Chapter 3

On the way to the county court, Roman held my hand in a death grip, as if he was afraid I'd throw myself out of the moving car.

"Corinne, it's just one month. I promise."

I didn't answer. I just gently pulled my hand free.

Roman grabbed it again, harder this time. "Tiffany and I won't go public, and there won't be a ceremony. Nobody outside will know. You'll still be Mrs. Blackwell."

I stayed quiet, but my mind was working fast, figuring out how to blow this wide open. If it became a public spectacle, he couldn't very well force me into anything.

I slipped my hand into my pocket and quietly sent a text. In my contacts, there was a name listed as "James Whitley (Reporter)".

Three years ago, he'd broken a scandal about Roman and nearly gotten crushed by the Blackwell family's retaliation. I was the one who'd called them off. He had no love for Roman, and he owed me a favor.

We finally pulled up in front of the county court. The moment we stepped out of the car, a cluster of reporters closed in.

"Mr. Blackwell, are you here to file for divorce? You went public with Ms. Vale yesterday. Are you making it official with her now?"

"Mrs. Blackwell, do you have anything to say about your husband's infidelity? You've put up with it for so long. Why is this the breaking point?"

Roman froze. He clearly hadn't expected to be ambushed, and for a moment, he had no idea how to respond.

I looped my arm through his and smiled graciously. "You've got it all wrong. We're not here for a divorce. Today is our tenth wedding anniversary. We came back to revisit where it all started."

Roman's arm went rigid against mine. A few seconds passed before he collected himself and managed a thin, easy smile. "That's right."

The reporters looked stunned but kept pressing. "Then what about Ms. Vale?"

"Tiffany is a new artist Roman's company just signed." I kept the smile on my face, though it was getting harder to hold.

"The announcement was a promotional teaser for her upcoming show. Right, honey?"

Roman clenched his jaw and gave a short nod. "Right."

I seized the moment, pulling him back toward the car so we could leave. That was when a scream cut through the air.

"Someone's about to jump!"

Across the street from the county court, on the rooftop of an office building, a figure in white stood at the edge. The wind was strong enough to make her sway, and she looked like she could topple at any second.

It was Tiffany.

My heart sank. This had just gotten a lot more complicated.

Sure enough, Roman couldn't stop himself from shouting. "Tiffany, don't do anything stupid!"

Tiffany looked down at him, tears streaming, her voice cracking. "I can't live without you, Roman."

Roman grabbed at his hair in a panic. "Come down! I'll divorce her! I'll do it right now!"

He spun around to face me, desperation in his eyes. "Corinne, get inside. We're getting divorced."

Every reporter's camera swung toward me, lenses trained on my ashen face. I clenched my fists so hard my nails bit into my palms.