The Wedding Invitation That Broke My Ex-Husband novel
I started with a phone call one I swore I would never make.
You once said youd take care of my fathers medical bills if I ever agreed to marry you, I said quietly, staring at the hospital discharge band still wrapped around my wrist. My voice was controlled, but my pulse hammered violently. Is that offer still valid?
Silence lingered for a beat. Then a low, knowing chuckle slid through the speaker.
Finally realized your perfect husband is just a pathetic coward? he said, amused. I knew it would take time, but I told you I cared more than that bastard ever did.
I inhaled sharply, forcing down a tremor.
Im leaving him, I replied. Seven days. Come for me then.
I ended the call before he could speak again. My hand shook so hard the phone nearly slipped, the mattress dipping under its weight as it fell from my palm. I sat there, breathing in shallow waves, letting the reality of what Id just done settle like dust on a grave.
Marry my former rival. The same man who once leaned over my desk in college, smirk tugging his lips, whispering, Its only a matter of time. Youll be mine. I used to laugh at him. Challenge him. Hate him a little, if Im honest. And now? He was my escape route from the marriage I once believed would save me.
Funny how fate turns love into a weapon.
I used to say Luther was my whole world. I believed my loyalty would be enough that if I just endured, held on, loved harder, I could keep us together. Instead, it destroyed me.
I didnt discover his betrayal through gossip. Fate was crueler. A shared calendar notification popped up a hotel booking, two names listed together: his and Brielles. My best friend. Or the woman I once called that.
I still remember how I confronted him soft voice, hopeful eyes, like a fool clinging to the last rope of trust.
Shes a client, sweetheart, he had sighed, rolling his eyes, smirking like I was the one humiliating him. Stop being dramatic. Pregnancy hormones, right? You really need to calm down.
Brielle, that snake, hugged me two days later, whispering with false warmth, Im here for you, always.
And I believed her.
Even when their work trips grew frequent. Even when she sent selfies with him Oops! Wrong chat! typed beneath them. Even when she joked, Men slip sometimes. Keep an eye on him ;)
I kept pretending. Because I was carrying our child. Because I thought loyalty meant staying even when it hurt.
Then two days ago happened.
Seven months along. Pain curling through my abdomen like fire. My breath turning shallow. I called him, begging him to take me to the hospital.
Brielle answered.
Her voice breathless, laughter laced with sin. Oh, hes busy, she panted. Very, very busy between my legs. Call later.
My phone slipped from my shaking hand. I forced myself up anyway body failing, vision fading trying to save the life inside me. I staggered outside. Someones perfume, someones alcohol breath, the shriek of tires
Blackness swallowed me whole.
When I woke up in a harsh white room, the nurses pity said everything before her words did.
We did what we could, she whispered, eyes soft with grief. Your baby didnt survive.
My chest felt like it tore open. I dialed Luther with trembling fingers, praying he would for once sound human.
Insteadvenom.
This is on you, his voice snapped. You couldnt even carry a child properly. Pathetic. If one of you had to die, it shouldve been you.
No grief. No hesitation. Just cold hatred. He hung up before I could breathe again.
Then my phone buzzed.
Brielles message. Photos. Her. Luther. A little boy with his jawline and her eyes their son. Born while I played house with a ghost of a marriage.
He never cared about your baby. You were just the stand-in. Disappear now.
Something inside me went silent brutally, beautifully silent. Grief burned to steel.
The nurse returned later, paperwork in hand. You can go home now, Mrs. Velencia.
I nodded like I was sleepwalking. But my steps werent weak anymore. They were final.
In the hallway, I dialed the only person who could cut the last chain around my throat.
My lawyer, please, I told the receptionist. My voice was steady eerily calm. Put him on. I need to file for divorce.
Claire are you absolutely sure? What about your fathers treatment? If you walk away, Luther will cut off the funds. Youll have nowhere, he warned, his voice weighted with hard truth.
That was the brutal reality Id been holding onto. Aside from the baby, it was the chain that had kept me tethered.
My father. Hed been my anchor after Mother died the one who taught me to aim high, to stand tall in rooms full of people ready to tear you down. We once belonged to something enormous: a legacy that stretched back generations.
I used to be heir to a name that opened doors. My fathers business dominated tech and medical markets. Then everything fell apart.
Board members betrayed him one by one. Investors withdrew. Partnerships dissolved. The headlines blamed poor leadership.
But it wasnt mismanagement it was a con. Hed been swindled.
Before the litigation even began, my father was in a wreck that left him comatose and clinging to life. Some murmured it wasnt an accident. I believed those whispers.
Thats when Luther Velencia stepped forward.
He presented himself as the rescuer of our ruined dynasty.
His offer was simple and chilling: marry him, and he would buy and resurrect the company. In exchange, he would bankroll my fathers medical care forever. At that moment, it felt like the only lifeline.
So I became his assistant and his wife.
Quietly. Out of sight.
He insisted on secrecy for business reasons, he said because a CEO married to the fallen heiress would raise speculation. So I swallowed my pride and let my life be folded into the margins, all for my fathers survival.
But nowthere was no baby. No love. No reason left to stay.
I tightened my grip on the phone and told my lawyer, I dont need him anymore. Prepare the divorce.
The next morning I returned to the office, not as a spouse but as an employee the very role Id inhabited for five years.
I walked into HR and calmly asked them to start recruiting my replacement. Ill train whoever you hire, I said. Im resigning at weeks end.
Their faces registered surprise; nobody argued. I went back to my desk and began sorting old files, tidying what I could, assuming he wouldnt notice right away.
Of course he noticed.
Luther burst into the main workspace without ceremony. Whats this about? he barked. Why did HR flag a hiring request?
I rose and met him without flinching. Im handing in my resignation. I need a break. Time to recover.
He sneered. Recover? Have you lost your mind? Do you forget whose money keeps your father alive? Youre my secretary. I wont have anyone meddling with that.
I looked at him and said softly, Im also your wife.
Quiet! he snapped, glancing around as if the walls might tattle. We agreed this stays private. Dont broadcast our arrangement. Well talk when youre coherent.
He shoved a pile of folders at me, papers fanning across the desk. Sort these. Rebook my meetings. And book my flight.
Where to? I asked, swallowing the tremor in my voice.
He smiled with contempt. London. With Brielle. Business.
My blood went cold. Why is Brielle going with you?
Shes a client, he said flatly. You set her up with me. Stop making this a drama. Did losing a baby make you stupid?
My jaw clenched. What kind of client needs the CEO to escort her overseas?
Without warning, his hand struck my face.
The slap was sharp, my cheek burning with humiliation. My body tightened, but I refused to cry.
What kind of secretary questions orders? he spat.
Before I could respond, Brielle entered, her heels clicking like a warning. Dont be too hard on Claire, she cooed in a saccharine voice. She just got out of hospital. Let me handle it.
She stooped to collect the strewn papers and handed them back with a practiced smile. Up close, she whispered into my ear with poisoned sweetness, You really still show up after everything? He never wanted you, Claire. He never did.
I did not give her the satisfaction of flinching.
Luther waved her closer. Enough. Let Claire work. Brielle, we need to finalize your rollout.
They linked arms, a picture of entitlement, and disappeared into his office.
As their footsteps faded, I heard the low hum of gossip two employees by the water cooler.
They make such a good pair, dont they? Luther and Brielle, one murmured.
Yeah, I always thought it was her. Maybe shes his secret wife, the other replied.
I bit my inner cheek until it bled pain, said nothing, and went back to my tasks.
I reorganized files. I booked his flights. I finished the reports as if nothing had splintered my life.
When I was finally ready to leave, I walked past his office again. The lights still glowed.
I assumed theyd gone.
Then I heard his voice through the cracked door casual, dangerous.
I suppose Ill just take care of her father, Luther said, as if discussing schedules. Once hes out of the way, shell be disposable.
I suppose the cleanest solution is to eliminate her father, Luther murmured, so casual it made my stomach turn. Once hes gone, getting rid of her will be simple.
Ice flooded my veins.
I stood rigid outside his office door, lungs frozen mid-breath. My hand tightened around my bag strap until the leather dug into my palm. I didnt move. I couldnt. Every instinct screamed at me to run but I was rooted there, absorbing his words like blows.
He wasnt bluffing. Or raging.
He meant it.
I thought I had already seen the deepest part of his cruelty. I was wrong.
He chuckled, dripping arrogance. Can you imagine? She really believed I saved her family. Me. He snorted. I destroyed everything they had.
My knees buckled, and I leaned against the wall to stay upright.
His voice dropped satisfied, proud. Our companies were competing. Then came the talk of merging everyone thought itd be a win for both sides. But she wasnt paying attention. Too busy playing princess instead of learning the business.
I remembered those days vague conversations about partnerships, a brief meeting with him at a charity gala. Something about him unsettled me even then, but my father always shielded me from corporate battles.
Until he couldnt.
Her father never suspected a thing, Luther continued. I engineered the investor withdrawal. The collapse. And when he ended up in that coma? I simply played the savior.
Brielle laughed softly beside him. And she clings to you like youre her only hope.
She used to be, he said. But I dont need her anymore. I own everything now their company, their reputation. Her fathers medical bills are leverage until the last investors sign off.
Brielles tone sharpened. And what about me, Luther? Why havent you divorced her? Our sons growing dont you want him to have a real father publicly?
He kissed her. I heard it. My stomach churned.
Be patient, he murmured. Once this deal closes, shes gone. I still need her name the investors believe in her family. But when the ink dries
He didnt finish. He didnt need to.
Their laughter followed grotesque, triumphant.
And just like that, whatever pain I had left evaporated. No tears. No rage. Just a hollow, quiet numbness.
Five years. My devotion. My silence. My vows. All for a lie.
I wasnt loved I was used. A pawn in his long-planned scheme.
I turned away and walked not trembling, not breaking. Empty.
Later that day, I sat beside my fathers hospital bed, my fingers around his still hand. His breaths were steady, peaceful, untouched by the chaos that ruined us.
Papa, I whispered, voice trembling but determined, I failed you. I shouldve listened in those meetings. I shouldve paid attention. Maybe I could have stopped him.
His chest rose and fell, steady, quiet.
I will fix this, I swore. Even if I have to burn everything down to do it.
My phone buzzed.
A message from Nikolai.
Everything is arranged for you and your father. Three days from now. You're mine now, Claire and I wont ever release you.
Nikolai. My university rival. Brilliant. Cold. Relentless. And the man I turned to in desperation a week ago the one who always said I would come to him one day.
And here I was.
When I returned home, it felt like stepping into a nightmare that hadnt finished unfolding.
Brielle was in the living room. And with her a toddler. A boy, barely three, happily running around as if he lived there. It wasnt the first time Id seen him; she had brought him before, saying, He belongs to a friend Im watching him.
And a year ago, Luther started having me shop for baby presents.
For a client, hed said. Her sons adorable.
I had believed him. I had trusted her.
How pitiful.
Brielle vanished overseas right after my wedding gone for months. Returned with a child. No explanation. I never asked.
Because I thought she was my friend.
But I had been purchasing gifts for her son. For their son.
My thoughts spiraled as the boy dashed past me, bumping into the altar in the center of the room.
My mothers urn tipped. Fell.
Shattered.
A raw scream tore out of me. What have you done?!
The child stared, startled then burst into frightened tears and ran.
Toward the staircase.
Wait stop!
I lunged too late. His foot slipped. He tumbled down the wooden steps, small body hitting rung after rung before collapsing at the bottom.
The house went silent.
I stared between the shattered urn my mothers remains and the child lying still on the floor, shock sealing my breath inside my chest.
Jaxon survived. That was the sentence the doctors kept repeatingHes alright. A few bruises. Nothing serious.
Yet nobody bothered to ask if I was alright. Because I wasnt.
Not when Luther barged into the room like a storm determined to tear apart whatever was left of me.
What kind of monster are you?! he roared, slamming the door so hard the walls shook. You shoved a child down the stairs?! Have you completely lost your mind?!
I didnt! I scrambled up from the chair, voice cracking. I swear, Luther, I never touched him! He knocked over my moms urnI panicked, I yelled, but he ran off! He slipped, I didnt lay a finger on him!
Oh, so this is his fault now? he sneered. Youre blaming a toddler?
I I didnt think I wouldnt hurt him. I just reacted. My voice trembled. That urn belonged to my mother. When it shattered, II just broke. But I never meant for him to get scared.
Luther gave a cold, ugly laugh. Her ashes? Thats what this tantrum is about? Wake up, Claireshes gone. Honestly, I shouldve thrown that dust out ages ago.
His words sliced deeper than any slap could.
His lip curled with disgust. You know what? You were never fit to be a mother anyway. Losing that baby? It was the universe doing everyone a favor.
My voice evaporated. My lungs forgot how to breathe. Dont say that. My child
That baby was never yours to have, he hissed. Youre worthless.
Before I could even process the pain, the door opened again.
Brielle walked in, all gentle grace and false sympathy. Dont be too hard on her, she cooed, brushing his shoulder. Jaxons fine now. And she is your wife. She didnt mean it.
My wife? Luther scoffed, shaking her hand off. Marrying her was a mistake. I shouldve chosen you instead. But fineshe can still be useful. He turned back to me, eyes cold. If you dont want your daddys machines turned off, behave.
My hands trembled uncontrollably. I could barely swallow. Barely breathe.
Say sorry, he demanded.
I blinked. To Brielle?
Yes. His voice was iron. And get on your knees.
I
Do it.
To protect my father, I sank to the floor.
Brielle knelt too, face serene until she leaned close enough that only I could hear.
You disgusting, jealous coward, she whispered, a venomous smile stretching her lips. You hurt my son, and now look at you. Just like your motherpitiful and useless.
My body stiffened. Before I could react, she shoved me hard in the chest.
I had been standing near the top of the stairs.
My foot slipped first. Then my balance vanished. My hand shot toward the railingbut she was faster. She pushed again, both palms slamming into me.
Fall, Brielle shrieked, her voice raw, almost gleeful. Fall and die for touching my child!
The stairs met me brutallysharp edge after sharp edge slamming into my back, my ribs, my shoulders. My scream tore through the hallway as pain exploded everywhere.
The final hit was my head against the last step.
Then, nothing.
When awareness returned, it came with the rhythmic beep of hospital monitors.
Harsh lights. White ceiling. A throbbing ache crawling up my leg.
A nurse entered. Mrs. Velencia, you suffered a fall. Your ankle is fractured. Youll need a few weeks.
I stared blankly. I want to leave today.
You shouldnt. We can notify your family
I have none, I replied, hollow. Ill discharge myself tomorrow.
She tried to convince me otherwise, but I was already gone inside.
Morning arrived. I hobbled down the hallway on crutches, pain biting with every stepbut determination sharper than any wound.
A small laugh broke the silence. Instinct made me turn.
Jaxon.
He darted straight into Luthers arms, giggling, Daddy!
Luther lifted him easily, smiling as though he were the father of the year.
Brielle stood beside them, smug satisfaction all over her face.
I watched silently. Invisible. Replaced. Already erased from their worlds.
That evening, I sat beside the window of a cheap inn. The city lights flickered outside. My suitcase sat at my feet. A folder of documents rested on my lap.
My phone buzzed a message from my lawyer:
Divorce papers served. Only his signature left.
I had no idea what to expect when I pulled up to the Velencia estate. I certainly didnt expect a scene that looked like a construction site.
Hammers rang, painters moved ladders, and furniture was being dragged through the halls. The whole place reeked of fresh paint and sawdust. Boxes were stacked by the foyer my boxes. My things tossed out like refuse.
Whats this? I asked, my voice steady because I had nothing left to give in the way of surprise.
Luther was at the top of the staircase, sleeves rolled up as if hed been doing manual labor all morning, looking every bit the domestic patriarch hed pretended to become. Calm, casualdangerous.
Were turning your room into a nursery, he said, matter-of-fact. Jaxon needs the space. He and Brielle will be staying here for now.
My chest tightened. You cant be serious.
He came down the stairs slowly, the kind of slow that meant this was settled and final. Frankly, this mess is on you. You scared Jaxon. So youll make room for him. Be grateful Brielle didnt press charges after what happened.
A hundred things wanted to burst from me fury, pleading, raw shame but I swallowed them and forced a quieter response. Id learned by then that he fed on spectacle. I wouldnt give him that.
I need you to sign this, I said, producing a folder Id brought with me. It was the only armor I had in front of witnesses.
He raised a brow. Now? I dont do business at home.
Its for tomorrows investor meeting, I said, keeping my voice level. Its urgent.
He flipped through the pages without reading them, shoved his signature down with a careless pen stroke, and then leveled me with a threat. Make sure this works. Or Ill cut off your fathers treatment.
I kept my face blank. He had no idea my father was already being moved discreetly, under Nikolais arrangements to a hospital where Luthers leverage wouldnt reach.
At that moment, Brielle appeared from the kitchen carrying grocery bags, chirpy and domestic. BabeLutherI grabbed everything. Jaxons favorites and yours too!
Luther glanced at me. Cook. For us. For Jaxon.
But the reports I started.
I dont care, he snapped. You owe him. Youll be Jaxons nanny. Thats your job here now.
This house stopped being a home at that sentence. It became a cell, all the more humiliating because they decorated it with my humiliation.
I shuffled to the kitchen, numbed, and began chopping vegetables without thought. Thats when a grainy sting ripped across my face like salt thrown directly into my eyes. I staggered back, tears and salt stinging.
Get out! You dont belong here, you bitch! Jaxon screamed from behind me.
Shock made my reply sharp. Jaxon
Then I heard Brielles laugh, dripping with triumph as she leaned against the counter. See? Even our child cant stand you. When are you finally leaving?
I didnt give her the moment she wanted. I wiped my face and murmured instead, Soon. Youll never have to see me again.
Oh, good, she said cheerfully. By the way, I donated the rest of your stuff. I couldnt stand it in my house. Most of its already gone burned.
There it was. No pretense. No feigned sympathy. She said it plainly, as if admitting to vandalism was an ordinary household chore.
My mind stuttered back to nights when I sobbed into the phone about Luthers coldness and shed been my comfort. How foolish Id been to call her while she was taking what I wanted most.
I demanded, voice raw, My things?
She nodded, impassive. Check if you want. Might still be warm.
I ran out the back door to the yard where a metal bin billowed smoke. I choked as I drew close.
My clothes, diaries, framed photos everything Id left behind curled and blackened in the flames. At the center of the pile, half-melted and ruined, lay the heirloom necklace my mother had given me: its clasp warped, the sapphire splintered to glittering dust.
I fell to my knees. That pendant had been the last tangible piece of her. The last thing that smelled like my mother, that felt like her hand.
Brielle had destroyed it without a second thought.
When I rose, my breath ragged, I walked back into the house. Brielle and Luther were laughing mid-conversation. She turned, all perfect, patronizing smile fixed.
But before she could lace her next barb with honey
I slapped her.
The slap I gave Brielle cracked through the air like lightning splitting a storm.
She didnt hesitate. Her hand flew back at me, stinging across my cheek, and suddenly we were grabbing, shoving, clawing years of betrayal and humiliation erupting all at once into chaos.
You dont deserve a single thing in this world! she spat, nails scraping at my forearm.
I pushed her away hard. And youre about to get exactly what you earned.
Heavy footsteps thundered down the stairs.
What is happening in here?! Luther shouted, eyes wild.
Before I could even open my mouth, Brielle spun toward him, tears appearing out of nowhere as she stumbled dramatically into his arms.
She attacked me! she wailed, voice trembling like shed practiced it. I tried being kind, I tried helping her adjust, and she just she hates me and Jaxon
Thats a lie! I yelled, rage burning up my throat.
It didnt matter.
Luthers stare turned venomous instantly. You put hands on her again? After all shes been through?!
He didnt wait for an answer. His hand struck my face once. Then again. My jaw snapped sideways with the force, but I remained standing I wouldnt give him tears again.
Youre finished, he hissed. Go to your room. Lock yourself in and finish every detail for tomorrows investment pitch. If you screw this up, your father dies. Simple.
They dragged me upstairs and locked the door the click sharp, familiar, final.
But this time, I didnt collapse. I didnt crumble.
Instead, I opened my laptop, pulled out the flash drive, and reviewed the documents calmly. Then I typed a message with steady fingers.
Nikolai,
Enclosed are the investor files. Take them. Let him lose everything. He doesnt deserve this company I built half of it anyway.
His response came seconds later.
Always. Anything for you. See you tomorrow.
Hours passed before the door opened again. Brielle leaned casually against the frame, arms crossed.
Oh good, youre still up, she said, bored. Luther says you can come out. But dont think its freedom.
I didnt budge. Didnt speak.
A blur rushed past her Jaxon. He was holding a juice box and a sandwich, both smeared with sticky fingerprints.
Say hi, Brielle chirped sweetly. Your nanny is waiting.
Before I could react, Jaxon hurled the sandwich straight into my chest. Ketchup smeared across my blouse like blood.
Youre evil! he shrieked. I hate you!
I blinked rapidly, swallowing the pain rising like smoke in my lungs.
Brielle gave a little shrug. Kids are honest. Anyway I need to review strategy with Luther. You watch him. Thats all youre good for now.
And with a final satisfied smirk, she vanished, laughter trailing after her like perfume.
That night, I stayed with their child the child she weaponized against me and waited for dawn with a quiet that unnerved even me.
Morning arrived like a blade.
Luther strutted out in a tailored charcoal suit, sharp and smug. Everything prepared?
Yes, I said, handing him the flash drive. Your talking points and the presentation files are loaded.
He snatched it. Brielle and I are leaving first. Follow in the second car. The investors need perfection today dont ruin it.
Understood, I replied, lips curling into something that only resembled a smile.
As soon as they were gone, I walked upstairs not to pack, not to cry but to breathe freely for the first time in years.
---
Third-person POV
Luther adjusted his cufflinks, confident, electric. Today would solidify his future.
Until he plugged in the flash drive.
Instead of graphs, color palettes, and projections the speakers burst alive with breathy moans.
His.
Brielles.
Bodies tangled on a hotel bed.
Dates visible.
Angles undeniable.
Sir? a staff member peeked into the conference room, horrified. We tried the backup file its empty. Completely wiped.
Another assistant rushed in, pale. The investors they left. They said they wont associate with Velencia Group anymore.
Luthers jaw flexed so hard a vein pulsed. Get Claire on the phone. Now.
Calls. Texts. Panic.
Where are you? What did you do? Get back here immediately.
No reply.
Instead an envelope delivered to his hands. Black. Elegant. Deadly.
Inside lay her resignation. And beneath it divorce papers, already signed.
He roared, overturning the conference table, sending papers and laptops crashing.
Find her! NOW! Check the gates! Call the drivers! MOVE!
Minutes later, the butler returned, voice trembling.
Shes gone, sir. She left the property hours ago.
Luthers eyes turned feral. Cut off her fathers treatment. Let her crawl back to beg.
Another call came immediately from the hospital.
We cant. A special medical team collected him with legal authorization last night. He has a new sponsor. You no longer have access.
His world began collapsing violently, loudly, piece by piece.
And then Brielle burst through the doors, breathless, terrified.
Luther! she screamed, eyes wide with real panic for once. Jaxonhes gone! Our son is gone!
Luther! Brielles voice cracked like glass, echoing through the boardroom. She stumbled in, her eyes wild, her phone clutched in her trembling hands. Lutherhes gone! Jaxons missing!
Luther turned to her slowly, his face blank. His lips parted but no sound came out. The words just bounced around in his skullgone, missing, gonebut his mind couldnt hold them. Couldnt accept them.
Brielle grabbed his arms, shaking him. Say something! Do something! Hes GONE!
Luthers jaw clenched, but his eyes drifted to the laptop on the table. The one that shouldve held the investor presentation that would have secured everything. Instead, the frozen video thumbnail showed his worst secret on full display: his tangled body with Brielles, their moans echoing back at him from the laptops tiny speakers.
Brielle followed his gaze, her breath catching. She leaned over, hit the spacebarand there it was. Their scandal in high definition.
What the hell is this?! she shrieked, backing away from the table like it was on fire. Did shedid Claire send this?!
How the hell should I know?! Luther roared back, finally finding his voice. Did YOU give it to her?!
Of course not! Brielle shot back, eyes flashing. She lied as she used to provoke her, but she would never admit that now everythings in chaos. Why would I
Because youre reckless! Youre the one who made us record it! You think this is my fault?
Brielles face crumpled. She shoved him. Your fault?! Youre the one who married her in the first place! You said she was harmlessuseless and you would dispose of her for me!
But you were supposed to handle her! Make her stay in line! She is your best friend! Luther shoved her back, his voice rising. All you had to do was keep her quiet, comfort her and tell her things when were fighting so she would shut up, and you couldnt even do that! Now look at this messshes gone, my companys ruined, the investors walked, our scandal is everywhere
And our SON is missing! Brielle screamed, voice raw. What about Jaxon?! She took himshe took everything! Where is she?! She needs to be punishedshe needs to pay for this!
Their screams clashed against the boardrooms glass walls, bouncing back at them like an accusation neither could escape.
But before they could rip into each other again, the heavy double doors swung open.
An older man stepped inside, supported by a cane but moving with the force of a hurricane. His suit was immaculate, but his eyes were like knives.
Luther Velencia, the old man growledhis grandfather. You think you can hide this from me? A divorce, and a scandal?
Luthers back stiffened. Grandfather
The old man didnt let him finish. His cane swung, cracking across Luthers jaw with a force that snapped his head sideways.
Brielle gasped. Then the grandfathers hand shot out, slapping Brielle so hard she stumbled into the table.
You, he hissed at her. You dared to do this? To this family? To Clairewho stood by us when you wouldnt? She was good to us. To ME. And you? You call yourself her best friend?
Brielles lip trembled. II didnt mean to
I dont care! I know the truth now, Luther! You were the reason why their company got scammed!
Luthers eyes widened, Nolet me explain.
There is no explanation now! I had given you the company thinking you will continue my legacy but you dare harm one to get on top! He punched him again and Luthers mind was blank from everything he had learned.
Stop. Thats not the case now! Brielle shrieked suddenly, voice breaking. Pleaseour son, your grandson is missing! We need your help!
I dont care. His tone sliced the air clean. Youve both disgraced this family. Youve lost the company millions. You let your filth get recordedbroadcast to the world. And you hurt the only decent person in this house. Both of youout.
Luthers eyes widened, his voice shaking. No. You cant. Im your heir. You cant fire me
Of course I can, his grandfather snapped. He gestured to the security guards standing just outside the door. Drag them out. I dont want to see either of you in this office again.
Two guards stepped forward. Brielle broke first, shrieking curses that dissolved into choked sobs. This wasnt supposed to happen! Claire was nothingshe was NOTHING!
Luthers face twisted. He wrenched himself free from one guards grip and rounded on her. Shut up! This is your fault too! If youd kept your legs shut, we wouldnt
Oh, so its my fault you couldnt keep your zipper up?! Brielle snapped back, her mascara smearing as tears streamed down her cheeks. You said you loved me! You said once Claire was gone
Shut up! Luther bellowed. Why dont you do something useful and call the police instead of running your damn mouth?!
They were dragged through the lobby, their screams and insults trailing behind like a funeral procession for everything theyd built on lies.
Outside, Brielles hysteria reached a fever pitch. She paced in circles on the sidewalk, calling Jaxons name like he might appear out of thin air.
Luthers phone was glued to his ear, his other hand fisting his hair. He called Claire once. Twice. Ten times. Straight to voicemail every time.
He cursed, red-faced, and punched in another numberhis divorce lawyer.
Find her! Find that BITCH and my son! he barked into the phone. Shes taken himshes kidnapping
The lawyer cut him off sharply. Youre no longer her husband, Mr. Velencia.
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