Chapter 6

WREN.

For a moment, time seemed to stop between us. Images and conversations blurred into muffled sounds and undecipherable shapes but what remained clear was Denzel, his gaze still on me. A familiar burn shifted low in my spine, throbbing me ravenously.

I navigated through the people, nodding with a disarming smile on my face in response to their greetings, striding to the empty space outside the hall.

"Wren." His cold voice hung in the cold space, of course, he'd followed me. Such a persistent son of a bitch.

I stared at the railings."No." I deadpanned.

He stepped closer, my nose caught his rich masculine scent that did nothing but gut my insides.

He scoffed dryly,."I haven't even said anything."

"If you're here for a conversation or you want us to talk about what happened there–" I paused between my words, my throat choked with constriction."No." I heaved out.

His jaw clenched. "You shouldn't let Abigail treat you like that,Wren."

A dissonant laugh choked out of me, frayed with tears that I'd intended to suppress."This must be a fucking joke."

"Wren–"

I marched towards him defiantly, ignoring the sick feeling roiling through my chest, that I let Denzel see me in such a vulnerable state again after years.

"You must be out of your goddamned mind if you think I'm going to let you lecture me about my marriage."

"This is not a fucking lecture, Wren." Denzel growled, and cut towards me closely as well, his face contorted with frustration."She didn't have the right to call you a broken woman,you're–"

"That I'm not a broken woman who still has her dignity?"

He frowned at my self-deprecating words."You threw that dignity the moment you told me to walk away."

My lips wobbled as his steely eyes fixated on me the way they did when he shoved me out of his life like I meant nothing."And I did, in fact, I ran, as fast as my legs could carry me."

His eyes glinted and his shoulders, squared with arrogance, shrank a little, staring at me like I'd pressed on a nerve.

"This is me telling you to do the same, Denzel."

"You know I have a reputation of doing the opposite." He cut in sarcastically,masking the subtle blankness on his face earlier with a lopsided smirk.

"Asshole." I spat, storming out of the room.

"Divorce him." His deep timbre voice cracked through again, stilling my steps, I swiveled my head above my shoulder, gaping at him in shock for a moment, contemplating the answer that would wipe that annoying smug off his face.

"Sure." I shrugged noncommittally, pivoting towards the entrance."Guess the years of your lackeys cowering to your orders made you lose touch with reality."

Denzel huffed in frustration."Wren,I–

"What are you doing here?" Abigail's voice cut through the entrance, pulling my body aside so she could enter. "There are guests I want– oh, Mr. Denzel." She stammered at Denzel's frame leaning on the pillar. I almost laughed at her clumsiness, it was so nice to see someone as rude as Abigail shrink to a quivering mess to a man enough to be her son.

"Mrs. Abigail." He grunted coldly, pivoting towards the door, his gaze never leaving me until he walked out completely.

Abigail turned to me with a glare."What are you doing with him?"

I shrugged again, not having the energy to banter words with her.

"You think getting in bed with my son gave you enough morale to pursue other elite men?" She scoffed.

"The fact that you think James is elite enough to tie someone like Denzel Thorne's shoelace is so amusing, Abigail."

Heat flared in her face at my insulting words, Her features tightened. In one swift move, she dragged me by my wrist tightly into the hall and wove through the guests to where our car was parked.

Abigail's voice cracked with sourness."Enough party for tonight, we're going home."

I huffed in annoyance."Works for me."

The ride to our residence was dead silent, punctuated by Abigail's constant profanities and labored breathing which barely had an effect on me.

Getting home, Abigail lunged in anger towards the living room, her shoes clicking heavily behind her.

James opened the door for her with a surprised look on his face as if he had been caught with drugs.

He laughed nervously at his mother."I didn't expect you to be back so soon."

"Well, give Wren the credit for ruining the fun of the party for me with that cheap dress and flirting with another man."

Shock rattled my bones and I stared at her in amusement."I didn't flirt with any man,It was–"

Disbelief slashed James's feature as he gaped at me, his face stricken with jealousy."Who's the person we're talking about?"

Abigail laughed mirthlessly as she settled down on the couch."Denzel Thorne, her shame never seems to be limiting."

"Is this your way of getting back at me for thinking that I'm cheating on you?" James shot at me, hurt pinched his expression.

I shook my head in disagreement. If this was how I was going to get tossed out of this family, I wouldn't let them shatter the little dignity I'd held on to by tagging me as a cheating wife."Getting back at you? You must be out of–"

"Keep on with this charade, Wren, and watch me thwart the dream of continuing the foundation Grandpa Arthur left for you."

Her threats stilled the words in my mouth immediately, a whimper of fear lodged in my throat."You won't do that, Abigail, that's the only thing he left for me."

Her face shifted into a satisfied grin, a sign that she already had me by my throat, the nerve of this traitorous woman."Like I said, watch me do that."

"And we both know no sane investor would want to put their money into that ruined plans of yours." James chipped in, his lips thinned with condescension.

Annoyance flared my guts, my heart clenched in anger because ruined was the last thing to describe the plans me and Grandpa Arthur had for the foundation before he died."That legacy of his wouldn't have shut down in the first place if not for your scandalous way of living." I shot back at him angrily.

"Don't tell me you're still hung up on the fact that we had to sacrifice your little dream for my son?" Abigail teased.

A hysterical laugh jolted out of me at their unforgiving boldness."You didn't sacrifice my dreams for your son, you don't get to do that." I shook my head, angling towards her.

"And watch me revive the foundation, even if it is at the expense of the Davis dignity."