Chapter 2 2

Jeanie slammed the door of her rundown Brooklyn apartment, the cheap wood groaning in protest. She fumbled with the deadbolt, her hands still shaking, and leaned her back against the door, gasping for air. The oversized man's shirt she wore was a constant, suffocating reminder of what she'd done.

She stumbled into the tiny bathroom and twisted the cold water knob, the rusty pipes screeching. She splashed the icy water on her face, trying to wash away the scent of him-a clean, sharp smell of cedarwood that seemed to have seeped into her skin.

Her reflection stared back at her, a stranger with wild eyes and dark purple bruises blooming on her neck. The marks of her infidelity. The evidence of her breach of contract.

She tore off the shirt, the fine cotton a stark contrast to her own worn clothes. She shoved it deep into the bottom of her laundry basket, burying the evidence under a pile of old t-shirts.

A sudden, frantic ringing of the doorbell made her jump, her heart leaping into her throat. They found me. The man from the hotel. His bodyguards.

Her eye pressed against the peephole. It wasn't a bodyguard. It was a man in an impeccably tailored suit, his face a stony mask. Alistair Finch, the Winters family's lead attorney.

Jeanie pulled on a turtleneck sweater, the high collar a desperate attempt to hide the marks on her skin. She took a deep, steadying breath and opened the door, forcing a calm she didn't feel.

Alistair didn't offer a greeting. He simply held out a thick manila envelope. "Mr. Winters' final decision," he said, his tone flat and impersonal.

Jeanie's fingers trembled as she took it. She pulled out the documents. The words at the top of the page seemed to leap out at her: DISSOLUTION OF PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENT AND TERMINATION OF MARITAL RELATIONSHIP.

"Mr. Winters feels this arrangement is no longer necessary," Alistair explained, his voice devoid of any emotion. "He requires an immediate and clean separation."

A sharp pang of something-not quite sadness, but a hollow ache-pricked at Jeanie's heart. But it was quickly overshadowed by a wave of intoxicating relief. She was free. Free from the cold, loveless contract. Free from the crushing weight of the Winters name.

She didn't hesitate. She grabbed a pen from the wobbly side table and signed her name on the last page with a firm, decisive stroke.

Alistair seemed momentarily surprised by her swift compliance. He took his copy of the agreement, left a carbon copy for her, and departed as silently as he had arrived.

Jeanie sank onto the lumpy sofa, the flimsy copy of the divorce papers clutched in her hand. It was over. She could finally start over.

Less than thirty minutes later, the screech of tires echoed from the street below. Eleanor Winters had been trying to reach her son all morning, her calls going straight to voicemail. Frustrated by his lack of response, she had her security team track his lead attorney's movements, expecting to find Devaughn and demand answers about his recent erratic behavior. Instead, the GPS had led her here, to this wretched part of the city. A long, black Lincoln limousine, absurdly out of place in her gritty neighborhood, parked at the curb. The matriarch of the Winters family, Eleanor Winters, emerged, flanked by two imposing bodyguards.

She navigated the cracked pavement with a look of utter disgust, her high heels clicking a rhythm of condescension.

One of her bodyguards shoved Jeanie's door open without even knocking, pushing her aside as if she were a piece of furniture.

Eleanor swept into the cramped living room, pressing a silk-gloved hand to her nose. "My God, it smells of poverty in here," she announced to no one in particular.

She got straight to the point. "Don't even think about it," she warned, her voice dripping with venom. "Don't think you can use some sordid little trick, like a fabricated pregnancy, to extort this family."

Jeanie's fear was replaced by a cold fury. "I have no interest in the title of Mrs. Winters," she replied, her voice steady.

Her defiance seemed to infuriate Eleanor. "You should be grateful we even acknowledged you. A low-born nobody like you could never be worthy of our bloodline."

Jeanie refused to be drawn into a fight. She turned, picked up the divorce papers from the coffee table, and slapped them down in front of Eleanor.

"As you can see," Jeanie said, her voice ringing with finality, "I am no longer a part of the Winters family."

Eleanor looked down, her eyes widening in shock as she saw Jeanie's signature. She clearly hadn't been informed.

She snatched the papers, her initial disbelief turning to suspicion. She thought it was a trick, another one of Jeanie's pathetic ploys. She scrutinized the lawyer's official seal, her lips pursed.

When she confirmed the document was real, she didn't look pleased. She looked incensed. Her authority had been challenged. This divorce had been initiated by Devaughn, without her knowledge, without her permission.

Eleanor's eyes narrowed, a predator sensing a weakness in her prey. Something was out of her control, and she hated it. Her gaze swept the tiny apartment, searching for leverage.

Her eyes landed on the slightly ajar bathroom door.

She gave a subtle, almost imperceptible nod to her personal maid, who had been standing silently by her side.

The maid understood instantly. While Jeanie was focused on Eleanor, the woman moved swiftly and silently towards the bathroom to conduct an unauthorized search.