Chapter 5

Hope swelled in my chest.

"I'll take the training. And... I know this isn't really PD business, but could someone help me? My marriage is over. My husband has someone else, and I don't want either of us wasting any more time."

Captain Russell nodded.

"You're a valuable specialist, Ms. Whitmore. From what you've told me, he's the one who checked out first. I'll have someone handle it."

I couldn't thank him enough.

On the way home, I called Mom and told her about the chance to train abroad.

I left out the PD and just said it was a training program.

"Have you booked your flight to Amiraka yet?" she asked.

"They're handling it. I leave in a few days."

The words had barely left my mouth when a familiar voice came from behind me.

"Booked what? Where are you going?"

I hung up and turned to the unexpected visitor, my face calm.

"Tickets. I'm going to a concert. What are you doing here?"

Danny pressed his lips into a thin line. "You've been gone almost a month. You still haven't bought me those clothes, and Owen really misses you.

"If you don't like me spending time with Alicia, I'll keep my distance.

"You're almost thirty. You don't have a top-tier diploma or work experience. Are you seriously going to recover bodies forever?

"And you've barely answered my messages lately. I'm not happy about that. Don't do it again."

I couldn't understand him.

Wasn't this what he'd always wanted?

"Professor Caldwell, haven't I made myself clear? I'm never going back to that house. Who you spend time with is none of my business. I don't answer your messages because I don't want to. We're over. I want a divorce."

"I'm not divorcing you."

Danny finally snapped.

He locked eyes with me, his stare hard. "You've lived off me all these years. You ate my food, spent my money, and I even supported your mother.

"I haven't done anything wrong. What gives you the right to divorce me?

"You don't have much of an education, no steady career, and you can't even support yourself. Who do you think you are?"

Like he realized he'd crossed a line, his voice softened. "Wrenn, quit playing games. We've been married for seven years. Are you really still doing this hard-to-get routine? It's pathetic."

Before he could say another word, his phone buzzed with a message from Alicia.

He glanced at the screen, then looked back at me.

"I've got something to deal with. This is your last warning. You have three days to come home, or I'm really going to be mad."

He turned and stormed off.

Seeing Danny, always so calm and polished, get this worked up made me frown.

But I didn't care.

Yeah, I'd been a housewife.

That didn't mean I owed him.

He only counted the money he spent on me.

Never everything I'd saved him.

Even now, he still thought I was bluffing about the divorce.

Like this was some desperate stunt for his attention.

It was almost funny.

A few days later, Captain Russell handed me my plane ticket, my application forms...

...and my finalized divorce decree.

"Your background check cleared," he said. "And my contact pushed everything through as fast as possible. From now on, focus on your future, Ms. Whitmore. Keep moving forward."