Chapter 3

"I understand."

I put all the blind boxes away in the cabinet.

…

After a long silence, I heard a soft sigh behind me.

The next second, a warm body pressed against my back, and I caught the faint, sweet scent of roses.

Sienna wrapped her arms around me, her voice low. "Vincent, I specifically turned down a meeting to come back and see you. We have an hour together."

If this had happened before, I would have been overjoyed that she had broken her own rules for me.

But now, with my head lowered, I caught a faint trace of cologne on her.

The kind that Nicholas used.

My heart went cold.

Had they held each other this tightly last night, too?

"You're exhausted. Have some breakfast first. I'll make something in the kitchen."

I slipped out of her arms without looking at her and walked into the kitchen.

Dominic had told me that before I confronted her with everything, I needed to keep up the appearance of being completely compliant.

That was the only way to let Sienna's guilt build.

…

By the time the pancakes were ready, Sienna happened to answer a phone call.

She had it on speaker, and Nicholas' sobbing came through loud and clear. "Ms. Monroe… My ex-girlfriend crashed into my car. What am I supposed to do?"

Sienna immediately headed for the door, slipping on her coat with one hand.

When she saw me carrying the pancakes out of the kitchen, her expression darkened.

"Don't worry. I'm coming over now. Take the day off. Don't even think about going to work."

Then, she covered the phone with her hand, an apologetic look on her face.

I spoke before she could. "Go ahead. I'll keep the food warm and wait for you."

The only answer I got was the sound of the door closing.

I curled my lips into a mocking smile.

At least I had been the one to push her away before she left. That way, it had not been quite so humiliating.

I sat at the dining table, reheating the pancakes for the seventh time.

The eighth time, I threw them in the trash.

I looked up housing prices in a small coastal town and bought myself a plane ticket.

The pancakes in the trash had gone cold and clumped together, but my mind had never been clearer.

Dominic had a divorce agreement drafted and sent to me by same-day courier. He also included a background report on Nicholas. He texted me, "This fake nice guy isn't as simple as he looks. I really want to see how Sienna reacts when she finds out."

I skimmed through it.

It was only a few pages, but there was plenty to uncover.

I tucked both documents into the closet and waited for the right moment to give Sienna a surprise of her own.

…

Sienna came back that afternoon with Nicholas.

When she saw how stiff I had gone, she explained, "His ex deliberately went after him, and he can't stay at home right now. I'll let him stay here for tonight."

Nicholas followed close behind her, looking meek and pitiful.

Thinking about what I had read in the report, I raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

I casually browsed home renovation options on my phone.

Sienna came out of the bathroom, still warm from her shower.

When she saw what was on my screen, she frowned. "Why are you looking at that? Are you thinking about moving?"

I backed out of the page and answered casually, "Just looking."

She did not give it another thought. She walked over to the closet to get some clean clothes.

Suddenly, a document fell to the floor. My heart jumped into my throat.

Sienna bent down and picked it up, slowly opening it. It was the divorce agreement.

Her fingers stilled for the briefest moment.

Her voice dropped, her expression darkening. "What does this mean? You want a divorce? Vincent, you really caught me off guard. When did you start thinking about this? I had no idea."

I forced down the panic rising inside me. "You've seen it. Just sign it. Our marriage has been nothing but a formality for a long time anyway."

She gave a derisive snort. "What are you going to do once you leave me? If I hadn't supported you all these years and paid for your paralyzed father's care, you and your father would've starved on the streets by now!"