LOGINAvery’s POVThe quiet morning did not last forever. By two in the afternoon, the real world came knocking on our door.I stood in front of the full-length mirror in the penthouse bedroom. I wore a sharp, emerald-green pantsuit. It was my father’s favorite color. It made me feel strong. I clamped a pair of simple gold hoops into my ears and took a deep, steady breath.My phone was buzzing continuously on the vanity table. I picked it up. There were thirty missed calls and over fifty unread text messages. Most of them were from reporters, but the top message was from Marcus.Marcus: The divorce petition has been officially logged with the court clerk. It is on the public record now. The media is picking it up fast.I stared at the screen. A strange sense of relief washed over me. It was out. The final string tying me to Hector Woods had been cut cleanly by the law.A pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind
Avery’s POVThe morning sun crept slowly through the sheer curtains of the master bedroom. It painted warm, golden lines across the heavy duvet. I stirred softly, blinking against the bright light, and felt the familiar, heavy weight of Caspian’s arm draped securely around my waist.I didn't move. I just lay there in the quiet room, listening to the steady, deep sound of his breathing against the back of my neck.His chest was pressed firmly against my spine. Every time he took a breath, his whole body moved with mine. It felt incredibly grounding. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I didn't wake up with a heavy sense of dread pooling in my stomach. I didn't wake up wondering what cruel joke Hector was going to play, or what scandal the media was going to drop on my lap.The air was completely still, smelling of clean sheets and the faint trace of Caspian’s woodsy cologne.Slowly, I shifted my body so I could tur
Avery’s POVThe drive back to the penthouse was completely quiet. The city outside the window was full of bright lights and busy people, but inside the black sedan, it felt like a different world. It was safe and still.I leaned my head against the cool glass window and watched the buildings roll by. My mind was spinning with everything that had happened today. I had sat in my father’s chair. I had looked the board members in the eyes and made them listen to me. I had taken control. But now, the business day was over. As the car came closer to Caspian’s building, my stomach began to twist into nervous knots."We are here, Ms. Woods," Vance said softly as he steered the car into the private underground garage. The car came to a smooth stop right in front of the private elevator doors. Vance got out quickly and opened my door for me."Thank you, Vance," I said, stepping out into the cool air."Have a good evening, ma'am," he
Avery’s POVThe door to my father’s old office closed with a soft, solid click. The heavy noise shut out the rest of the world. Sarah and Marcus stayed out in the hallway, leaving me completely alone in the massive room.I stood still for a long moment, just listening to the quiet.For five years, this room had been Hector’s playground. He had changed the artwork, brought in ugly modern chairs, and covered the walls with trophies he didn't earn. But the bones of the room were still the same. The large mahogany desk still sat in the center, and the huge glass windows still showed the whole city.Slowly, I walked over to the desk. I ran my fingers along the smooth wood.There was a black leather chair behind it. Hector’s chair. I pulled it out, sat down, and leaned back. The leather felt cool against my skin. I closed my eyes and let out a breath I felt like I had been holding for years.I am here, I thought. I actually m
Avery’s POVThe bright flashes of the cameras hit us the moment we pushed through the heavy glass doors of the courthouse.Reporters shoved microphones toward my face, all of them shouting at once. The noise was loud and chaotic, a sharp contrast to the quiet courtroom we had just left behind."Ms. Woods! Is it true that your husband is being charged with murder?""Mr. Sterling! Did you use your company to hack the Woods family accounts?"Caspian did not say a word to them. His tight grip on my hand kept me grounded in the middle of the crowd. He used his large body as a shield, blocking the worst of the pushy reporters as he guided me toward his waiting black sedan.Vance held the car door open for us. I slid into the back seat quickly, and Caspian climbed in right after me. The door shut with a heavy click, locking the loud world outside.I leaned my head against the cool leather seat and took a long, deep br
Avery’s POVThe gavel fell three times, each strike sounding like a thunderclap that shattered the remnants of the Woods family dynasty."In light of the highly severe and criminal nature of the evidence presented," Judge Reyes’s voice cut through the courtroom chaos with absolute finality, "this court denies the plaintiff's request for an injunction. The administrative freeze on Hector Woods' shares remains permanent, and this file is being forwarded immediately to the federal prosecutor's office."She looked down from the bench, her sharp eyes fixing directly on Hector, who was vibrating with a silent, pale terror. "Bailiffs, please escort Mr. Woods and Mrs. Juliet Woods to the holding area downstairs. Federal marshals are already en route.""No! This is a setup! You can't do this to me!" Hector screamed, his voice cracking into a pathetic, desperate shriek as two burly court officers grabbed him by his arms. He kicked blindly at his o
Avery’s POVI don’t know how long we stayed like that—curled into each other on his couch, hearts racing, skin buzzing from too much emotion and not enough air.After I told him I might be falling in love, the room felt quieter. Still, but not heavy. Caspian didn’t move away, didn’t rush to say som
Avery’s POV I didn’t want to go.I didn’t want to see her face, sit across from her fake-smiling lips, or listen to whatever disgusting offer she was about to throw on the table. But I had no choice. Not when she held a ticking bomb over my head, ready to blow up everything I had just started to r
Avery’s POVThe soft clinking of glasses and the low hum of music filled the dimly lit bar. It was early evening, and the place wasn’t too crowded—just the way I liked it. The amber lighting wrapped around the space like a quiet embrace, but nothing could still the restlessness inside me.I wrapped
Avery's POVI thought handing Hector the divorce papers would be the end of something—the final nail in the coffin of a toxic, broken marriage.But I was wrong.He didn’t even read them. He tore them in half right in front of me. No hesitation. No emotion. Just a sharp rip that echoed in the silenc







