Faith sat in the cracked vinyl backseat of the yellow taxi, watching the towering skyscrapers of the Financial District blur past the window.

She took a deep, shuddering breath, forcing the adrenaline out of her bloodstream.

The cab jerked to a stop in front of her building. Faith paid the driver, stepped out into the biting wind, and walked briskly through the opulent, marble-clad lobby.

She stepped into the private elevator and swiped her keycard.

When the doors slid open directly into the penthouse, Faith stopped in her tracks.

Sitting on one of the high stools at the kitchen island was a stranger in a sharp, slate-gray suit.

The man stood up immediately. He pushed his gold wire-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Mrs. Ware. I am Irving Gardner, Chief Legal Counsel for the Ware Group."

Faith's eyes darkened.

Hartwell hadn't wasted a single second. He hadn't even needed to go to his office. He had already prepared for this moment long before Eveline's plane even touched down at JFK. He was desperate to erase her from his life.

Irving unclasped his leather briefcase. He pulled out a thick, intimidating stack of documents and aligned them perfectly on the marble counter.

Faith walked slowly toward the island. She pulled out a stool and sat down.

Her eyes dropped to the bold, black letters stamped across the top page: Marital Settlement Agreement.

Irving reached into his breast pocket and produced a heavy Montblanc fountain pen. He held it out to her. "Mr. Ware wishes to expedite this process as quietly and efficiently as possible," Irving stated, his tone strictly transactional. "He had me draft this comprehensive settlement agreement several weeks ago, pending final execution."

Faith ignored the pen. She reached out and flipped open the heavy cover of the document.

First, she found the custody section.

The language was brutally clear: The Second Party (Faith Owens) shall assume sole legal and physical custody of the minor child, Leo Ware. The First Party (Hartwell Ware) relinquishes all parental rights, including custody, visitation, and decision-making authority. No visitation shall be scheduled unless mutually agreed upon in writing.

Faith's chest tightened. He wasn't even asking for weekends. He was throwing Leo away like an unwanted package. The boy was five years old—and Hartwell wanted nothing to do with him.

She swallowed the bitterness and kept reading.

Child Support: The First Party shall pay the sum of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) per month, indexed for inflation, deposited into a trust account for the benefit of the minor child until the age of twenty-one, plus all educational and medical expenses.

Faith blinked. That was far more than the state minimum. It was enough to give Leo a good life—private school, security, a future.

Then she flipped to the property division.

Real Estate: The First Party hereby transfers full ownership of the marital residence located at [Penthouse address] to the Second Party, free and clear of any liens or claims. The First Party shall vacate the premises within seventy-two (72) hours of execution.

She looked up at Irving. "He's giving me the penthouse?"

Irving nodded stiffly. "Mr. Ware believes it is in the child's best interest to remain in his familiar home. He has already secured alternative accommodations."

Faith almost laughed. He has already secured alternative accommodations. Translation: he was moving in with Eveline.

She flipped further. No alimony—zero. No other properties—the Hamptons estate and the other condos remained with Hartwell. Non-Disclosure Agreement—ten pages of ironclad gag order. If she spoke to the press about the marriage or the settlement, she would owe him millions in penalties.

She sat back, processing.

Hartwell was giving her the penthouse. He was giving Leo generous financial support. But he was giving her nothing—no alimony, no safety net for herself. And he was buying her silence with the threat of financial ruin.

He wasn't being generous. He was being efficient. He wanted her and Leo tucked away in this apartment, well-fed and quiet, while he started his new life with Eveline. Out of sight, out of mind.

Faith looked up at Irving. Her expression was unreadable.

"He doesn't want his son," she said quietly. "Not even to visit."

Irving shifted uncomfortably. "Mr. Ware believes it is in everyone's best interest for the child to remain with his mother exclusively. He wishes to... begin a new chapter without reminders of the past."

Reminders. That was the word. Leo was a reminder of the marriage Hartwell had always resented. And now he was paying to make that reminder go away.

Faith looked down at the document again. She thought of Leo's small hand in hers. Of the way he still sometimes asked, "Does Daddy love me?" She would never have to lie to him about visitation that never came. She would never have to send Leo off to a father who didn't want him.

She reached for the Montblanc pen.

Before she could sign, the front doors of the penthouse swung open.

Hartwell marched in, his jaw tight. He had obviously forgotten a file and returned to retrieve it.

He stopped dead when he saw the two of them at the island. His eyes dropped to the document—still unsigned.

Hartwell closed the distance in three long strides. He slammed his hands down on the marble, leaning into her space.

"What's the problem?" Hartwell sneered, his eyes flashing with cruel triumph. "Is fifty thousand a month not enough for you? Want the Hamptons too? Finally showing your true colors, Faith?"

Faith stared at his handsome, hateful face.

She thought of how he had never once attended Leo's school play. Never tucked him in at night. Never looked at the boy without a flicker of cold distance.

Every single lingering drop of affection she had ever held for this man evaporated into ash.

Without breaking eye contact, Faith pressed the nib to the signature page.

With sharp, aggressive strokes, she slashed her signature across the dotted line. She didn't pause. She didn't negotiate.

The heavy Montblanc pen felt cold and metallic against Faith's skin. Her signature sat fresh on all three copies—black ink, sharp and final.

Hartwell loomed over the marble island, his broad chest rising and falling. He stared at the documents, waiting for her to start negotiating. Waiting for her to demand more millions, more properties, proving his six-year theory right.

But Faith simply capped the pen and slid it back toward Irving.

"There," she said. "It's done."

She stood up from the stool and walked toward the master bedroom. Her spine was straight. Her footsteps echoed in the silent penthouse.

Hartwell stood frozen for a moment, then followed her. He stopped in the doorway of the bedroom, watching as she pulled her battered black suitcase out from the back of the closet.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

Faith threw the suitcase open on the floor. She walked past the rows of custom-tailored Chanel suits and Hermès bags—she didn't touch them. She reached into the far corner and pulled out her own cheap jeans and plain blouses, the ones she had bought with money she'd saved over the years.

"Packing," she said flatly. "The agreement gives you seventy-two hours to vacate. I'm giving you a head start."

Hartwell's jaw clenched. His hands curled into fists at his sides.

"You're not kicking me out of my own home."

Faith looked up at him. Her eyes were cold and calm.

"Your name just came off the deed, Hartwell. This is my home now. And Leo's. You signed it away."

The words hit him like a physical blow. His face went pale.

He had signed the penthouse over to her. He had done it to ensure Leo stayed in a familiar environment—and to make the divorce go smoothly. But standing here, watching her pack his belongings into garbage bags, the reality of what he had agreed to crashed down on him.

He stepped into the room. His voice dropped to a dangerous growl.

"You think you can just take my son, take my apartment, and walk away?"

Faith stopped packing. She turned to face him fully.

"Take your son?" she repeated. Her voice was quiet, but it cut like a blade. "You gave him away. You signed over sole custody without even asking for weekends. You don't want him, Hartwell. You never have."

A muscle ticked violently in his jaw.

"That's not true."

"Isn't it?" Faith took a step toward him. "When was the last time you went to one of Leo's school events? When was the last time you read him a bedtime story? You look at that boy and all you see is the night you were forced to marry me. He's not your son to you. He's a reminder."

Hartwell's chest heaved. He wanted to argue, to deny it. But the words wouldn't come.

Because she was right.

Faith turned back to the closet. She pulled down a stack of Hartwell's cashmere sweaters and dumped them into an empty garbage bag.

"I'm not touching your couture," she said over her shoulder. "You have seventy-two hours to arrange for movers. Until then, you can sleep in one of the guest rooms—or better yet, go stay with Eveline. I'm sure she has space."

Hartwell grabbed her wrist. His grip was tight, bruising.

"You're enjoying this."

Faith looked down at his hand, then up at his face. Her expression was pure revulsion.

"I'm enjoying nothing about this," she said. "I'm finally free. That's not enjoyment. That's survival."

She wrenched her arm free.

Then she walked over to the vanity. She shoved aside the velvet boxes containing millions of dollars in diamonds—engagement ring, anniversary bands, all of it. She picked up a tarnished silver locket, the only thing her mother had left her, and clasped it around her neck.

She did not touch a single piece of jewelry he had given her.

Hartwell watched her. His breathing was shallow, ragged. The penthouse—his penthouse—was no longer his. His son—his only child—was no longer legally connected to him except through a monthly check. His wife—the woman he had spent six years ignoring—was standing in front of him, looking at him like he was a stranger.

No. Worse than a stranger. An enemy.

Faith zipped her suitcase shut and dragged it toward the bedroom door.

"Where are you going?" he demanded.

"To Quinn's," she said without turning around. "I'll be back in three days. I expect you to be gone by then."

She walked down the long corridor, her suitcase wheels bumping over the hardwood. She reached the massive double doors of the entryway and stopped.

She let go of the handle and turned to face the marble console table.

Faith raised her left hand. With her right thumb and index finger, she gripped the platinum band of her wedding ring—the flawless five-carat emerald-cut diamond. Heavy. Cold.

She pulled it over her knuckle. It slid off, leaving behind a pale, indented ring of skin.

She placed the ring down on the marble.

Clink.

The sharp sound of metal hitting stone echoed in the quiet foyer.

She didn't look back.

She opened the front door, pulled her suitcase through, and stepped into the hallway.

The heavy door swung shut behind her, severing the last physical thread between them.

The plastic wheels of Faith's suitcase ground heavily against the plush Persian runner as she walked down the long corridor.

She reached the massive double doors of the entryway and stopped.

She let go of the suitcase handle and turned to face the marble console table.

Faith took a deep breath. She raised her left hand. With her right thumb and index finger, she gripped the platinum band of her wedding ring.

It was a flawless, five-carat emerald-cut diamond. Heavy. Cold.

She pulled it over her knuckle. It slid off, leaving behind a pale, indented ring of skin at the base of her finger-a physical scar of six years of walking on eggshells.

She placed the ring down on the marble.

Clink.

The sharp sound of metal hitting stone echoed in the quiet foyer.

Hartwell stood twenty feet away, half-swallowed by the shadows of the hallway. His eyes were locked onto her hands.

The moment the ring left her finger, Hartwell's heart seized. It felt as if a massive, invisible fist had punched straight through his ribs and crushed his lungs. He couldn't draw a breath.

His jaw locked. He refused to show her the sudden, violent terror ripping through his nervous system.

"When you walk out that door," Hartwell yelled, his voice echoing with vicious malice, "don't ever think about coming back here crying to me."

Faith didn't even turn her head.

She reached out and wrapped her fingers around the heavy brass door handle. She pressed down.

The heavy door swung open. A rush of cold hallway air swept into the stifling heat of the penthouse.

Faith stepped over the threshold, pulling her suitcase behind her. She reached back and pulled the door shut.

Slam.

The heavy thud severed the connection between them with terrifying finality.

The hallway plunged into a dead, ringing silence.

Hartwell stood perfectly still. His eyes were glued to the solid wood of the door. He waited for it to open. He waited for her to realize she had no money, nowhere to go, and come crawling back.

Ten seconds passed. Nothing.

Hartwell forced his legs to move. He walked slowly toward the entryway. He stopped in front of the console table.

The five-carat diamond sat there, abandoned. The overhead lights caught the facets, shooting blinding, mocking sparks of light into his eyes.

A wave of intense dizziness washed over him.

He spun around, his chest heaving. He practically ran to the living room bar.

He grabbed a heavy crystal decanter filled with aged whiskey. He didn't bother with ice. He poured the amber liquid into a thick crystal tumbler until it nearly spilled over the edge.

He threw his head back and swallowed the liquor in three massive gulps.

The alcohol burned a fiery trail down his throat, but it did nothing to numb the sudden, agonizing stabbing pain in his chest.

He wanted to feel victorious. He had finally gotten rid of the woman who trapped him.

But all he could see was her face, staring at him with absolute, horrifying indifference.

He slammed the empty glass down on the marble counter. His chest heaved as his eyes fell upon the thick stack of the Marital Settlement Agreement she had just signed. The black ink of her signature mocked him, finalizing the severance he had demanded. But instead of relief, a sudden, violent surge of revulsion and panic clawed up his throat. He lunged forward, his massive hands grabbing the painstakingly drafted documents. With a guttural, furious sound, Hartwell ripped the thick stack of papers in half. The sound of tearing paper echoed sharply in the cavernous room. He tore them again, and again, shredding the multi-million dollar agreement into unrecognizable confetti, hurling the pieces across the pristine floor.

Irving Gardner, who had been packing his briefcase, gasped in pure shock.

"Mr. Ware!" The lawyer shrank back, his eyes darting to the ruined papers. "Those were the final copies! I'll need to-"

Hartwell lunged. He snatched the remaining folder out of Irving's hand and hurled it at the floor.

"Draft a new one!" Hartwell roared, his eyes pitch black, wild, and completely unhinged. "Call her right now! Tell her the terms are unacceptable! Make her come back here and renegotiate!"

Irving stood frozen, terrified by the sudden psychotic break of his usually icy boss.

"Get out," Hartwell snarled, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper.

Down on the street level, Faith pushed through the revolving doors of the building.

The freezing wind whipped her hair across her face. She took a deep breath of the polluted, freezing Manhattan air.

For the first time in six years, her chest didn't feel like it was bound in iron chains. She felt light.

A black SUV screeched to a halt at the curb. The passenger window rolled down.

Quinn Baxter peered out from behind oversized Celine sunglasses. She let out a loud, piercing whistle.

Quinn threw the car into park, jumped out, and grabbed Faith's suitcase, tossing it into the trunk. She turned and wrapped Faith in a bone-crushing hug.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, babe," Quinn whispered fiercely.

Faith climbed into the passenger seat. She looked at the side mirror, watching the towering Ware Group residential building shrink into the distance.

A profound sense of relief washed over her.

Quinn cranked the steering wheel, merging into traffic. "To celebrate your newfound freedom, we are going to that new French Bistro in Soho tonight. We are getting blackout drunk."

Faith leaned her head against the cold window. She was exhausted, but looking at Quinn's fiercely protective face, she managed a small, genuine smile.

"Okay," Faith said softly.

The SUV sped toward Brooklyn, carrying Faith toward her new life.