MasukEthan's POVThe three SUVs came intomy driveway like something out of a movie, all black and gleaming in the afternoon sun. The men who stepped out moved with precision, their suits perfectly tailored and their movements coordinated. They looked like professionals, the kind of security that only serious money could afford.I stood frozen on the porch with hundred dollar bills still stuffed in my pockets, watching as the back door of the middle SUV opened.Nicholas Montgomery stepped out and my stomach dropped when I recognized him immediately. It was the same man from the photos Vivienne showed me, the one Adriana claimed was her brother. He wore an expensive looking gray suit, and his dark hair was styled perfectly. Everything about him screamed wealth and power.He did not even glance at me as he walked straight to Adriana with his arms opening wide. How could Adriana know someone so rich and popular?"Addie," he said warmly, and then he pulled her into a tight hug.Adriana melted i
Adriana's POVI made it down three steps before I heard the door open again behind me."Adriana! Wait!"Ethan's footsteps pounded down the stairs, and I stopped but did not turn around. My suitcase rolled to a stop beside me on the porch steps."Please, just stop for a second," he called out, his voice was now softer and almost pleading.I heard him come up behind me, slightly out of breath from running after me."Look, I'm sorry," he said. "What I said up there, I didn't mean it.""Yes, you did," I said quietly."No, I was angry and I said things I shouldn't have." He moved around to face me, blocking my path down the stairs. "But we can work through this and fix things."I looked at him then, at the man I loved for six years, at the man whose child I just lost, at the man who chose someone else over me again and again."There's nothing to fix," I said."Don't say that." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, then held out a thick bundle of cash with hundred dollar bil
Ethan's POVI grabbed Adriana's hand and my fingers wrapped tight around her wrist. "Answer me! What did you do to my mother?"She pulled away hard, breaking my grip. "The next time you or your mother touch me, I'm calling the police. I'll have both of you arrested for assault.""Assault?" I stared at her in disbelief. "You're the one who hurt her!""She tried to hit me," Adriana said, her voice cold and steady. "I stopped her. That's all.""That's not what happened!" Mom cried from the couch. Vivienne sat beside her now, holding her hand and looking at me with concerned eyes. "She attacked me for no reason!""I don't have time for this," Adriana said, turning toward the door again.That was when I noticed the suitcase in her hand. The old, beat-up thing she brought when she moved in."You're still serious about this?" I asked, my voice rising. "You're really leaving?""Yes." She did not even look at me when she said it."Adriana, you're being emotional," I said, trying to sound calm
Adriana's POVVictoria's demand that I make lunch was the last straw.I turned away from the door and looked at her. This woman who treated me like a servant for three years. Who criticized every meal I cooked, complained about how I cleaned the house, how I did the laundry, how I existed in her son's space."No," I said clearly.Victoria's mouth fell open. "What did you say?""I said no." I set down my suitcase. "I'm not making lunch. I'm not making breakfast or dinner either. I'm done being your personal cook and maid.""But that's your job!" Victoria's face turned red. "You're the wife. You're supposed to take care of the house.""I'm divorcing Ethan," I said, my voice steady and calm. "Which means I'm no longer yours to command. You have no power over me anymore.""I'm his mother!" Victoria shrieked. "I have every right to expect basic courtesy in my son's home! And I will not grant you any divorce.""This stopped being courtesy years ago," I said. "You turned me into your servant
Victoria's POVI could not believe the nerve of this woman. Adriana came home and started packing like she actually had somewhere better to go. Like she was somebody and she had options.She pulled clothes from the closet and folded them neatly into that pathetic old suitcase. The same cheap thing she brought when she moved in with my son six years ago. Nothing about her had improved since then."What do you think you're doing?" I asked from the doorway.She did not even look at me and just kept folding. "I'm leaving.""Leaving?" I stepped into the bedroom and crossed my arms. "You can't just leave. This is Ethan's house.""I'm aware." Her voice was flat and uninterested."Then you're aware that you have no right to take anything from here." I moved closer to the bed. "Everything in this house belongs to my son. He paid for all of it.""I'm only taking my clothes," she said."Even those clothes were bought with Ethan's money," I pointed out. "You never contributed a single dollar to t
Victoria's POV (Ethan's mum)My phone rang at eleven thirty at night. The number on the screen said it was Ethan."Do you know what time it is?" I answered, already annoyed."Mom, I need you," Ethan's voice was shaking. "I need you to come to the hospital. Now."I sat up in bed, suddenly wide awake. "What happened? Are you hurt?""It's Adriana," he said. "She's trying to divorce me."Divorce? I felt a surge of satisfaction mixed with rage. I knew from the beginning that girl was no good for my son."I'll be there in twenty minutes," I said, already getting out of bed.Twenty-three minutes later, I walked into County General Hospital wearing my best dress and pearls. Even in the middle of the night, I wasn't going to let that girl see me looking anything less than perfect.Ethan met me in the hallway outside Room 304. He looked terrible. His eyes were red, his hair was a mess, and his clothes were wrinkled."Mom," he said, grabbing my hands. "Thank goodness you're here.""Tell me every







