Chapter Two

Rosalie's POV

Once I'd made up my mind to leave, I actually felt lighter.

So when Tessa's Instagram post showed up on my feed, I didn't even flinch.

The photo was taken at an upscale restaurant. Candlelight, red wine, and a man's shirt cuff just visible across the table.

The cufflink on it was the birthday present I'd given Silas last year.

The caption read: Work for the right boss, and even overtime feels sweet.

I took a screenshot and saved it, then hit like while I was at it.

Less than two minutes later, Silas texted me. When it came to Tessa, he never kept anyone waiting.

"She's been doing great work lately, so I took her to dinner. Don't make it into something. People will talk."

Another text came right after, like someone next to him had given him a nudge.

"You already liked it, so don't unlike it. If you do, people will think she did something shady."

"Go leave her a nice comment. Call it a thank-you from both of us."

I wasn't going to bother answering him.

But after staring at that candlelight for a while, I just couldn't let it go. I opened the comment box anyway.

"Nobody's fairer than Tessa. She handles the Donna's requests exactly like a dockworker's expense reports. One approval form and she's got you right where she wants you. Keep up the good work."

"After all, every penny you save the Don now is going to be joint property for you two someday. You've got this."

Once it was posted, I tossed my phone facedown on the bed and started packing.

It kept buzzing against the comforter, so I just put it on silent.

There was hardly anything to take. Anything worth money was locked in the closet and the safe.

All I could get to was that old denim jacket, a few worn-out T-shirts, and a photo of Mom from my nightstand.

Five years in this house, and in the end it all fit in one duffel bag.

I'd only ever been a guest here. It just took me until today to see it.

I'd just zipped the bag shut when I heard a car brake hard out front.

Silas pushed the door open. He still had his coat on, and he looked furious.

His eyes passed right over the duffel bag by the bed like it wasn't even there.

"I called you like a dozen times. Didn't you see?"

"I saw. I didn't feel like picking up."

He frowned at me like I'd said something ridiculous. "I already explained. She's been doing well, so I took her to dinner."

"The old guard already hates having a woman working right next to me. After that comment, who's going to listen to her now?"

I couldn't help laughing. "Guess not everyone's blind. Somebody out there knows what she's really like."

"Besides, she's your assistant, not mine. Whether she makes it in the family isn't my problem."

Silas's face darkened.

"Rosalie, when did you get like this? All you do is nitpick."

"You know how hard it is for a woman to make it in the Crane family. If you hadn't pulled that stunt at the family meeting, those guys wouldn't be breathing down her neck."

He rubbed his temples, clearly fed up.

"You don't want to work, and I've never said a word about it. I can afford to take care of you, and I want you to have a good life. But not every woman is as small-minded and petty as you."

"Say one more bad word about her, and you'd better think about your mother."

I finally laughed out loud. But the more I laughed, the tighter my throat got.

I unzipped the duffel bag right in front of him. "A good life? Take a look. This is the good life you gave me."

"I'm leaving, and this is everything that fits in this bag. I need your assistant's approval just to get a haircut. The maids here make more in a month than your Donna does!"

I dragged him by the arm to the closet and pointed at the keypad beside the door.

"Do you even know how to open this thing? Code first, then the keycard. Your family's books aren't locked up this tight!"

"Go ask around. What Don's wife has to beg her husband's assistant just to get by?"

Silas looked at me, nothing but confusion on his face.

"That's what this is about?"

"So you're jealous of Tessa, and that's why you embarrassed her at the family meeting?"

In that moment, the last bit of warmth I had left for him went cold.

Everything I'd said had been a waste of breath. If he'd thought for even a second that any of this was wrong, it wouldn't have hurt this much.

But all these years, every time Tessa made a new rule, he nodded along.

In the end, everything had to get past her first. What I wore, what I ate, where I went, who I saw.

I looked down. I didn't want to fight anymore. "Forget it. Think whatever you want."

"The papers are still on your desk. Sign them. I want a divorce."