CHAPTER 6

Eric's grip on Nyla's arm was so tight it felt like her bones might crack. He dragged her through the ballroom, past shocked faces and whispered conversations, straight toward the exit doors. Nyla did not struggle. She just let him pull her along, her face calm and expressionless.

The doors slammed open and they were outside in the parking lot. The night air was cold. Eric finally let go of her arm and Nyla stumbled back a step, putting distance between them.

"What the hell was that?" Eric exploded. His voice echoed across the parking lot. Several people near the valet station turned to stare. "What were you thinking in there?"

Nyla said nothing. She just looked at him with cold, steady eyes.

"Answer me!" Eric's face was red, veins bulging in his neck. "You just took ten billion dollars from Cameron! My biggest competitor! In front of everyone!"

"Yes," Nyla said calmly. "I did."

"Why?" Eric was almost screaming now. "Why would you do that? Are you trying to humiliate me?"

"I am moving out tonight," Nyla said. Her voice was quiet but clear.

Eric froze. "What?"

"I am leaving. I will not be coming back to the penthouse."

"You cannot be serious." Eric took a step toward her. "You are my wife. You live with me."

"Not anymore."

"Nyla." Eric's voice dropped lower, became more dangerous. "You need to stop this right now. Whatever game you think you are playing, it ends now. We are going home together and you are going to explain yourself."

"No."

Eric's hands clenched into fists. "Do not test me. I am warning you right now, if you keep pushing me like this, you will regret it."

"Is that a threat?" Nyla asked calmly.

"It is a promise." Eric's eyes were cold and hard. "You think you can embarrass me in front of two hundred people? You think you can take money from my enemy and then just walk away? You have no idea what I am capable of."

Oh, but I do, Nyla thought. I know exactly what you are capable of. I know you are capable of murder. I know you are capable of watching your wife die and not caring. I know everything.

But out loud she just said, "I am leaving now."

She pulled her phone from her purse. Eric lunged forward and grabbed her wrist.

"Put the phone down."

"Let go of me," Nyla said.

"Not until you agree to come home with me." Eric's grip tightened. "Not until you start acting like a proper wife instead of whatever this is."

Nyla looked at his hand on her wrist, then up at his face. "If you do not let go of me right now, I am calling security."

"You would not dare."

"Try me."

They stared at each other for a long moment. Eric's jaw was clenched so tight Nyla could see the muscles jumping. Finally, he released her wrist with a disgusted sound.

"You are making a huge mistake," Eric said. "The biggest mistake of your life."

"I do not think so," Nyla said. She tapped her phone screen. "Yes, hello? This is Nyla Harper. I am in the parking lot of the Grandview Hotel and I need security assistance. There is a man here who will not let me leave."

Eric's eyes went wide. "Are you serious right now? I am your husband!"

"Security is on the way," Nyla said calmly into the phone. "Thank you."

She ended the call. Eric was staring at her like he had never seen her before.

"You are going to regret this," Eric said quietly. His voice was shaking with rage. "I swear to god, Nyla, you are going to regret everything you did tonight."

Two security guards came jogging across the parking lot. "Is everything alright here?"

"This man will not let me leave," Nyla said. "Can you please escort him away from my car?"

"Ma'am, I am her husband," Eric protested. "We are just having a disagreement."

"The lady asked you to leave her alone, sir," one of the guards said firmly. "We are going to have to ask you to step back."

Eric looked between the guards and Nyla, his face twisted with fury and disbelief. "This is not over. You understand me? This is not over."

"Have a good night, Eric," Nyla said coolly.

The valet brought a car around. Nyla slid into the back seat without looking at Eric again. As the car pulled away, she could see him standing in the parking lot, the security guards on either side of him, watching her leave.

Her hands were shaking. She pressed them together in her lap and took a deep breath. It was done. She had publicly broken from Eric. There was no going back now.

The car drove through the city streets. Nyla watched the lights blur past her window. She felt empty. Exhausted. But also strangely free.

Her phone buzzed in her purse.

Nyla pulled it out, expecting to see more angry calls from Eric. But it was a text message from a number she did not recognize. No name. No caller ID. Just a string of digits she had never seen before.

She opened the message.

The words on the screen made her blood turn to ice.

"I know what you are. I know you came back. We need to talk."