Chapter 2

Finn Briggs POV:

I pushed open the door to my cheap shared apartment in Brooklyn. I brought the smell of damp wool and cold rain inside with me. The apartment was completely silent. My roommate was working a night shift.

I did not reach for the light switch. The streetlamps outside cast long, pale shadows across the living room floor. My eyes adjusted to the dark, locking immediately onto the corner of the room.

A stack of Arleen's Hermès Birkin bags sat there. She had left them at my place because her own closets were full.

I walked past the bags and went straight into the small kitchen. I opened the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a roll of heavy-duty black industrial trash bags. I tore three bags off the roll.

I walked back to the corner. I opened the first black bag. I bent down, grabbed the handle of a bag worth tens of thousands of dollars, and shoved it into the plastic. I grabbed the next one and did the same. The sharp metal zipper of the third bag caught on the plastic, tearing a small hole, but I did not blink. My movements were mechanical, stripped of any hesitation.

I tied the first trash bag tight and dragged it to the front door.

I walked into the narrow bathroom. The glass shelves above the sink were lined with Arleen's custom La Mer face creams and expensive French perfumes. I held the second trash bag open under the edge of the shelf. I raised my forearm and swept everything off the glass.

The heavy jars and bottles tumbled into the bag. Several glass bottles shattered against each other. The sharp sound of breaking glass echoed against the bathroom tiles. The overwhelming scent of jasmine and vanilla filled the small space. The smell used to make my heart race. Now, the sound of the destruction brought a cold, sick sense of relief to my chest.

I tied the second bag and left it in the hallway.

I walked into my bedroom. I opened the bottom drawer of my nightstand and reached all the way to the back. My fingers brushed against a smooth wooden picture frame. I pulled it out.

It was a photo of me and Arleen from our first anniversary. She was smiling, looking at me with what I used to think was pure adoration.

I stared at her perfect smile for exactly three seconds.

I gripped the edges of the frame. I pressed my thumbs against the glass and pushed hard. The glass cracked. I ripped the wooden backing off, pulled the photograph out, and tore it straight down the middle. I tore the halves into quarters, then dropped the pieces and the broken frame into the final trash bag.

The physical environment was clean.

I grabbed the three heavy bags, dragged them out of the apartment, and hauled them down the stairs. I threw them into the large public dumpster on the street corner. I wiped my hands on my jeans, turned around, and walked toward the subway station.

I did not take the train to Manhattan right away. I rode the subway aimlessly for hours, letting the rhythmic clatter of the tracks drown out the silence in my head. I watched the dark tunnels blur past until the first gray light of dawn began to bleed into the morning sky. I sat on a cold station bench, waiting for the city to wake up and the government buildings to unlock their doors. I walked up the concrete steps of the Manhattan Civil Court. I pushed through the heavy glass doors, went through the metal detectors, and found the clerk's office.

I walked up to the glass window. "I need a legal name change petition form."

The clerk, a tired-looking woman with glasses, slid a thick stack of papers under the glass slot. "Standard procedure. Are you changing your name to avoid debt collection or bankruptcy?"

"No," I said. I looked directly into the clerk's eyes. My voice was flat. "I experienced severe psychological abuse. I need to sever all ties and start over."

The clerk paused, her expression softening slightly. She nodded and pointed to the desk behind me. "Fill it out. Black ink only."

I took the papers to the desk. I picked up a black pen. I went to the box labeled Current Legal Name. I pressed the pen down hard, the tip nearly tearing through the paper, and wrote Finn Briggs.

I moved my hand to the box labeled Proposed New Name. I did not hesitate. I wrote down my mother's maiden name. Elliott Maxwell.

I filled out the rest of the paperwork. I pulled a thick manila envelope from my jacket. It was not something I had thrown together overnight. It contained a ten-page document outlining a history of harassment and emotional manipulation, carefully worded to justify a sealed record. I had spent the last three months secretly drafting it, spending my late nights in the back of the public library, pouring over legal texts and documenting every cruel text message and public humiliation, preparing for the day I would finally break. I took the entire stack back to the window. I also handed over a special request form directed to the Social Security Administration for a new SSN.

The clerk reviewed the forms. She stamped the top page with a loud thud. "The court hearing and public notice waiver will take a few weeks to process. We will mail the final order to your address."

"I understand," I said.

The clerk slid a pink receipt under the glass. I took it, folded it carefully into a small square, and tucked it into the inside pocket of my jacket, right against my chest.

I turned and walked out of the courthouse.

As I stepped down the wide stone stairs onto the sidewalk, the loud roar of an engine cut through the street noise. A bright red Porsche 911 slammed on its brakes, stopping inches from the curb right in front of me.

The passenger window rolled down. Jaquez Ross sat in the driver's seat, wearing dark sunglasses. He leaned over and blew a loud, obnoxious whistle.

Jaquez rested his left arm on the window sill, intentionally pulling back his sleeve to reveal the Patek Philippe watch Arleen had bought him. "Well, well. Look who it is."

I stopped walking. I looked down at Jaquez. My jaw did not clench. My hands did not form fists. I just stared at Jaquez with eyes so empty they looked like they belonged to a corpse. I looked at the man in the sports car the same way one might look at a piece of garbage on the sidewalk.

Jaquez's smirk faltered under the weight of that dead stare. He pulled his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose. "What are you doing at the courthouse, Briggs? Filing for bankruptcy? Finally realize you can't afford Arleen's lifestyle?"

I did not say a single word. I did not even blink. I simply shifted my gaze away from Jaquez, stepped around the front bumper of the Porsche, and kept walking toward the crosswalk.

The absolute dismissal hit Jaquez harder than a punch. His face flushed red. He slammed his hand on the horn.

"Hey! I'm talking to you, loser!" Jaquez yelled out the window. "Arleen rented out the Hilton banquet hall for my birthday tonight! You better not show your poor face around there!"

The blaring horn made several pedestrians stop and stare. I did not break my stride. The rhythm of my footsteps remained perfectly even as I crossed the street.

I reached the opposite corner and stopped. I pulled my phone from my pocket. I opened my contacts, found Arleen's name, and changed her custom ringtone to silent.

I opened the Delta Airlines app. I scrolled past the domestic flights. My thumb hovered over the screen, then tapped on a one-way ticket to London Heathrow.

I entered my payment details. I tapped confirm.

The screen flashed green. Booking Confirmed.

I locked my phone. I let out a long, slow breath, watching the white vapor disappear into the cold New York air. The bridge was burned. There was no going back.