Chapter 3 3

The subway ride to Wright Enterprises was a gauntlet of humiliation. Emely squeezed into a corner seat, trying to make herself small, but her hips spilled over the designated space. The woman next to her sighed loudly, shifting her body away with an exaggerated grimace, pressing a designer bag between them as a barrier.

Emely kept her eyes on the small TV screen mounted in the corner of the car. The news was playing a loop of the explosion at the Cohen Pharmaceutical plant. Smoke billowing, sirens wailing.

"Arthur Cohen faces potential criminal charges," the anchor announced. "Negligence leading to mass chemical exposure."

Emely closed her eyes. Her father. A criminal.

When she arrived at the Wright building, the receptionist-a girl Emely had once tipped a hundred dollars for Christmas-didn't smile.

"ID, please," she said, popping her gum.

"It's me, Sarah. Emely."

"Policy changed. ID."

Emely handed it over, her face burning. After a ten-minute wait where she could hear the whispers of employees behind the glass partition, Liam, Kody's assistant, came out. He didn't offer a handshake. He just gestured for her to follow.

Kody was sitting behind his massive mahogany desk. He didn't stand up. He didn't look up from his computer until Liam closed the door.

Emely tried to smile. She walked toward him, instinctively reaching out. "Kody, I got your text. Is everything okay?"

Kody held up a hand. "Sit there, Emely." He pointed to the leather chair opposite the desk. The distance between them felt like an ocean.

He slid a single sheet of paper across the polished wood. "Sign this."

Emely looked at the document. The words swam before her eyes. Termination of Engagement.

"You want to... postpone the wedding?" Her voice was small, pathetic.

Kody sighed, running a hand through his gelled hair. "Cancel. It's over."

"Why?" The word cracked. "Because of the factory? Kody, we've been together for ten years. Since high school."

Kody stood up then, walking to the window to look out at the city skyline. "The Cohen name is poison, Emely. My investors are getting nervous. I can't have Wright Enterprises dragged down by your father's incompetence."

"It was an accident!" Emely gripped the arms of the chair.

Kody turned around. His eyes were cold, assessing. He looked at her not as a woman he loved, but as a liability. His gaze traveled down her body, lingering on her midsection, her thick thighs.

"Besides," he said, his voice dropping to a cruel murmur. "Look at you. Do you really think you fit the image of a CEO's wife anymore? You're an embarrassment."

The air left the room. Emely felt like she'd been slapped. "You said you didn't care about the weight. You said it was just stress."

"That was before you doubled in size." Kody pulled a wet wipe from a dispenser on his desk and wiped his hands, as if just breathing the same air as her had made him dirty. "You disgust me, Emely."

The office door swung open. A petite blonde woman with a waist the size of Emely's neck poked her head in.

"Honey, did you want the salmon or the steak for lunch?" Her voice was syrup.

Kody's face transformed instantly. The cruelty vanished, replaced by a warm, doting smile. "Steak, Annie. Rare."

Emely recognized her. Annie Wells. His new secretary. Hired two months ago.

Annie looked at Emely, her blue eyes widening in mock surprise. "Oh! Is this the delivery lady? Did she bring the dry cleaning?"

Kody didn't correct her. He just looked at Emely with flat, dead eyes. "Sign the paper and get out."

Emely stood up. Her legs were shaking so hard she thought she might collapse. She didn't sign. She grabbed the paper, crumpled it in her fist, and turned around.

"You're a coward, Kody," she whispered.

She walked out, passing Annie, who was smirking. As the elevator doors closed, Emely saw Kody walk over to Annie and wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her close.