a high-end real estate agent. She didn't list the

her asset, a piece of power she held in reserve. It was a strategic move Julian wouldn't anticipate, and that small fact b

ry she had to evaluate and put in a box. She didn't sleep that night, fueled by black coffee and a grim determinatio

, bitter toast to the end of an era. The alcohol hit her hard on an empty stomach, and for a single, unguarded

onfirm the final divorce hearing at

erful cobalt blue. It was the color of a clear, cold sky after a storm. Her makeup was flawless

ication popped up on her phone. "Y

. It felt like an omen. A sign that she

. A judge in a drab room granted the dissolution of their marriage

He signed the final papers without looking at

n the sudden sunlight, the press was nowhere in sight. T

ithout a word. There w

stopped her.

readable. "You were in a hurry, Ju

cence clearly infuriated him. It

w and intense. "You seem to be

t at his feet, was a personal insult to him. He had orchestrated her devast

her dress making her seem formidable. "What did you ex

rfect summation of their entire relationship. He

nger. "Don't pretend thi

er voice cutting through his anger like glass. "That's why I have to l

is jaw clenched, a muscl

She didn't look back, leaving him standing alone on the steps of t