Chapter 8

The elevator doors slid shut, but the look of shock on Ellwood's face was burned into Beverley's vision.

She lowered her phone and let out a long, shaky breath. It was done. The word was out.

She looked at her wrecked car. Undrivable. She pulled out her phone and called a car service. Twenty minutes later, a black sedan pulled into the garage and took her back to the penthouse.

The apartment was empty. She walked through the silent rooms one last time.

She didn't pack a bag. She didn't need the clothes. She went straight to Aiden's room.

She pulled the suitcase from the closet. She packed his dinosaur. His blanket. His photo album. Every single piece of him that remained.

She left the jewelry box on the dresser. She left the credit cards on the nightstand. She left the Stevenson diamond ring on the kitchen counter.

She picked up her phone and dialed her lawyer.

"It's done," she said, her voice calm. "Send the papers. I'm walking away with nothing."

"I'll have them drafted and couriered to his office within the hour," the lawyer replied.

Beverley hung up. She walked out of the penthouse, pulling the door shut behind her. She didn't look back.

Three hours later, in the top floor of the Stevenson Group tower, Ms. Reed knocked on Ellwood's office door.

"Sir, this was delivered by courier."

She placed a thick manila envelope on his desk.

Ellwood, his leg propped up on a stool, his cane leaning against his chair, ripped it open. He pulled out the stack of papers.

Divorce Settlement Agreement.

He flipped to the last page. Beverley's signature was at the bottom. It was clear. It was sharp. There were no smudges, no hesitations.

She wasn't asking for money. She wasn't asking for the apartment. She was walking away with nothing but her name.

Ellwood gripped the paper so hard it tore. The smirk, the confidence, the smugness-it all crumbled. A cold knot of panic formed in his stomach.

But he couldn't admit that. He couldn't admit that she had actually left.

"It's a bluff," he muttered to himself, throwing the papers onto the desk. "It's just a bigger, more expensive bluff."