Chapter 3

She came over, sobbing, reaching for my hand.

"Sophie, please don't be impulsive. I know you're only doing this out of spite to get money!"

"How about this? We can sign a contract to buy all your research. Once the company starts making money, we'll pay you right away."

I laughed coldly and pulled away.

"We're not even divorced yet, and you're already acting like the new Mrs. Palmer? You don't get a say in this."

Nicole froze, her body trembling.

"I... I shouldn't be here. I'll go."

She turned and ran downstairs without her shoes or her coat.

She wore nothing but a flimsy satin nightgown she'd thrown on in a hurry.

It was already dark outside.

Derek nearly lost his mind. He rounded on me, his voice suddenly sharp.

"Sophie Archer, have you lost your mind? What if something happens to Nicky out there?"

"I told you, I was too drunk and got confused. It had nothing to do with her! Who gave you the right to push her around?"

He called her Nicky. He called me Sophie Archer.

She'd slept with my husband, and he was scolding me for being too harsh on her.

It was laughable.

Maybe it was the feelings I hadn't had time to let go of yet. Before Derek ran out the door after her, I grabbed his wrist.

"Derek, if you walk out that door right now, we're done. For good."

Derek hesitated.

His expression softened.

But he peeled my fingers off one by one.

He said, "Sophie, she's alone outside in the dark. This is serious. I'll explain everything when I get back."

I watched him sprint out the door without looking back once.

I turned around and texted my rival, Vincent Hale.

"Your company hiring? Getting divorced. Nowhere to go."

Vincent replied instantly with a laughing emoji. I could practically see his smug grin through the screen.

"I'll take you in. When are you coming?"

I typed back, "Couple of days. Still have some loose ends."

After sending it, I deleted the conversation and opened Derek's shared location.

He'd set it up himself on my phone back when we first started dating.

The pin showed the Belaire Hotel, a cheap three-star hotel near our apartment.

I threw on a coat and followed.

Sure enough, there they were, standing together in front of the building.

For ten years, the three of us had done almost everything together.

Nicole had nowhere else to go. A hotel was her only option.

I pulled out my phone and started recording.

"Maybe... maybe we shouldn't go up. I'm afraid Sophie will find out. I don't know what she might do if she snaps."

Derek pulled her closer, his chin grazing her collarbone.

"Why worry? Sophie is nothing. Every time we fight, she comes crawling back before I even have to say a word. She can't survive without me."

Nicole gave a half-hearted push. "The way she dug in tonight really scared me! She's never been like that before. I'm terrified she'll actually take her research with her!"

"Relax." Derek's hands were already sliding beneath her clothes. "Tomorrow, I'll swap out the samples. She's too trusting and too buried in her work to suspect a thing."

"We finally have a quiet night to ourselves. Don't waste it..."

Nicole blushed and smiled.

The two of them walked into the hotel with their arms around each other.

I saved the video and stood there in silence, staring up at the building.

A light on the second floor switched on, then off, then on again.

A text from Derek arrived afterward.

"Evan called about something urgent at the lab. Going to check it out. Not sure when I'll be back. Go to sleep."

A few minutes later, another one.

"Let's talk about the divorce when we've both calmed down. I still love you."

I glanced at the messages and deleted them.

Then I called a cab and headed straight to the lab.