watch. The ticking hands reminded me that every second of freedom was hard-won.My briefcase felt heavy—that was Emma’s authorization letter and the preliminary evidence of the Haines family’s illegal funding.Tonight’s charity gala—Robert Haines would be there.Alexander would show up too, with Anna and Lisa, under the name of the Ritchie Foundation.When I stepped out of the firm, the cold wind slipped into my sleeves. I shivered—but my mind had never been clearer.The steps i
The lights in the living room were too bright, casting a cold sheen over the polished furniture. I stood by the entryway, still clutching the crumpled stack of evidence, my fingers so tight they’d gone pale.My son, Daniel, was still curled up in Anna’s arms, staring at me like I was a stranger. Anna’s sobs had quieted; she stroked his back gently, occasionally glancing up at Alex with that look of someone who had just narrowly escaped disaster.Alex walked over and took the remaining photos from my hand. He didn’t even glance at them—just fed them straight into the shredder beside him. The machine let out a harsh grinding noise, and within seconds, every piece of evidence was reduced to scraps.“Since Daniel was just being mischievous, that’s the end of it.” He spoke quickly, almost urgently, like he was desperate to force the page to turn. “Jenny, go warm up some milk for Daniel—he’s scared. Anna, take Lisa upstairs to rest.”I stared at the shredder, then back at Alex. My throat wa







