Chapter 3

"I strongly advise against this, Mrs. Meyers." Dr. Harris frowned, his glasses perched on the end of his nose. "You had a significant hemorrhage. You need rest."

The hysterical laughter that had torn from her throat earlier had died completely, leaving behind an icy calm. The tears she might have shed had frozen somewhere deep inside her chest. There was no more room for pain, only a cold, clear purpose. He had taken everything. Now, she would take back herself.

"Sign the papers," Fiona said, standing by the hospital bed. Her knees were weak, and a dull ache throbbed between her legs, but she didn't care. "I'm leaving."

Audrey stood beside her, carrying a small overnight bag. "I'll take care of her, Doctor."

Dr. Harris sighed, shaking his head. He signed the discharge form with a flourish. "Take it easy. No heavy lifting. Come back if you experience any fever or excessive bleeding."

Fiona didn't wait for him to finish. She was already walking toward the door.

The ride back to the penthouse was silent. Audrey kept glancing over at her, but Fiona just stared out the window at the passing city. Every bump in the road sent a jolt of pain through her abdomen, but she welcomed it. The pain was real. It was the only thing that felt real.

The elevator doors opened directly into the foyer.

The apartment was spotless. The cleaning crew had been there. The blood was gone. The shattered champagne glass was gone. The scattered lily petals were gone.

It was as if last night had never happened.

Fiona walked slowly into the living room. The air smelled faintly of bleach and lemon cleaner, trying to mask the scent of copper that still lingered in her memory.

She walked past the dining table. The champagne bucket was gone. The table was bare.

She paused at the foyer console table. The unmarked cardboard box from last night still sat there, untouched. With numb fingers, she tore the plain brown wrapper open. Inside lay a polished wooden case containing her late grandfather's antique restoration tools. A final gift, delayed by probate, arriving exactly when she needed a reminder of who she was before Emmanuel Meyers. She picked up the heavy wooden box and carried it with her.

She walked into the bedroom. The sheets were crisp and white, perfectly made. The pillow where Emmanuel slept was untouched.

Fiona sat down on the edge of the sofa in the living room. She didn't turn on the lights. The apartment was shrouded in the gray light of dawn.

She sat there, her hands folded in her lap, her eyes fixed on the front door.

She waited.

Six o'clock came. The sky outside the floor-to-ceiling windows began to lighten, turning from gray to a pale, washed-out blue.

The electronic lock clicked.

The heavy wooden door swung open.

Emmanuel stepped inside. He was still wearing the suit from last night, the jacket slung over his arm. His tie was loosened, the top button of his shirt undone.

And he smelled of her.

It was subtle, hidden beneath the scent of his cologne and the stale air of the hospital, but Fiona's nose picked it up instantly. The floral, musky scent of Carley Marshall's signature perfume.

He dropped his keys on the console table and looked up, seeing her sitting in the shadows. He stopped, his brow furrowing.

"Fiona?" He sounded annoyed. "What are you doing sitting in the dark?"

She didn't answer. She just looked at him.

He walked closer, tossing his jacket onto a chair. "Are you going to say something? Or are you just going to sit there looking pathetic?"

"Where were you?" Her voice was steady, a flat line of sound.

Emmanuel rolled his eyes. He walked to the bar and poured himself a glass of water. "I told you. Carley was in an accident. It was all over the news. I had to be there."

"Is she dead?"

Emmanuel turned, his eyes narrowing. "What?"

"Is Carley dead?" Fiona repeated, the words slow and deliberate.

"Don't be crass." He took a step toward her, his jaw tight. "She has a concussion and a broken wrist. It could have been much worse."

"But it wasn't." Fiona stood up. The sudden movement made her head spin, and she gripped the arm of the sofa to steady herself. "She has a broken wrist, and you left your wife alone on your anniversary."

"You were fine." He scoffed. "You were just sitting here feeling sorry for yourself."

Fiona looked at him. Really looked at him. The sharp angles of his face, the cold indifference in his dark eyes. He didn't care. He had never cared.

"Did you believe me?" she asked softly.

Emmanuel stilled. "Believe you about what?"

"When I called. When I told you I was losing the baby."

A flicker of something-annoyance, guilt, maybe both-crossed his face before it smoothed back into arrogance. "It was a desperate ploy, Fiona. Using a fake pregnancy to get my attention? It was pathetic."

"So you didn't believe me."

"Of course I didn't." He stepped closer, towering over her. "You think I don't know how your mind works? You saw Carley getting attention, and you couldn't stand it. So you made up a lie."

Fiona stared at him for a long moment. Then, a slow, bitter smile spread across her face. It was a smile that held no warmth, no humor. Only a deep, abiding disgust.

She raised her hand.

The sound of the slap echoed through the silent apartment like a gunshot.

Emmanuel's head snapped to the side. A red mark bloomed on his cheek. He stood frozen for a second, shock widening his eyes.

Then his hand shot out, his fingers wrapping around her wrist like a vise. "Don't you ever-" he started, his voice low and dangerous.

"We're done."

The words cut him off. He stared at her, his grip tightening.

"What did you say?"

"I said, we're done." Fiona didn't flinch. She met his gaze with a cold fury that matched his own. "I want a divorce."

Emmanuel laughed, a short, harsh sound. He released her wrist, stepping back. "A divorce? Over this? Don't be ridiculous, Fiona. You're not going anywhere."

"You don't get to decide that anymore."

"I'm the one who decides everything in this marriage." He straightened his tie, his arrogance returning full force. "You're my wife. You'll act like it."

Fiona shook her head. The last thread of hope, the last tiny shred of love she had harbored for this man, snapped.

She turned her back on him and walked toward the study.

"Where do you think you're going?" Emmanuel called after her, his voice rising. "I'm not finished talking to you!"

Fiona ignored him. She walked into the study and slammed the door shut. She turned the lock with a decisive click.

She leaned her back against the door, her legs finally giving out. She slid down the wood until she was sitting on the floor.

Tears burned in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She wouldn't cry for him anymore. She wouldn't cry for this.

She pushed herself up and walked to the desk. She opened the bottom drawer and pulled out the safe box. She keyed in the combination and opened it.

Inside was a copy of their prenuptial agreement and her passport.

She looked at the agreement. The name on it was Fiona Meyers.

She felt a wave of revulsion. That name felt like a brand, a mark of ownership. She never wanted to see it again.

She picked up her phone and dialed the lawyer Audrey had recommended.

"It's Fiona Miller," she said when the phone was answered. "I need those papers ready as soon as possible."

She hung up and walked over to the small shredder in the corner of the room.

She opened the top drawer of the desk and pulled out a stack of photographs. Her and Emmanuel at their wedding. On vacation. At charity galas. Smiling. Happy. Lies.

She fed the first photo into the shredder. The machine whirred to life, grinding the image into thin strips of paper.

She fed another. And another.

The sound of the shredder was loud in the quiet room, a mechanical growl that swallowed the past whole.

She didn't stop until every photo was gone.