Chapter 5

"No, no, Rian is just drunk. I don't want you to get the wrong idea..."

"I don't have the wrong idea. He's a free man. He can sleep wherever he wants. You don't need my permission."

"If that's all, I'm hanging up. Have a good night."

The line went dead quiet.

Just when I thought the call had dropped, I heard a man's voice gritting his teeth.

"Davina, you're really that fine with me sleeping at another woman's apartment?"

"I am your husband. You should fulfill your duty as a wife and come get me."

It seemed Rian was incredibly drunk.

Otherwise, how could he have forgotten the exact thing I reminded him of just a few hours ago?

I sighed softly, having zero desire to argue with a drunken madman.

"It's late. Leo is asleep. Don't come back tonight."

"I'm not leaving the house either. If you're not comfortable on her couch, have Chloe book you a suite."

"Chloe is your personal assistant. She should know how to handle logistics."

"And don't call again. I'm turning my phone off. Whatever you have to say can wait until tomorrow."

"Goodbye."

With that, I hung up and powered down the device.

This time, I slept soundly.

At the morning briefing the next day, both Rian and Chloe were notably absent.

The syndicate executives kept shooting me shifting, gossipy glances.

But I didn't care in the slightest.

Looking at my approved resignation letter, I only felt a deep sense of relief.

Perfect. Our divorce papers had been notarized.

Soon, I'd be free to start my new life.

Rian, however, didn't seem to get the memo.

That afternoon, he showed up at headquarters and quietly made some changes.

Chloe, who was always glued to his side, was suddenly gone, replaced by a male secretary.

Days passed.

His family wedding band was back on his left ring finger.

Our framed family photo with Leo was placed front and center on his desk.

He started waiting for me to go to work in the morning and insisting on eating lunch with me.

He stopped hiding my identity as the Godfather's wife, openly parading me around at high-society galas.

He started showering me with random surprises—expensive jewelry from an auction, my favorite desserts from across town.

For a moment, I actually felt a bit dazed, as if the divorce had never even happened.

I really didn't understand the point of all this theater.

When I finally asked him why, his pen paused, and without looking up, he said:

"I just want us to go back to how we were."

I stood in front of his desk in silence before offering a self-deprecating smile.

On my final day, as I was packing the last of my personal items in the office, Chloe suddenly burst in.

She was holding her baby, sobbing uncontrollably in front of me.

"Davina, I've always respected you! I always suppressed my feelings for Rian and never crossed the line!"

"But I didn't think that even so, you still wouldn't let me live!"

"Just because your marriage is falling apart, do you have to destroy my career to vent your anger?!"

I listened, completely baffled. Before I could even formulate a response, Rian stormed in from behind, almost knocking me over.

"Didn't I put you on paid leave? Why are you here with the baby..."

Suddenly, Chloe dropped to her knees, clutching his pant leg.

"Rian, please let me have my job back!"

"I know you favored me because of the baby, and I'm so, so grateful."

"But if I can only look at you from afar from now on, I'd rather die!"

It was closing time, and the floor was still packed with people.

Ignoring the dozens of staring eyes, Rian pulled Chloe tightly into his arms, then dragged her toward his private CEO elevator.

I called out to him.

"Rian, we have plans. Eleanor and Leo are waiting for us."

Today was the farewell dinner I had planned.

I figured a ten-year marriage at least deserved a formal ending.

So I had asked Rian to come home early.

When I mentioned it that afternoon, he had looked thrilled, probably thinking his month of playing the perfect husband had finally won me over. But now, he paused, as if just remembering I was standing there.

"You go back first. I'll be there later."

With that, the elevator doors slid shut.

I didn't know how late "later" meant.

But he still hadn't walked through the door by the time the elaborate feast on the table had gone completely cold.

Eleanor was so furious she shattered two antique vases, slamming her hands on the table and shouting, "He's abandoned his own mother, wife, and child for that bitch!"

The foyer remained silent even after Eleanor and Leo had gone up to bed.

Late into the night, I poured him one last glass of his favorite whiskey and left it on the mahogany table.

Consider it repayment for his little performance over the past month.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated. In the internal security notification email, Chloe's name had just been reinstated on the penthouse access list.

I stared at the screen quietly for a few seconds.

Then I stood up and poured his whiskey down the drain.

At dawn, I arranged for my private security to move the luggage I'd packed over the past few weeks to an apartment in Manhattan.

Finally, I took Eleanor and Leo to the airport.

Just before boarding, my phone blew up with back-to-back texts from Rian.

"I'm on my way back to the estate now."

"Chloe is with me. She's going to apologize to you, and then she wants to discuss staying at our house temporarily."

"Don't worry, I'll explain everything that happened yesterday and today."

I stared at the messages for a moment, then powered off my phone.

I thought about the finalized divorce papers I'd left in the center of his study desk.

There was nothing left to say.