Chapter 2 A Sex Partner

The moment to end their marriage had arrived, yet Allison hesitated to embrace it.

She raised her gaze to meet his, her eyes shimmering with tears in the soft light. Her lips trembled, struggling to form words until she managed to ask, "Are you truly set on divorcing me?"

Derek stood beside the bed, his striking features expressionless, as he looked down at her with cold detachment.

"You were never destined to be my wife. However, if you wish to remain close, I'm not opposed to considering you as a lover."

A subtle smile briefly played at the edge of his lips, his eyes twinkling with a hint of aloof amusement.

Their chemistry in the bedroom was undeniable. He was open to the idea of her staying, if she agreed.

Allison felt the impact of his words like a thunderclap, shattering all her remaining fantasies.

Their initial encounter had been unintentional, a night driven by alcohol and impulsive passion.

As morning dawned and clarity returned, his gaze bore into her with such intensity that she feared for her life.

She could still see the remorse and sorrow in his reddened eyes and knew he saw the night as a betrayal of Kaylyn.

Out of respect for Glenn, Derek had held back his anger. But from then on, he always found new ways to have his way with her.

They never really shared a home. Once Derek woke from his coma, he had packed up and left without looking back, leaving Allison behind in the empty villa to wait for him like a shadow clinging to a memory.

When he did show up, it was never for conversation or comfort. It was always for the same thing-his own satisfaction.

And honestly, how was this any different from being simply kept as a sex partner?

In the eyes of the Evans family, she had never truly been Mrs. Evans. Glenn and his wife were the only ones who had ever treated her like she mattered.

Fury rose in Allison, swift and searing, drowning out the last shred of sense she had left.

A bitter laugh slipped from her lips. "Given how many women are desperate for a chance to warm your bed, I doubt someone like me even makes the waiting list."

Derek's eyes darkened as they dropped to her. She was strikingly beautiful, the rims of her eyes flushed red, her mouth curled in a mocking, broken smile.

He would never deny it-Allison had been a good wife. Even though he hardly visited, every time he walked through that door, she greeted him like he was the only man in the world.

She made him feel like something rare, something sacred. A place he could run to when the weight of everything else became too heavy to bear.

Yet finding another woman was hardly a challenge.

Allison was replaceable. He still had Kaylyn, and countless others willing to fill the void.

"If that's your perspective, fine by me," Derek said dismissively. "Review the settlement. If it suits you, just sign."

Checking his watch, he realized it was past nine-time to leave the villa.

Pain radiated through Allison's chest as she shakily flipped through the papers to the settlement terms.

Thirty million, a car, two properties-such extravagant generosity.

Seeing the disbelief etched across her face, Derek's gaze hardened with contempt.

Greed-no matter how carefully hidden-always surfaced eventually.

"If it isn't enough, feel free to speak up," he said with languid disdain. "I might even toss in something extra."

After all, she had dutifully taken care of him these past years. A little extra expense meant nothing.

"It's enough," Allison whispered, her voice barely audible.

She took up the pen, flipping to the final page. Derek's bold signature glared up at her, each stroke sharp and decisive.

Slowly, deliberately, she added her name below his.

As soon as she set her pen down, a wave of weakness swept through her. She let her eyes fall shut. One tear broke loose and dropped.

Three years of hope and illusions-finally over.

Derek caught the tear in her eye, a sudden wave of inexplicable irritation prickling beneath his skin.

Now that she signed the divorce agreement, he should have felt relieved.

Instead, restlessness unsettled him, his brows knitting in frustration.

"Nine o'clock tomorrow morning. Meet me at the courthouse."

He did not linger for a reply. Snatching a copy of the divorce agreement, he turned and walked away, his retreating figure sharp and cold against the doorframe.

Silence settled in, heavy and unyielding. Allison hugged her knees to her chest as silent sobs broke through her.

As the last tear fell, she tucked away the broken pieces of her love for Derek, locking them where he could never reach.

Three long years had slipped through her fingers. There was no point clinging to grief over a man who had never truly been hers.

By eight fifty the following morning, Derek's car was already stationed at the curb outside the courthouse.

He sat in the back seat of a sleek black Lincoln, scrolling through emails on his laptop with his head bowed low.

His face betrayed nothing. A cold stillness settled over his features, making him seem almost untouchable.

From the passenger seat up front, Rylan Holt, his assistant, stole a quick glance at him through the rearview mirror, his heart pounding with unease.

The call from Derek had ripped him out of sleep that morning, and he had nearly dropped his phone in shock.

A divorce? Derek and Allison were splitting up today?

He had worked beside Derek since the latter was twelve, his loyalty unwavering through every storm.

Back when Derek had been lying in a coma after the accident, Glenn had stepped in and arranged a marriage for him.

Rylan had thought Derek would never wake up. He had felt sorry for the young woman.

To his surprise, Derek had woken up and his marriage had lasted all these years without a hitch-until now.

But Allison was the woman Glenn had handpicked for Derek. What would Glenn do when he found out the divorce?

"What's the time?"

Derek's voice, cold and firm, snapped Rylan out of his swirling thoughts. Checking his phone, he answered, "Eight fifty-five, sir. We've been waiting for about twenty minutes."

Silence crept back in, thick and suffocating, broken only by the shallow rise and fall of their breaths.

Unable to hold it back any longer, Rylan asked in a careful tone, "Sir, does your grandfather know?"

Derek's gaze dropped to his hands. No one understood better than him how deep Glenn's affection for Allison ran. If Glenn caught wind of it, it would ignite a firestorm.

That was why Derek had chosen to go through with the divorce without telling his grandfather.

The meaning behind Derek's silence sank in at once, and Rylan felt the tension inside the car tighten around him like a noose.

When Derek chose a path, nothing short of Glenn's command could force him to turn back.