Chapter 42 ~ Franklin ~ The following morning, the walls of my office felt like they were closing in. I spent hours pacing the floor, my mind a chaotic loop of the previous night’s discovery. She was seeing someone else. How dare she? The audacity of it was staggering. We
Chapter 41 ~ Clinton ~ “You knew?” Octavia’s voice was barely a whisper, her eyes wide with a mix of shock and something that looked like fear. “Yes,” I nodded, keeping my expression steady. “Octavia, everyone in New York knows who Franklin Flemington is. He’s the city’s golden son. The
Chapter 40 ~ Franklin ~ “In here. Now,” my grandfather barked, his brow furrowed as he led the way to the study. Octavia had vanished into the night only moments after her devastating confession. I knew I had hurt her—the scars of our two-year arrangement were etched into her every
Chapter 39 ~ Octavia ~ The drive back to the estate felt like a descent into a past I had already tried to bury. As I stepped through the massive front doors, the staff greeted me with a warmth that felt both comforting and painful. Olga, in particular, looked as
Chapter 38 ~ Octavia ~ My desk phone rang, cutting through the hum of the office. “Hello p> “Miss Herman? This is Steph at the front desk. You have a parcel waiting for you p> “I’m on my way,” I said, heading for the lobby. The parcel was small—a single,
Chapter 37 ~ Franklin ~ I was back in my office, pacing the length of the floor like a caged animal. I dialed her number again, only to be met with that same mechanical, heartless recording. “The number you are trying to reach is not available p> “Fuck!” I growled,
Chapter 36 ~ Octavia ~ It was the weekend—my first taste of true independence away from the office—and I decided to spend it at home, healing in the quiet of my own space. Part of me expected Franklin to storm into my workplace, especially since I had blocked his number
Chapter 35 ~ Clinton ~ Returning to the city wasn’t part of my original plan; it was my father’s. Now a disgraced shell of the man he once was, he was the very person I had helped strip of his power under the Flemingtons. As I drove toward the Harrington
Chapter 34 ~ Octavia ~ I decided to start my life over in Queens. I found a quiet, modern apartment—a place where no one, especially not Franklin, could find me. After I walked out of the estate, I made the swift decision to clear out my old pre-marriage apartment, as
Chapter 33 ~ Franklin ~ The meeting was a grueling four-hour marathon. By the time it was over, my mind was a fog of numbers and corporate strategy. All I wanted was a glass of scotch and a moment of peace without Octavia hounding me to sign those divorce papers.
Chapter 32 ~ Octavia ~ “I’m sorry, let me call you back,” Franklin said calmly into his phone. Seconds later, the line went dead. He set the device on his desk and looked at me. “What do you mean you want a divorce, Octavia p> He spoke so softly, with
Chapter 31 ~ Octavia ~ Two years later p> It has been two long, grueling years. For seven hundred and thirty days, I have been counting down the seconds until my life sentence is over. Now, finally, I am breaking out of the shackles. I am divorcing Franklin Flemington, and
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Chapter 29 ~ Franklin ~ The next morning, the air in the dining room was thick with a tension that made every clink of a spoon sound like a gunshot. Octavia and I sat through another quiet, hollow breakfast. I remembered the way Olga had cornered me in the study
Chapter 28 ~ Bella ~ It was a close one. Franklin had been inches away from catching me with the man who actually owns my soul. Rufus Sandwood—my former lover, my current obsession, and the only person I truly enjoy fucking. We’ve known each other since before Franklin and I
Chapter 27 ~ Franklin ~ After work, I decided to head to Bella’s apartment. I needed to see her, to just exist in a space that wasn’t stifled by corporate politics or the hollow silence of my own home. I was exhausted, and Bella was the only person who knew
Chapter 26 ~ Octavia ~ The next morning, my hand trembled slightly as I reached for my cup of coffee. Franklin arrived at the dining table like clockwork, dressed in a sharp, three-piece black suit that looked like armor. I couldn’t stop thinking about the Polaroid photo. The photo of
Chapter 25 ~ Octavia ~ The morning light in the estate was always too bright. I sat at the kitchen island, my fingers wrapped around a mug of herbal tea that had long since gone cold. Lila and Joyce were busy in the laundry room, and Olga had gone to
Chapter 24 ~ Franklin ~ Every swing of the pendulum of the clock was a second closer to noon — the hour Dorian Harrington intended to behead the Flemington legacy. I hadn’t slept a wink. The adrenaline from the masquerade ball last night was still coursing through my veins, a
Chapter 23 ~ Franklin ~ The Metropolitan Museum of Art had been transformed into a labyrinth of shadows and expensive secrets. Tonight was the annual Venetian Masquerade, a high-stakes gathering of New York’s elite, where every face was hidden behind gold, lace, and heavy velvet. It was the perfect metaphor