Chapter 3

"Alex, you' re being rude to Blake," Jessica said later, cornering me in the kitchen.

Blake had gone. The house reeked of his cologne and her sudden domesticity.

"Rude?" I repeated, the word tasting like ash.

Grief, betrayal, the image of Maya' s small, innocent face – it all surged.

"You stood by while your family treated me like dirt for ten years, Jessica."

My voice was low, shaking.

"You dismissed every achievement, every part of me that wasn' t tied to your money."

"And now this. Maya. Our daughter."

The words caught in my throat.

"You weren' t even at her funeral. You were on a date."

Her eyes narrowed. "How dare you?"

"And then you bring him here. To her home. You cook for him."

"Maya' s memory... you' re dancing on her grave."

"Get out," she hissed, her face contorted with fury. "You' re unhinged. Get out of my house!"

I looked at her, truly looked at her.

The woman I married. A stranger. A monster.

There was nothing left. No love, no respect, not even shared grief.

Only a vast, empty space where my heart used to be.

"Okay," I said, a strange calm settling over me.

"I' ll leave."

Then I added the words I knew would shatter her composure, because for her, it was always about control.

"I want a divorce."