The harsh morning sunlight pierced through the floor-to-ceiling windows, burning Kaia's eyes. She pushed herself up from the thick carpet of the master bedroom, her joints aching and stiff.

She walked into the bathroom. She stared at her hollow cheeks in the mirror. She turned on the faucet and slapped freezing water against her face until her skin turned red and her mind cleared.

Kaia changed into a structured beige Chanel suit. She pulled her hair back into a tight, severe bun. The desperate, begging woman from last night was gone.

She walked past the guest room. The door was wide open. The bed was perfectly made. Gerrit had already left for the office.

She rode the elevator down and got into the Maybach. "Take me to the Downs Estate in Long Island."

The car drove down the tree-lined avenue, passed through the massive iron gates, and stopped in front of the main mansion.

The butler led her straight into the study. The room smelled heavily of cigar smoke and aged mahogany.

Cornelius Downs, the patriarch of the family, sat behind a massive desk, reading the Wall Street Journal.

Kaia sat in the leather chair across from him. She didn't offer a greeting. "I am divorcing Gerrit."

Cornelius stopped turning the page. His thick eyebrows pulled together. He looked at her, shocked that the usually compliant daughter-in-law was speaking to him this way.

"Absolutely not," Cornelius snapped. "A divorce right now will cause a massive drop in the Downs Group's stock price."

Kaia opened her bag. She pulled out a document and slid it across the desk. "I am voluntarily transferring all my shares in the Woodward family to Gerrit as compensation."

Cornelius looked down at the paper. A flash of greed crossed his eyes, quickly replaced by intense suspicion. "What is your real angle here, Kaia? Is this a new tactic from your father?"

"I am just tired," Kaia said, her voice completely flat. "I want to end this meaningless marriage."

Cornelius stared at her for a long time. The financial gain was too massive to ignore. He slowly nodded, giving his silent approval.

Kaia stood up. She gave a stiff, polite bow to the man who had once pretended to care for her.

She turned and walked out of the study. Her footsteps were heavy, but her chest felt lighter than it had in three years.

She got back into the car. "Drive to the Adler Law Firm in Midtown Manhattan."

When she arrived, the receptionist escorted her immediately into the private conference room of Julian Adler, the senior partner.

Julian took one look at her pale face and frowned. "Kaia, are you alright? You look terrible."

Kaia didn't answer. She reached into her bag, pulled out the medical report, and handed it to him.

Julian read the paper. The color drained from his face. His mouth opened, but no sound came out.

"Keep this completely confidential," Kaia said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "I need you to draft a divorce agreement immediately. And my final will."

She pointed to her legal file on his desk. "Transfer all the income rights of my premarital assets to Gerrit after my death. And if things deteriorate," Kaia added, her voice dropping to a whisper, "I have a contingency. A backup plan to disappear completely. I will let you know when it is time to initiate the final plan."

Julian shook his head violently. "You need to tell Gerrit the truth. You cannot go through this alone."

Kaia let out a dry, bitter laugh. "Gerrit gave me his answer last night. I don't need his pity."

Julian let out a heavy sigh. He opened his laptop and began typing rapidly, entering the complex legal clauses exactly as she demanded.

The printer spat out a thick stack of papers. Kaia picked up the heavy fountain pen. She signed her name on the will and the share transfer documents.

As she crossed the last 't', a violent wave of dizziness slammed into her brain. The room spun. She dropped the pen and gripped the edge of the heavy wooden table so hard her knuckles popped, fighting to stay conscious. The gears of her divorce were officially in motion.

Kaia clutched the thick manila envelope containing the divorce agreement tightly against her chest. She walked out of the law firm and into the cold air.

She got into the car. "Back to the penthouse."

When she walked into the apartment, she placed the manila envelope dead center on the glass coffee table.

She pulled out her phone and dialed Gerrit's private number. It rang six times before he finally answered.

"What?" Gerrit's voice was ice cold. In the background, Kaia could clearly hear a woman's soft, breathy laugh.

A sharp pain pierced her chest. She forced her throat to relax. "Come home tonight. I have important documents you need to sign."

"Seraphina just got back to New York, and she is emotionally unstable," Gerrit snapped. "Do not play any of your manipulative tricks to hurt her. I am warning you."

Before Kaia could say another word, the line went dead. The dial tone buzzed in her ear.

She dropped the phone on the sofa. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, trying to force down the nausea rising in her throat.

A loud beep echoed through the room. The electronic lock on the front door was opening.

Kaia snapped her eyes open. Seraphina walked in, her high heels clicking loudly against the marble. She looked around the penthouse, her eyes full of arrogant entitlement.

Kaia stood up. "How do you have the passcode to this apartment?"

Seraphina smiled, a sickly sweet expression. "I told the new concierge Gerrit sent me to retrieve his emergency files, and slipped him a few hundred bills. He was more than happy to give me the temporary access code."

Kaia's face lost a fraction of its color. She pointed a shaking finger at the door. "Get out of my house. Now."

Seraphina ignored her. She walked straight toward the coffee table. She reached her hand out to grab the manila envelope.

Kaia lunged forward. She slammed her hand down on top of the envelope. "Don't touch that."

Seraphina dramatically gasped. She put a hand over her chest. "You are so aggressive, Kaia. No wonder Gerrit can't stand you."

They stood frozen by the table. Seraphina's eyes darted toward the entryway.

The heavy front door swung open. Gerrit stepped into the foyer.

The moment Seraphina saw him, her face contorted into pure terror. She threw her body backward, stumbling away from the table as if Kaia had shoved her violently.

Seraphina screamed. She collapsed onto the thick carpet. Tears instantly flooded her eyes as she looked up at Gerrit.

Gerrit's face turned purple with rage. He sprinted across the living room.

Before Kaia could open her mouth to speak, Gerrit grabbed her by the shoulder. His grip was like a steel vise, digging into her collarbone.

"Are you out of your mind? !" Gerrit roared. "Why are you attacking her? !"

With a violent shove, he pushed Kaia backward.

Kaia's body, already weak and failing, flew backward. She lost her footing completely. Her lower back slammed directly into the sharp, pointed corner of the chrome-edged glass coffee table.

A sickening thud echoed in the room. The sharp metal bit viciously into her flesh, tearing a deep laceration. A white-hot agony exploded in her waist. She gasped for air, collapsing onto the floor.

Warm, wet blood instantly soaked through her white silk blouse, staining the fabric a deep, dark red. The pain was so intense black spots danced in her vision.

Gerrit didn't even look at her. He dropped to his knees, his eyes filled with absolute panic as he reached out to pull Seraphina into his arms.

Gerrit wrapped his arms around Seraphina, lifting her gently from the carpet. "Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice thick with panic.

Seraphina buried her face in his chest. She shook her head, putting on a brave face. "It's not Kaia's fault. I just lost my balance."

That sentence was gasoline on a fire. Gerrit snapped his head around. His eyes were dead and cold as he glared at Kaia, who was still crumpled on the floor.

"If she has a single scratch on her, I will make you pay for it," Gerrit snarled.

He kept his arm tightly around Seraphina's waist. He turned his back on Kaia and walked straight out the front door.

The heavy door clicked shut. The apartment fell into a suffocating, dead silence.

Kaia pressed her hand against her bleeding waist. Her entire body shook violently. Cold sweat dripped down her forehead, stinging her eyes.

She clamped her teeth together, tasting copper. She planted her hands flat on the blood-stained carpet and forced her arms to push her body up.

She dragged her feet across the floor, limping heavily toward the coffee table. She reached out with a trembling hand and straightened the manila envelope that had been knocked askew.

Every step toward the bathroom felt like walking on broken glass. The tearing sensation in her waist mixed with the deep, gnawing ache of the cancer in her abdomen.

She flipped on the harsh bathroom lights. She peeled off the ruined white blouse. A massive, dark purple bruise surrounded a deep, jagged gash on her side.

She opened the first aid kit. She soaked a cotton pad in rubbing alcohol and slammed it directly onto the open wound. She threw her head back and sucked in a sharp breath as the burning pain ripped through her nerves.

She wrapped thick white bandages tightly around her torso. She pulled a massive, oversized black silk robe over her shoulders, completely hiding the blood and the gauze.

Kaia walked out of the bathroom. She looked at the clock on the wall. She walked into the open kitchen.

She opened the stainless steel refrigerator. She pulled out fresh vegetables and a cut of prime steak. Her hands hovered over the marble counter, staring at the ingredients she had purchased to prepare Gerrit's favorite meal. This was the dinner she had planned to make last night to seal their three-month deal. Now, looking at the raw meat, a violent wave of nausea twisted her stomach. The memory of his cruel shove and Seraphina's mocking smile echoed in her mind. Her hands trembled as she grabbed the expensive steak and the organic vegetables, hurling them violently into the stainless steel trash can. There would be no dinner. It was a funeral for their marriage. The sterile, cold smell of the empty apartment surrounded her, doing nothing to mask the faint, metallic scent of blood lingering in the air.

She dragged herself to the dining table. She didn't strike a match; she simply sat in the freezing darkness. Kaia sat in the chair next to the head of the table. She stared at the empty, unlit silver candelabra. She waited as the sky outside turned pitch black.

The clock ticked endlessly. The silence in the room grew heavy and stiff. The cold air formed a chilling film over her bare skin. The night dragged on in total, unbroken misery.

Just before midnight, the front door unlocked. Gerrit walked in alone.

He took off his suit jacket. The heavy, sweet scent of Seraphina's perfume instantly flooded the room.

Kaia's stomach violently rejected the smell. Acid rose in her throat, but she swallowed it down.

Gerrit walked past the dining area. He stopped when he saw the empty table and Kaia sitting in the shadows.

He looked at her face. Her skin was a terrifying shade of gray, and her lips were completely white.

His eyebrows pulled together. "Are you sick?" he asked, the words slipping out automatically.

Kaia slowly lifted her eyes. She looked at him. "My stomach hurts."

The slight concern in Gerrit's eyes vanished instantly. He let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "Playing the victim now? Trying to use a stomachache to get out of what you did this afternoon?"

He didn't look at the food again. He walked straight past the table and down the hallway.

Kaia sat perfectly still. She listened to the sound of the shower turning on in the guest bathroom. She reached out and closed her eyes, plunging herself into total darkness.