Chapter 2
I stared into Nathan’s eyes, searching for the tiniest flicker of guilt or hesitation.
But all I found was anger–and that same unshakable stubbornness I’d grown to hate.
Suddenly, I felt drained. Too tired to keep listening to this garbage.
I turned and walked away.
“Anna!” Nathan’s voice chased after me, laced with a panic he couldn’t quite hide. “Where are you going?”
I didn’t answer. I didn’t even look back.
That night, I sat alone on the balcony, sipping wine beneath the black sky. The ocean outside was silent and vast.
Nathan came back.
“Anna,” he said softly, his voice much gentler than earlier. Too gentle. Too deliberate.
“There are mosquitoes out here. Why don’t you come inside?”
I didn’t move. I just stared out at the dark sea.
He sighed and stepped closer, reaching for the wineglass in my hand,
I shifted slightly, just enough to avoid his touch. His fingers hung awkwardly in the air for a few seconds before retreating. “Don’t be like this,” he said in a low voice. “Can we please talk about this… calmly?”
Only then did I look up.
H
i
Then I set the glass down, stood, and walked right past him toward the bedroom.
“Sure. Let’s talk about the divorce terms.”
31
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“Anna!” He rushed after me, grabbing my wrist. “What do you want from me?”
“You know how much I love you,” he choked. “I don’t want a divorce!”
i stopped in my tracks and turned to face him.
“If you want to save this marriage, it’s simple,” I said. “Fire Valerie Scott. And promise me you’ll cut all contact with her. Forever.” “Can you do that?”
His face froze. He let go of my wrist and stepped back, brow deeply furrowed.
“You want me to fire her? Just because she’s my assistant? She’s vital to the company!”
“Vital?” I let out a short, bitter laugh.
“She’s been here six months and hasn’t managed a single project on her own. The only reason she still has that job is because she clings to you like a shadow ”
“Nathan, you’re not an idiot. Stop pretending you are.”
His cheeks flushed red with anger. “You’re being petty. Valerie is hardworking and professional! Without her, this merger–”
would’ve gone just fine,” I snapped. “Let’s not kid ourselves.”
“You’re the one who let her worm into every part of our lives.”
“Our anniversary trip? You brought her.”
“Our dinner reservation? She sat one table over.”
Chapter 2
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“And now, even when we talk in private, you defend her.”
Nathan’s chest heaved with shallow, shaky breaths.
“You don’t understand,” he said, still trying to reason with me. “This is just how work is. I need her support.”
“My patience has limits, Nathan,” I said sharply. “And I’m not asking anymore.”
“It’s either her—or us.‘
“There is no third option.”
He stared at me, wide–eyed, as if seeing me for the first time.
Then a sharp ringtone cut through the silence like a knife.
He rushed to the nightstand, glanced at the screen, and tensed.
I didn’t need to look. I already knew who it was.
He answered, and within seconds, his face turned from concern to panic.
“What? You fell? Is it serious? …I’m coming right now.
He hung up, threw on a jacket, and headed straight for the door–still in his pajamas.
“Nathan.” My voice was deathly calm. “If you walk out that door, we’re done.
His hand froze on the doorknob.
Silence.
I could hear my own heartbeat in the stillness.
Three seconds. Five seconds.
He slowly turned around. His expression was unfamiliar. Like a stranger wearing his skin.
SAW
“Anna, don’t do this,” he pleaded. “Valerie’s hurt. She’s alone here. It’s not like back home–she doesn’t have anyone.” “So?” I stood straighter. “The hotel has doctors. Staff. Emergency services.”
“She’s not a child. And you’re not her father.”
“What, you think only you can take care of her?”
“But she was working late for me…”
“Choose, Nathan,” I cut him off. “Right now.”
He trembled, lips parting like he was about to say something. But whatever emotion flickered in his eyes, I couldn’t read it.
Finally, he exhaled slowly, as if making some kind of tragic decision.
“I’ll be back soon,” he muttered. “I promise.”
The ocean breeze rushed past, scattering the last traces of my hesitation.
I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I’d been holding onto for far too long.
“Daniel,” I said when the line connected, my voice steady. “I’m ready to proceed with the divorce. We’ll talk details once I’m back in Riverglen tomorrow,”
Chapter 2
