Camilla pulled a thick stack of legal documents from her Birkin bag. She walked over to where Aubree leaned against the wall.

Camilla raised the papers and slapped them directly across Aubree's face.

The sharp edge of the thick paper sliced across Aubree's cheekbone. A thin line of blood welled up on her skin.

The papers scattered onto the floor. Aubree looked down. The top page read Non-Disclosure Agreement. The second page was a criminal confession of aggravated assault.

Dayna sniffled from the bed. "If you sign it, Aubree, I will tell the police not to press charges. I just want peace."

Eli stood with his arms crossed. "This is your only chance to avoid a prison cell."

Aubree stared at the dense paragraphs of legal text. A bitter smile touched her lips.

The clauses stated she would leave the marriage with zero assets, and she was permanently banned from speaking about the Wolfe family to the press.

She lifted her chin. Her voice was raspy but firm. "I will not sign a confession for something I didn't do."

Eleonora let out a dry laugh. She reached into her purse and pulled out a single sheet of paper.

"This is a draft of an academic fraud report," Eleonora said. "It details how your brother, Keagan Pratt, falsified data in his latest Ivy League research paper."

Aubree's pupils dilated. Her breath hitched. Keagan was her only family. His academic career was his entire life.

"If you don't sign," Eleonora threatened, "this goes to the university board tomorrow morning. His career will be over."

Aubree's head snapped toward Eli. "You are a part of this?" she whispered, her voice shaking with horror.

Eli looked away. He stared at the blank wall. "I will do whatever it takes to protect Dayna."

That sentence killed the last beating piece of Aubree's heart. The light completely vanished from her eyes.

She took a deep breath. Her shaking hand reached down and picked up the papers from the floor.

Camilla smirked and held out a heavy Montblanc pen.

Aubree grabbed the pen. Her fingers trembled so violently from the fever and rage that she could barely hold it.

She pressed the nib to the paper. She signed her name at the bottom of the confession and the NDA. She pressed so hard the pen tore through the paper.

Camilla wasn't done. She pulled a small, red ink pad from her pocket and flipped it open.

She grabbed Aubree's right hand. She forced Aubree's thumb down into the wet red ink.

Aubree tried to pull her arm back, but she had no strength left. Camilla's grip was like iron.

Camilla slammed Aubree's ink-stained thumb onto the signature line.

A bright red fingerprint stained the crisp white paper. It looked like blood. It was a brand of ultimate humiliation.

Camilla snatched the papers away and flicked the edge of the pages with her fingernail.

Aubree slid down the wall until she sat on the floor. She stared at the red ink on her thumb.

Suddenly, a low, quiet laugh escaped her throat.

The sound was hollow and terrifying. It echoed in the quiet hospital room. Eli's stomach tightened. A sudden spike of anxiety hit his chest.

Aubree grabbed the metal railing of the bed and pulled herself up. She didn't look at Eli. She didn't look at anyone.

She turned around and pushed the heavy door open. She walked out into the freezing hospital corridor alone.

Three days later.

The showerhead blasted freezing cold water against Aubree's bare back.

She had spent the last seventy-two hours in a hellish fever dream, surviving only on ibuprofen and pure rage. The fever finally broke.

She reached out and twisted the metal handle, shutting off the water. She wiped the steam from the mirror. The woman looking back at her was pale, but her eyes were sharp and lethal.

She walked into the massive walk-in closet. She grabbed the white silk loungewear she used to wear for Eli and threw it into the trash can.

She reached into the back of the closet and pulled out a sharply tailored, jet-black designer suit. She put it on. The sharp lines of the blazer made her look like a weapon.

She walked into the living room and stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows. She looked down at the Manhattan traffic. She felt absolutely nothing.

She sat at the heavy oak desk and opened her MacBook. She typed in a complex password and logged into a hidden cloud server.

She selected every single photo, video, and message involving Eli Wolfe. She clicked delete. She emptied the trash bin.

Next, she opened a hidden compartment in the desk drawer. She pulled out a stack of highly confidential design sketches-the early, unreleased works of "Madame Lan." She didn't dare take them with her into the impending warzone. Instead, she fed them one by one into the heavy-duty cross-cut shredder beneath the desk, having already uploaded the encrypted high-resolution scans to a secure offshore server. She then grabbed a stack of useless, decoy fashion magazines and slid them into a sleek black leather briefcase.

The private elevator dinged.

Eli stepped out. He wore a dark grey tailored suit. His face was hard. His chief assistant, Leland Finch, walked beside him.

Behind them walked four men in expensive suits carrying briefcases. The Wolfe family's elite divorce lawyers.

Two bodyguards stayed by the elevator, blocking the only exit.

Eli walked into the living room. He expected to see Aubree crying on the floor. He stopped in his tracks.

Aubree sat on the Italian leather sofa. She wore a black suit. Her spine was perfectly straight. Her eyes were cold and indifferent.

Eli felt a strange, irritating itch in his chest. He had never seen her look like this.

Aubree didn't stand up. She tilted her chin up and gestured to the sofa opposite her.

Eli clenched his jaw. He sat down and crossed his legs, trying to maintain his dominance.

Leland looked at Aubree with a hint of pity. He pushed a thick stack of documents across the glass coffee table.

The lead lawyer spoke in a robotic voice. "This is the final divorce settlement. Because you signed the confession, you forfeit all equity clauses in the prenuptial agreement."

Aubree stared at the lawyer. She didn't even glance at the paper.

Eli stared at her face, searching for a crack in her mask. He wanted to see her beg.

Aubree cut the lawyer off. "Give me the number. How much?"

Eli's eyes narrowed. He let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "There it is. The mask comes off."

Leland cleared his throat. "Fifty million dollars. A lump sum payment."

For a three-year marriage to a billionaire, it was an insulting amount.

"The condition," the lawyer added, "is that you vacate this penthouse today and never contact Mr. Wolfe again."

Aubree's lips curved into a cold, arrogant smirk. She looked at Leland and held out her hand. "Give me the pen."

Leland blinked in surprise. He reached into his jacket pocket and handed her a silver pen.

Aubree took it. She didn't read a single word on the page. She flipped directly to the back.

She pressed the pen to the paper and signed "Aubree Pratt" with quick, aggressive strokes.

She tossed the pen onto the glass table. It landed with a sharp clack.

Eli stared at her signature. His chest felt tight. He didn't feel the relief he expected. He felt like someone had punched a hole in his stomach.

He pointed at the paper. "You took the fifty million. That buys your silence and your lies."

Aubree stood up. She looked down at him. "Fifty million for a kidney. You got a massive discount, Eli." She didn't say the words out loud. She kept them locked in her mind.

Out loud, she smiled. "Consider it my emotional damage compensation."

Eli's jaw clenched. "You really are just a cheap whore."

The electronic lock on the front door beeped loudly.

Everyone turned their heads. The heavy door swung open. A tall, incredibly handsome man walked in.

Willow Croft had messy blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore an expensive, casual designer jacket. Aubree's tense shoulders dropped a fraction. Willow wasn't just a stranger; he was her most trusted confidant from her underground fashion network, the only person who knew she was Madame Lan, and he had flown in specifically to extract her from this nightmare.

He ignored the tense room and walked straight to Aubree. "Bree," he said, his voice deep and intimate.

Eli's eyes turned into daggers. He stared at the stranger.

Willow wrapped his arm around Aubree's waist. He leaned down and whispered, "Are you done here? The car is waiting downstairs."

Aubree looked up at Willow. She flashed him a bright, genuine smile. It was a smile Eli hadn't seen in three years.

Eli's hands curled into fists. His knuckles turned pure white.

He shot up from the sofa. He kicked the leather chair out of his way. "Who the hell is this?" Eli roared.

Aubree turned to look at Eli. The smile vanished from her face.

She reached up and slowly adjusted the collar of Willow's jacket. The gesture was incredibly intimate.

She locked eyes with Eli. "Let me introduce you. This is Willow. He's helping me start my new life. Your fifty million? Consider it a generous severance package. I'm putting it to good use."

The words hit Eli like a physical blow. She was taking his money to keep a boy toy.

Eli's face turned dark red. His chest heaved up and down. He wanted to wrap his hands around the blonde man's neck and snap it.

The lawyers held their breath, staring at the floor.

Aubree picked up her black briefcase. She left all the designer bags and jewelry behind.

"Let's go," she said to Willow.

They walked toward the door. As they passed Eli, he suddenly reached out, aiming to grab Aubree's arm.

Willow moved faster. He stepped his large body between them and slapped Eli's hand away.

The two men stared at each other. The air in the room felt like it was going to catch fire.

Aubree didn't even look back. She walked out the door. Willow followed and pulled the door shut behind them.

The loud slam echoed in the room. Eli spun around and kicked the million-dollar mahogany coffee table. The glass top shattered into a thousand pieces.