Chapter 4

At the height of their romance, the Grant family had vehemently opposed their relationship because Yvonne came from an ordinary background. Rather than give her up, Ian had walked away from his entire inheritance and run off with her.

They'd kissed passionately beneath snowcapped mountains glowing gold in the morning sun, watched the sunrise hand in hand from a cozy inn overlooking Lake Evermere, and raced across the vast, open deserts of the northwest. Ian had joined her in every reckless, romantic adventure imaginable, breaking every rule he'd once lived by. Their passionate love affair had practically become a secret legend among high society.

But eventually, the Grant family had tracked him down and dragged him home.

They'd threatened Yvonne's life and safety, warning Ian that unless he agreed to marry someone from a family of equal standing, she would be in danger.

And Ian had given in.

That was why he'd waited five hours for Zoe at their first meeting.

That was why he'd knelt to change her shoes and told her father that his fiancée didn't need to impress anyone. "She just needs to be herself."

None of it had been because Zoe was special to him. He'd simply wanted to get the arranged marriage over with as quickly as possible, appease his family, and protect the woman he truly loved.

Zoe felt as though she'd been stripped naked and abandoned in the middle of a blizzard. The cold seemed to seep into every pore, filling her with a bone-deep despair.

She could have accepted Ian's cold, rigid nature if that was simply who he was. She would have been willing to wait, to take her time warming his heart.

But knowing that he was perfectly capable of warmth and emotion, that he'd simply reserved all of it for another woman, was something she could never accept. From the very beginning, she'd been nothing more than a tool he was using to protect his true love.

She was Zoe Jameson, the eldest daughter of the Jameson family. She'd spent all twenty-four years of her life doing exactly as she pleased. Why the hell should she let Ian use her as a stepping stone to save the woman he loved?

Her love wasn't that cheap.

Ian never came home that night.

At nine the following morning, Zoe watched the daylight growing brighter beyond her window before heading into the bathroom. Standing before the mirror, she carefully applied her makeup until she looked her most radiant, then slipped into a bold red maxi dress.

Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she drove to the Jameson family estate for their monthly family gathering.

The moment Richard saw her arrive alone, his brows drew together.

"Where's Ian? Why isn't he here? Don't tell me you've gone and caused trouble again and made him angry."

He pointed an accusing finger at her, his voice thick with frustration.

"Just look at you! You've got a wonderful husband, and you still can't appreciate what you have! Ian is capable, handsome, and willing to put up with all your nonsense! If I'd known you'd be this ungrateful, I would've married your younger sister off to him instead! What a waste of a perfectly good marriage!"

Zoe let her gaze drift across the living room. Her mother, Catherine Jameson, was fussing over her younger sister, Zadie Jameson, asking whether she was finding her new job at the family company exhausting and making sure she had plenty of her favorite dishes.

It was the kind of effortless, everyday affection Zoe hadn't experienced in a very long time.

A cold laugh escaped her, cutting through her father's lecture.

"Perfect. That works out nicely."

Every head in the room turned toward her.

Zoe lifted her chin like a proud peacock. Her heart might have been bleeding, but she refused to let anyone see her fall apart.

"I came here today because I've decided to get a divorce. You can talk to the Grant family and get the paperwork sorted out as soon as possible."

The living room fell instantly silent.

Richard and Catherine exchanged stunned looks, disbelief written all over their faces.

"What did you just say?"

"I said I'm divorcing Ian Grant," Zoe repeated each word slowly and deliberately.

Richard slammed his palm against the table, his face twisting with fury.

"Absolutely not! You've really gotten completely out of control! Do you have any idea what kind of family the Grants are? Or what kind of man Ian Grant is? What more could you possibly want?!"