Chapter 2 2

The kitchen was a masterpiece of modern design-all stainless steel, black marble, and floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the Manhattan skyline. It was cold, sterile, and echoingly empty despite the clutter of Ethan's life spread across the counter.

Amira walked in, the soles of her feet silent against the floor. She went straight to the espresso machine, her hands moving through the muscle memory of the routine. Grind. Tamp. Lock. Brew.

Ethan walked in a moment later. He was wearing a silk robe that cost more than her car, his hair messy in a way that magazines called "effortlessly chic" but Amira knew was just bedhead. He didn't look at her. He went straight to the island, picking up his phone and scrolling.

Amira placed the porcelain cup on the counter in front of him. Beside it, she placed two aspirin.

Ethan picked up the pills and swallowed them dry, his eyes never leaving the screen. He took a sip of the coffee and grimaced.

"It's scalding, Amira. You trying to burn my tongue?"

"It's the same temperature as always, Ethan," she said, her voice steady.

He waved a hand dismissively. "Whatever. Delisa called me at three in the morning. Total crisis. Her PR team is incompetent."

Amira felt the familiar sting in her chest, but this time, it hit a wall. The wall she had built five minutes ago in the guest room. She leaned her hip against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Ethan, we need to talk."

He rolled his eyes, typing a reply to someone. "Not now. My head is splitting."

"I'm leaving," she said.

The words hung in the air, suspended between the hum of the refrigerator and the tapping of his fingers.

Ethan paused. He finally looked up, a smirk playing on his lips. "Leaving for work? Good. Pick up my dry cleaning on the way back. The blue suit needs to be ready for tonight."

"No," Amira said. She pushed off the counter, standing straighter. "I'm leaving you. I'm breaking up with you."

Ethan stared at her for a second, and then he laughed. It was a short, sharp sound, devoid of humor. He shook his head, walking around the island to stand in front of her. He was tall, looming over her, using his height as he always did.

He reached out and patted her cheek. His hand was warm, his palm smooth. It was a gesture one would use on a child, or a pet.

"Stop the drama, Amira. Is this about the necklace? The Cartier one I didn't get you for your birthday?"

"It's not about a necklace," she said, pulling her face away from his touch.

"Of course it is. It's always about money with you." He sighed, the sound of a martyr. He reached into his robe pocket, pulled out his wallet, and extracted a black credit card. He tossed it onto the counter. It slid across the polished marble, spinning before falling off the edge and clattering onto the floor between them.

"Go buy yourself something nice. Stop acting crazy. You're embarrassing yourself."

Amira looked down at the card. The black plastic glinted in the morning sun. It was the ultimate pass. It could buy cars, trips, diamonds. It was what he thought she was worth. A transaction. A fee to keep her quiet and compliant.

She looked up at him. His eyes were bored. He literally could not conceive of a world where she walked away. In his mind, she was a fixture, like the espresso machine.

She didn't bend down. She didn't pick it up.

"I don't want your money, Ethan."

His phone rang. A custom ringtone-Delisa's ringtone.

His face changed instantly. The boredom vanished, replaced by a soft, attentive concern that made Amira's stomach churn. He answered it before the second ring.

"Hey, baby. Yeah, I'm here. No, don't cry. I'll handle it."

He turned his back on Amira, walking out of the kitchen, the black card still lying on the floor like a discarded wrapper.

Amira stood alone in the silence. She looked at the card one last time. Then, she turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving it there. She felt lighter. The tether had snapped, not with a bang, but with the quiet sound of plastic hitting the floor.