Chapter 3

Chloe POV:

I turned my back on them, the tableau of Jace comforting Brenna burning behind my eyelids. They didn't call after me. They didn't even shift their gaze. I was already a ghost to them.

My heels clicked against the polished marble, each step a deliberate beat against the silence of my departure. I walked straight to my private wing of the penthouse, the one I had decorated, the one that still held fragments of my old self.

My hands moved with practiced efficiency, pulling a small, battered leather journal from its hiding place beneath a loose floorboard. It was filled with architectural sketches, dreams I had shelved, passions I had suppressed. I looked at the intricate lines, the bold visions. This was me, before him.

I changed out of the silk robe, the one Jace had bought me, and into a sleek, charcoal pantsuit. It was tailored, sharp, and felt like armor. My reflection in the full-length mirror showed a woman I barely recognized, yet one who felt profoundly familiar. The softness around my eyes was gone, replaced by an unnerving focus.

I picked up the journal again, flipping through the pages. The sacrifices I had made for our marriage, for his career, flashed before my eyes. The late nights I spent editing his presentations, the endless social events I hosted, smiling until my cheeks ached. All for nothing. Less than nothing, in fact. It had led me here.

My fingers flew across the keyboard of a discreet, encrypted satellite phone. No digital footprint, no tracing. Just a direct line to my family's inner circle.

A single message: "Initiate full-scale asset audit. Uncover every possible leverage. Prepare the ground. I'm coming home."

A response came almost immediately, a single word: "Understood."

I left the penthouse, not through the main entrance, but through a discreet service elevator that led to a private garage. The city lights blurred as my car sped away, carrying me to a place where my family's influence was absolute.

Carter was already there, waiting in the dimly lit private salon of my father's estate. His eyes, usually warm and reassuring, were now sharp with concern. He stood immediately, coming towards me with a worried frown.

"Chloe, what happened?" he asked, his voice low and steady.

I sank onto a plush velvet couch, the events of the last few hours tumbling out in a rush of clipped sentences and raw emotion. I told him everything – the intimate massage, Jace' s dismissal, Brenna' s theatrics, the cold, hard realization of my disposability.

Carter listened, his jaw tightening with each word, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. His loyalty was a solid, unwavering force.

"That bastard," he muttered, his voice barely a whisper, but laced with a fury I rarely heard from him. "He dared to touch you in that way."

He paused, then looked at me, a question in his eyes. "Tell me, Chloe. Is there more to Brenna's story than just the deceased partner and the pregnancy?"

His question hung in the air, a new unsettling thread in the tapestry of my betrayal. My mind immediately went back to Jace's fierce protectiveness, his almost desperate insistence on the baby being a "sacred trust."

Before I could answer, the salon doors burst open. Jace stood there, disheveled and wild-eyed, his face a mask of rage.

"Chloe! What the hell are you doing here?" he roared, his eyes scanning the room, landing on Carter with a venomous glint. "And you, Potter? Trying to steal my wife now?"

He strode towards me, his hand reaching out, not to comfort, but to seize. His grip on my arm was bruising, his fingers digging into my flesh.

"You're coming home with me, Chloe," he snarled. "Right now."

I was strong, but he was larger, fueled by a narcissistic fury. He practically dragged me out of the room, past Carter's shocked, helpless expression.

I woke up hours later in a guest bedroom of the same penthouse, a room I hadn' t entered in years. A vase of white lilies sat on the bedside table, a half-hearted attempt at an apology. They felt like an insult.

From my window, I could see them in the living room, Jace gently feeding Brenna a spoonful of something from a bowl. His head was close to hers, a soft smile on his face.

He had locked me in here, yet he was out there, playing house. The coldness in my heart solidified into something unbreakable.

I walked to the door, testing the handle. Locked. Of course.

A silent fury consumed me. He thought he could control me, contain me.

I pressed my ear to the door, hearing Brenna's soft laughter, followed by Jace's deeper chuckle.

Clenching my jaw, I whispered to the door, "You think this changes anything, Jace? You think this keeps me here?"

"Enjoy your little charade," I added, my voice low and venomous. "Because soon, you'll have nothing left to play with."