Chapter 2

Katherine's POV

The evening wind seemed to stop. Hailey gave me a tight hug, and shoved me into the passenger seat of her Porsche.

The roar of the engine drowned out the noise from the backyard.

At 8 PM, inside the VIP fitting room of a luxury boutique in Marvis City, Hailey handed me a glass of champagne.

"Are you sure about this, Katherine? Adrian could never imagine you’d be the one to walk away first."

The woman in the mirror was wearing a haute couture jacket I had saved up for eight years but never dared to buy. Broad shoulders, sharp lines. I finally looked alive.

"Of course he couldn't. To him, I’m just an unpaid, on-call maid who never talks back."

While he climbed the corporate ladder, he pushed me down inch by inch at home. He told me I was too out of touch with society, that my designs were just scribbles wasting good fabric. He said it so much I actually believed it, hiding in the basement modifying drafts that would never see the light of day.

He never wanted me to improve; he wanted to break me. He was waiting for me to crack and leave first so he could play the devoted family man dragged down by a crazy wife. He’d keep his reputation, the house, and his career.

In the ER this afternoon, the son I carried for nine months looked at me with those exact same eyes.

That single look cleanly severed whatever lingering attachment I had left.

"I’ll take this jacket, and the silk maxi dress."

I handed over my card and walked out.

At 11:30 PM, I pushed open my front door. The party mess in the yard had been cleaned up. Madison was long gone.

Adrian was sitting on the couch, jacket tossed aside, tie loosened.

"Where the hell have you been, Katherine?"

He glared at the shopping bags in my hands, his face darkening.

"The party just ended. Instead of staying to clean up, you went out to spend my money?"

I tossed my car keys onto the table.

"Your precious secretary threw this party from start to finish. She almost killed your son with a peanut butter cake."

Adrian panicked, tugging at his collar, immediately adopting the tone he used to lecture subordinates.

"Could you stop being so selfish? Madison had no idea Lucas was allergic."

He marched up to me.

"Lucas was perfectly fine with her when I got back. I'm starting to think you staged that whole scene at the party just to steal some attention."

I stared at the man I had slept next to for eight years. It was laughable.

"Since you both think she's so flawless, you can have each other."

I stepped past him, heels clicking toward the stairs.

"As of today, my shift as your free, 24/7 maid is over."

He froze, then let out a cold laugh.

"You quit? Look at yourself. You dress like a slob. No wonder Lucas is embarrassed by you. If I were him, I'd prefer someone glamorous like Madison, too."

I didn't say a word. I just walked into his study.

"What are you doing in my study?" His voice pitched up in panic as he chased after me.

I pulled open the bottom drawer of his expensive mahogany desk and yanked out the thick manila envelope he thought he had hidden perfectly. I let the documents fan out, landing on the last page. My signature was already on it.

"I signed it, Adrian."

He stared at the divorce papers he had premeditated, his Adam's apple bobbing, breathing heavily. He had a lawyer draft this up. I bet he never thought I'd actually read it.

"City Hall. 9 AM tomorrow."

That night, for the first time in eight years, I didn't wake up at 2 AM to check on Lucas's cough, nor did I care about the slamming of the master bedroom door.

The next day, I woke up naturally. I took a long, hot shower and moisturized meticulously. Dressed in last night's haute couture with full makeup on, the genius designer I used to be finally reappeared in the mirror.

At 10:30 AM, we walked out of City Hall's glass doors.

The sun was blinding. Adrian trailed slightly behind me, his eyes darting uncomfortably toward the sharp cut of my skirt and my straight posture.

He cleared his throat, putting back on his patronizing tone.

"Listen, Katherine. Since you don't have a job or anywhere to go, you can keep living in the house for now."

He paused, as if waiting for me to thank him.

"You’ll still do all the chores, and I won't charge you rent."

Before I could even laugh, the phone in his pocket started vibrating uncontrollably.

It was Lucas.

He answered, getting ready to use his gentle "father of the year" voice.

"Dad!"

The eight-year-old was sobbing hysterically. I could hear chaos through the speaker, the heavy thud of things hitting the floor.

"The movers are here! They said you and I have to be completely moved out by 5 PM today!"