His Unwanted Wife: The Genius Designer

"It is past ten, Mrs. Valdez."

Elena Rios kept her voice low, her eyes fixed nervously on a spot on the floor just past Ervin's expensive shoes. The housekeeper stood near the edge of the massive Persian rug, her hands folded neatly in front of her apron.

Kelsey placed the heavy porcelain bowl of French beef stew onto the center of the marble dining table. The heat radiating from the dish was already fading.

She stared at the two unlit candles. Her chest felt tight, as if a heavy stone was pressing down on her ribs. A sour taste coated the back of her throat.

A sharp click echoed from the entryway. The security system light turned from red to green.

Kelsey's head snapped up. Her heart skipped a beat, a foolish flutter of hope hitting her ribs.

Ervin Valdez walked through the heavy oak door. The crisp, biting chill of the Manhattan autumn clung to his dark wool coat.

He shrugged off the custom-tailored jacket and handed it to Elena without looking at her.

Kelsey took a step forward. The air shifted around him.

It hit her instantly. A thick, suffocating wave of sweet vanilla and synthetic jasmine.

Her stomach violently cramped. The acid burned its way up her esophagus. It was Sylvia Vance's perfume.

Ervin loosened his silk tie. His dark, cold eyes swept over the elaborate spread on the dining table. He did not look impressed. He looked annoyed.

Kelsey dug her fingernails into her palms. The sharp pain grounded her. She forced the corners of her mouth up and reached for the decanter. She poured a glass of red wine and held it out to him.

Ervin did not raise his hand. The glass hovered in the empty space between them.

The silence in the penthouse grew thick and freezing.

Ervin let out a low, harsh breath that sounded like a laugh.

"What new trick are you playing tonight, Kelsey?"

Kelsey's fingers trembled against the smooth crystal stem of the wine glass. Her knuckles turned stark white.

She forced air into her lungs.

"It is our three-year wedding anniversary, Ervin."

Ervin's jaw ticked. He reached up and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his dress shirt with a rough, impatient tug.

He closed the distance between them in two long strides.

His massive frame cast a dark shadow over her. He backed her up until her spine hit the hard edge of the marble table.

His large hand shot out. His fingers clamped around her jaw like a steel vice.

Kelsey winced. The pain shot through her cheekbones.

He leaned down. His face was inches from hers.

"You called me back to Manhattan just to satisfy your physical needs?" he sneered.

Heat flooded Kelsey's eyes. Her vision blurred. She brought both hands up and pushed hard against his solid chest.

Ervin's eyes darkened at her resistance.

Before she could blink, he wrapped his arm around her waist and hoisted her off the floor.

Elena flinched almost imperceptibly, her hands tightening against her apron before she turned and disappeared silently toward the kitchen.

Kelsey gasped. The sudden loss of gravity made her stomach drop. Her fingers slipped.

The wine glass shattered against the thick carpet. A dark red stain spread across the fabric like blood.

Ervin carried her down the long hallway. He kicked the heavy carved wooden door of the master bedroom open with his leather shoe.

He threw her onto the center of the massive bed. The mattress bounced under her weight.

He followed her down instantly, pinning her beneath his heavy body.

His mouth crashed down on hers. It was not a kiss. It was a punishment. His teeth scraped against her bottom lip, brutal and devoid of any warmth.

Kelsey could not breathe. Her lungs screamed for oxygen. She shoved her hands against his broad shoulders, twisting her face away.

Ervin grabbed both of her wrists with one hand. He slammed them into the pillow above her head and held them there.

"Fulfill your duty as a Valdez wife," he ordered. His voice was ice.

Kelsey closed her eyes. A single tear broke free and slid down her temple, disappearing into her hairline.

Her muscles went completely slack. She stopped fighting. She lay there beneath him, staring at the ceiling like a hollow, broken doll.

Her dead silence irritated him. Ervin let out a frustrated growl. He grabbed the neckline of her silk nightgown and ripped it down the middle.

The sound of tearing fabric sliced through the quiet room.

Kelsey's eyes snapped open.

Her chest heaved. Her voice shook, but the words came out sharp and clear.

"Ervin, let's get a divorce."

Ervin's hand froze mid-air.

A flash of pure shock crossed his dark eyes. It was gone in a fraction of a second, replaced by a thick, stormy rage.

He slowly released his crushing grip on her wrists. He pushed himself off her and stood up beside the bed.

He adjusted the collar of his ruined shirt. He looked down at her torn clothes and exposed skin with absolute disgust.

A cruel smirk twisted his lips.

"Your tactics are getting pathetic."

He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Is this your new leverage to get a bigger share of the family trust fund?"

Kelsey pulled the torn edges of the silk over her bare shoulder. She sat up. She looked straight into his eyes. She did not flinch.

"I am giving up all property division. I am leaving with nothing."

Her voice was flat. It held no emotion.

Ervin's pupils dilated. His heart skipped a hard beat against his ribs.

He quickly masked the sudden panic with a scoff.

"I do not believe a word of that."

He turned his back on her.

"This is just a Wall Street short-selling game. You are playing hard to get."

He walked toward the master bathroom.

"Do whatever you want."

The frosted glass door slammed shut behind him. The walls vibrated from the force.

Kelsey sucked in a shaky breath. Her throat burned. She pushed herself off the mattress.

She walked barefoot across the plush carpet and entered the massive walk-in closet.

She bypassed the rows of haute couture dresses. She ignored the velvet drawers filled with diamonds.

She went straight to the back corner. She pulled out a battered black suitcase she had brought with her three years ago.

Her movements were robotic. She threw in a few plain shirts, jeans, and her toothbrush.

She walked over to the vanity. She crouched down and unlocked the bottom drawer with a small key.

She pulled out a yellowed sketchpad and a few loose design drafts.

She carefully slid the papers into the inner zipper compartment of the suitcase.

The sound of running water from the shower suddenly stopped.

Kelsey zipped the suitcase shut.

She dragged it over to the nightstand. She looked down at her left hand.

She gripped the massive pigeon blood ruby ring on her ring finger. She pulled it off.

She placed the ring onto the glass surface of the nightstand.

The metal clinked sharply against the glass. The sound severed the invisible chain around her neck.

Kelsey turned around and walked out of the bedroom. She did not look back.

In the living room, Elena Rios stood frozen. The housekeeper stared at the old suitcase in horror. She took a step forward to stop her.

Kelsey gave Elena a small, sad smile and shook her head.

She pushed the heavy front door open.

The cold wind from the hallway hit her thin coat. She shivered violently.

The elevator doors slid shut just as the master bedroom door was ripped open.

Ervin stood in the doorway with only a towel wrapped around his waist.

He stared at the empty living room.

His eyes darted around like a predator. His gaze locked onto the nightstand.

The ruby ring sat there, completely alone.

A massive wave of raw fury exploded in his chest. The audacity of her defiance was suffocating.

He swung his arm out and backhanded the antique lamp off the table. It shattered into a hundred pieces against the wall.

The metal door of the rundown Brooklyn apartment rattled under Kelsey's frantic knocking. It was two in the morning.

The door cracked open. Phoebe Chandler peeked out. Her hair was a messy nest. She held a can of pepper spray aimed straight ahead.

Phoebe saw Kelsey's blue lips and the old suitcase. Her eyes went wide.

She grabbed Kelsey's arm and yanked her into the cramped, warm apartment. She slammed the door and threw the deadbolt.

Phoebe rushed to the tiny kitchen. She poured a mug of hot milk and shoved it into Kelsey's freezing hands.

The heat seeped into Kelsey's numb palms. The tension in her spine snapped.

Tears spilled over her lower lashes and tracked down her cold cheeks.

Phoebe wrapped her arms around Kelsey's shaking shoulders.

"Ervin is a heartless bastard," Phoebe spat.

Kelsey sniffled. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her phone. Her thumb shook as she unlocked the screen.

She pulled up a series of leaked paparazzi photos and held the screen up to Phoebe's face.

Sylvia Vance was in the photos. She was wearing a tight dress, resting her hand on a slightly rounded stomach. She was walking out of a premier private maternity hospital in Manhattan.

Phoebe gasped. She snatched the phone and zoomed in on the picture.

"Sylvia even emailed her ultrasound report directly to my private inbox," Kelsey whispered. Her voice cracked.

Phoebe's face turned bright red. She grabbed a throw pillow off the couch and hurled it at the peeling wallpaper.

"I am calling my contacts at the tabloids! I am exposing this entire Valdez family scandal!"

Kelsey reached out and grabbed Phoebe's wrist. She shook her head. Her eyes looked dead.

"I have no right to take the moral high ground against Sylvia."

Phoebe froze. She stared at Kelsey in total confusion.

Kelsey took a deep breath. Her lungs ached.

"Three years ago, I used a pregnancy report to force the Valdez family into a marriage through the media."

"That was an accident!" Phoebe yelled. "And you lost the baby! You were the victim!"

"In Ervin's eyes, I am just a vicious, calculating liar," Kelsey cut her off.

She wrapped her arms around her own ribs. The memory of the media tearing her apart three years ago made her throat close up.

Phoebe sat back down. She grabbed Kelsey's cold hand and squeezed it tight.

Ten minutes passed. The silence settled.

Kelsey wiped her face. The fragile look in her eyes hardened into something sharp.

She pulled Phoebe's old laptop across the coffee table.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard. She typed in a long, complex string of passwords. She opened an encrypted offshore email server.

The inbox loaded.

Dozens of unread emails sat in the queue. They were all from top-tier global jewelry brands.

Phoebe leaned closer to the screen. She slapped both hands over her mouth to muffle her scream.

Every single email subject line started the same way.

"To the esteemed legendary designer, R."

Kelsey clicked on an email from Starlight Jewels. She hit the reply button.

She turned to look at Phoebe. A real smile finally touched her lips.

"It is time to find myself again."