Chapter 3

The heavy cellar door creaked open.

Two days. Bruised from a fall in the dark, chilled to the bone, but my resolve was like steel.

Tori stood there, arms crossed, a look of mild annoyance on her face as if I were a misbehaving pet.

"Have you learned your lesson, Ethan?"

I just looked at her.

My lesson was that I had to get Julian out of our lives. Permanently.

It was a few weeks after that, that I sent him to Monaco.

Before his "grand departure," Tori insisted I attend a charity gala. "We need to present a united front, Ethan. Especially after your... little outburst with Julian."

Julian was there, of course. Preening.

He wore a new watch, diamonds winking ostentatiously. A gift from Tori, no doubt. He made sure I saw it.

"Why am I here, Tori," I asked quietly, "if he's your main accessory?"

She waved a dismissive hand. "Don't be petty, Ethan. It doesn't suit you."

The whispers followed us. "Look at them... She's clearly besotted with the new one... Poor Ethan."

Public ridicule. Another layer of humiliation.

During the charity auction, a minor art piece came up. Something I actually liked. I made a modest bid.

Julian, sitting at Tori's side, immediately outbid me, smirking.

Just to annoy me.

Fine. I raised my bid.

He raised his.

This went on, the bids escalating absurdly. It wasn't about the art anymore.

It was about asserting dominance, a small, pathetic power play in the shadow of Tori's empire.

I looked at the auctioneer. "Five hundred thousand." My voice was clear, firm. It was from my personal account, money Tori couldn't touch, a fact I knew galled her.

Julian gasped theatrically. He turned to Tori, feigning distress. "Tori, darling, he's just doing this to spite me. Make him stop."

Tori's eyes narrowed at me. "Ethan, concede. Let Julian have it."

I met her gaze. "No. I'm her husband. That gives me certain financial privileges over her boy toys, wouldn't you say?" I added, loud enough for Julian to hear, "Unless he's on your payroll officially now?"

Julian turned red. He stood up abruptly.

"I can't take this!" he announced dramatically to the room. "This... this toxicity! I'm leaving, Tori! For my career! Monaco calls!" He spun on his heel and stormed out.

It was a performance, of course. He was already set to "leave" for the fake contract I'd arranged. He just used this as his exit cue.

Tori turned on me, her face a mask of fury. "You! You drove him away! How could you?"

I just looked at her, my face impassive.

I said nothing.

My mind was calm. He was going. My plan was in motion.

Her rage was a distant storm now. I knew my own departure was coming. Not as dramatically as Julian's, but far more permanently.