2.Just one problem

The first thing I did the next morning after Matthew left for work was grab my phone.

I'd texted Gigi before going to bed last night, asking her to help me find a lawyer.

A discreet one. If anyone could find someone who knew how to keep their mouth shut, it was Gigi.

She was the only friend Matthew hadn't managed to rip away from me.

She worked at one of the city's most exclusive clubs, and whenever Matthew walked through those doors with another woman… Or two...

She was always the one who told me.

Yeah, it fucking hurt. But I'd rather bleed from the truth than live another day wrapped up in one of Matthew's beautiful lies.

When I saw Gigi's reply saying she'd found someone, I swear my lungs remembered how to work again.

A lawyer. Finally. And there was one more person I needed to tell. Someone who deserved to know what I was about to do.

Giselle. My sister.

She was the only family I had left. My father was always disappearing on trips no one ever knew anything about. Then one day, he left and never came back. No one ever found out what happened to him.

My mother died not long after. Cancer was the official cause, but I always believed losing him broke her long before it took her life. After that, my mother's sister, Aunt Kara, took us in. She couldn't have children of her own, so she raised us as if we were hers.

Matthew had tried more times than I could count to cut me off from her but he never succeeded.

She'd been my lifeline through every miserable, soul-sucking year of my marriage. When she finally answered, I didn't waste time.

"I'm doing it."

There was a beat of silence. Then….

"Yes!" she practically screamed into the phone.

Knowing Giselle, she was probably standing right in the middle of work, giving absolutely zero fucks about who heard her.

"Finally! Let that motherfucker find out who he's been messing with."

A laugh slipped out before I could stop it. I hadn't laughed like that in a while.

She'd been telling me to leave him for years. I guess… I was just too scared to take that first step.

"Amelia." Her voice softened, all the excitement fading away. "Please. Do it as soon as you can. And if you need anything—and I mean anything—you call me. Promise?"

A lump rose in my throat. I nodded before remembering she couldn't see me.

"Okay."

"No," she said firmly. "Say it."

"I promise."

"Good." A second later, the call ended.

I dressed up and went to meet the lawyer. We talked through the divorce process, and he told me it'd take about two days to prepare the paperwork.

I thanked him again for keeping everything discreet.

Because I didn't want Matthew to find out. I just wanted to leave peacefully when he'd have no idea.

But there was still one massive problem.

Money.

Funny, isn't it?

I was married to a fucking billionaire...

And my personal savings didn't even add up to five thousand dollars.

If you'd told me that years ago, I would've laughed in your face.

Now? It was just my life.

Matthew had made damn sure I never had anything of my own.

The day we got married, he told me I didn't need a job anymore.

Eventually, I complained to Matthew's father. He was the one who convinced Matthew to give me a job.

Matthew gave me a junior position at the company. It wasn't much, but I didn't care.

I'd always dreamed of running that company beside my husband because I loved tech. I'd studied software engineering in college

I actually thought one day Matthew would see me for my true potential. But I was just too naïve.

Two years later, he fired me. Just like that. Overnight, I went from an employee to a stay-at-home wife.

Whenever there was a gala, charity event, or another one of those boring business dinners, he'd shower me with designer gowns, diamond jewelry, luxury handbags, and heels that cost more than most people made in months.

Everyone admired us. They'd smile and tell me how lucky I was.

"Matthew adores you."

"You're the perfect couple."

If only they knew. None of it was ever mine. Everything was just props. Part of the fairytale Matthew sold to the world while I quietly rotted behind the curtain.

You know the cruelest part? Matthew genuinely believed I was just as unfaithful as he was.

One night, after coming home from yet another "business trip"...He looked me dead in the eyes and called me a slut.

He said he knew I was sleeping with other men every time he wasn't home.

That one hurt..Not because I needed him to trust me anymore. I was long past that.

It hurt because I'd spent years being faithful to a man who had never once shown me the same respect.

After that, he locked away every expensive thing he'd ever bought me. As if I was going to steal from the prison he'd built around me.

He did leave me with access to one bank account. About twenty thousand dollars. Sounds like a lot, right? Well it wasn't.

Not when every single dollar in that account came with Matthew watching over my shoulder.

The second I withdrew even one cent… He'd know.

And everything I'd been planning would be over before it even started.

Giselle lived alone, and I already knew she'd open her door to us without thinking twice.

That's just who she was. But I couldn't let her carry all three of us.

Lily would need a new school. We'd need plane tickets. Food. Clothes.

A chance to start over. I wasn't about to dump that entire burden on my sister. There had to be another way. And I think I'd found one.

That morning, before Matthew left, he'd told me he was going on another business trip.

I could use this opportunity and meet Gigi.

By the time evening rolled around, I got dressed.

Nothing fancy. The less attention I attracted, the better. Before leaving, I stopped by Lily's room.

She was already asleep beneath her pink blanket, her tiny chest rising and falling so peacefully.

I brushed a strand of hair away from her face and kissed her forehead.

"I'll be back soon," I whispered.

She was far too asleep to hear me.

Then I turned to Kayla.

"Can you stay with her until I get back?"

"I will." She nodded immediately.

Then, I slipped quietly out of the house.

I didn't take one of Matthew's cars. That would've been stupid. Instead, I flagged down a taxi and headed straight for Gigi's club.

The plan was simple. Borrow some money.

Before getting out of the cab, I made sure no one would recognize me. I wrapped a scarf around the lower half of my face and slid on a pair of dark sunglasses.

Paranoid? Maybe. Careful? Definitely.

I didn't bother going inside. Instead, I pulled out my phone and texted Gigi.

Her reply came almost instantly.

Got it.

While I waited, I glanced around. The bass from inside the club pulsed through the walls, the beat vibrating beneath my feet.

Women in tight dresses and impossibly high heels drifted in and out of the entrance, laughing as men wrapped lazy arms around their waists.

Honestly, I missed that. Not the club though.

The freedom.

There was a time when my life actually belonged to me but now, I was nothing but a prisoner in a man's house who beat me up like I was trash and treated me like I was a slave.

The club doors swung open.

"Amy!" Gigi hurried toward me.

The second she reached me, she threw her arms around me so tightly I almost laughed.

"Christ," she said, squeezing me even harder. "What the hell are you doing here?"

For one stupid little second… I forgot about all the shit waiting for me back home.

I just stood there, letting someone hug me because they actually wanted to. I had really missed that.

When she finally let go, I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

"I actually came to see you."

"Oh, really?" She wiggled her eyebrows. "What happened? You finally decided to bust out of that prison of yours?"

"No." The word came out a little too fast.

I glanced around. Standing outside wasn't exactly part of the plan. But I needed to hurry.

"I... actually need a favor."

The teasing disappeared from her face.

"Okay.".She folded her arms. "Hit me."

I took a deep breath and said. "Can I borrow some money from you?"

"I swear I'll pay you back as soon as I can."

"Amy..." Her expression softened instantly.."I don't really have much on me. How much do you need?"

"Honestly..." I forced out a weak smile. "Anything you can spare."

Even as I said it… The hope inside me started slipping away. She was my last option..If Gigi couldn't help me….Then what the hell was I supposed to do?

"I'm so sorry." She shook her head, guilt written all over her face. "I don't even have that much. The club manager still hasn't paid me."

She reached for my hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"I wish I could."

It felt like someone had punched the air right out of my lungs.

Shit. What now?

"It's okay." My voice barely sounded like mine.

I managed a small smile that fooled neither of us before turning to leave. Disappointment settled over me like wet concrete.

"But..."

I stopped.

"There is one other way."

I turned so fast I nearly lost my balance.

"What?" The word flew out of my mouth before I could stop it. I hurried back to her and grabbed her hand without even thinking.

"What is it?"

Gigi looked over both shoulders before lowering her voice.

"Tell me something first." She held my gaze. "How far are you willing to go to get away from your husband?”