de it to the elevat

ready, waiting, but s

d some place she could finally breathe, and just refuse to waste another second on Lucian. But h

e we

orce papers drawn

e three weeks ago, he

m she'd found the perfect watch for their anniversary, so excited to surprise him. He'd tol

e whole tim

open the

far away. Vivienne was gone. For the first

his voice flat.

lifted t

e prepared th

kno

you were l

es

nch. She stepped forward,

t you just

sn't

lmost in disbelief.

w when the ri

, humorless laugh.

ust watc

the table. "Was there

o tell you

he

oo

y?" She just needed him to say

t me spend tonight celebrating a mar

know how t

e tried to hold it steady. "You hired lawyers. You reviewed everything.

"You knew exactly

oked out

ut her eyes stayed on him. "Wa

wned,

"I planned tonight for you. I spent weeks trying to make you hap

it. "But all the while, you

er. That silence t

tonight re

. "It wasn't abou

was it?"

d to tal

ve years to

eyes

nged," he s

he

ans

ce sharp. "When did I becom

not what

ointed at the divorce pape

ed. "You weren'

ned. "Did I ever

dn't ne

ead. "You don't get t

tant you were,

out now, faster, louder. "I waited for you. I begged you to come home.

ust stoo

told me I was i

ade me feel crazy for se

ace softened, and she th

quieter, "You were the only one wh

he breath out of he

she was the one fighting hardest, s

. Her hands squ

s

step toward he

n't get to see her cry, not here

"I spent five years thinking

ce barely m

ealize I was bui

twisted. "Th

eeting his eyes. A tear slipped

when you let me plan this stupid anniversary? Was it fair

t watc

as her

ed up th

to sign tonight,

kno

have my lawyer

find m

le insulted. "You don't

ng down. Some part of her went sti

t," she said. "I jus

itated. One question kept gnawing at her-the one thing

tu

lently wa

." She tried to ke

wai

d you m

ross his face. Pain? G

d away. "It's

itter smile. "Everything

y had a foot in the hallway whe

ped. Did

voice, low, almost a wh

dle. Those words should've he

, she had to know what chang

ft without a

shut, closing Luc

. Her wedding ring still squeezed her fin

of that elevator was the man

the ring and trie

, her phone rang. Unkno

ss?" a ma

itated.

Veyne. I was you

caught. "

something you need to k

e. "What does my marriage

t moment. Th

u could possi