Chapter 3 The Rooftop Ultimatum

On the way to the courthouse, Jesse kept a tight grip on my hand, as though she thought I might bolt the second the car stopped.

"Anthony, it's only for one month. I promise."

Outside the window, the snow was falling harder, and the sight of it brought back a memory from ten years ago.

Jesse and I had gotten our marriage license on a snowy day just like this one. Back then, she had tucked my freezing hand into the pocket of her coat and whispered, "Anthony, I'll never let you face anything alone again."

I lowered my gaze to the fingers wrapped around my wrist and managed a faint smile, thinking how once someone stopped loving you, even the same gesture felt like a joke.

I gently pulled my hand free, but Jesse immediately grabbed it again.

"Gideon and I won't announce the marriage. There won't be a wedding, and no one outside the family will even know." Her grip tightened. "As far as everyone else is concerned, you'll still be my husband."

I said nothing, but my mind was already working. I wondered if I made a ruckus, would she follow through with the divorce?

Keeping one hand tucked inside my coat pocket, I quietly sent a text to a reporter in my contacts named Grant Mercer.

Three years ago, Grant had broken one of Jesse's biggest scandals. She had gotten drunk at a private party and checked into a hotel with a famous actor, and Grant had caught everything on camera.

Dominic had been furious enough to try to destroy his career, but I had stepped in before things went that far. I gave Grant an exclusive on another Knapp Holdings story in exchange for burying the photos.

He hated the Knapps, and more importantly, he owed me a favor.

…

By the time we reached the courthouse, I knew my message had gotten through.

The moment we stepped out of the car, reporters swarmed us.

"Ms. Knapp, are you and Mr. Holmes here to file for divorce? You went public with Gideon yesterday. Are you divorcing your husband so you can marry him?"

"Mr. Holmes, do you have anything to say about your wife's affairs? You've put up with this for years. Why draw the line now?"

Jesse froze.

She clearly hadn't expected the press, and for once, she had no answer ready.

I reached over and took her hand, then turned to the cameras with a practiced smile. "There's been a misunderstanding. We're not here to get divorced. Today is our tenth wedding anniversary. We got our marriage license here ten years ago, so we thought we'd come back and revisit the place."

Beside me, Jesse went stiff.

She was silent for a few seconds, clearly caught off guard by what I had just said.

Then, she quickly composed herself and forced a calm smile. "That's right."

The reporters exchanged confused looks before one of them immediately pushed forward. "Then, what about Gideon?"

"Gideon is a new actor signed to Jesse's company," I answered, forcing a smile. "The posts yesterday were just publicity for an upcoming project."

I glanced at Jesse. "Right?"

Her jaw tightened, but after a brief pause, she nodded. "Right."

Then, I took advantage of the confusion and started pulling her back toward the car.

A scream suddenly cut through the crowd.

"Look! Someone's on the roof!"

Everyone looked up.

Across the street, a figure dressed in white stood on the roof of a high-rise office building. The wind whipped around him so violently that he looked as though he might topple over the edge at any moment.

It was Gideon.

My stomach sank, realizing the situation had gotten complicated.

Jesse's phone rang almost immediately. The moment she answered, Gideon's broken sobs came through the speaker. "I heard everything, Jesse. So, that's all I am to you? Just some new actor your company signed?"

His voice cracked as he struggled to continue, "Anthony wins. All he has to do is say one word, and suddenly I'm nothing but a joke."

He was sobbing so hard that he could barely speak, yet in the sudden silence around us, every word came through loud and clear.

I looked across the street at him and finally understood what he was doing.

He was smarter than I thought, using Jesse's guilt, the crowd's sympathy, and every camera pointed at him to his advantage. He had turned all of it into a weapon.

Sure enough, Jesse was the first to break.

She shouted, "Gideon! Don't do anything stupid!"

He looked down at her from the rooftop, tears streaming down his face. "Jesse, I can't live without you..."

Then, his gaze shifted toward me. Even from across the street, I knew exactly who he was looking at.

"Anthony, I'm not trying to take anything from you. I just want my grandpa to die in peace," he pleaded, his voice trembling in the wind. "You've been Jesse's husband for ten years. Is one month really too much to give me?"

Whispers immediately rippled through the crowd.

They murmured about Gideon's dying grandpa and his request for only a month. Before long, their sympathy had shifted toward him, while I was quickly being painted as the heartless husband standing in his way.

Jesse dragged both hands through her hair, panic written all over her face. "Gideon, get down from there! I'll do it. I'll divorce him!"

Then, she spun around and yelled at me, "Let's do it now, Anthony! We're filing the papers!"

Every camera outside the courthouse swung toward me, dozens of lenses fixing on my face at once.

I clenched my fist at my side until my nails dug into my palm.