I remembered every dinner where he let his father tear me apart.
I remembered the tiny shoes upstairs in our hotel suite, wrapped in silver paper, waiting for a father who didn’t deserve them.
“You wanted me powerless,” I said. “So you built your crimes around my name. That was your mistake.”
Ms. Chen handed him a document.
He stared at it, confused. “What is this?”
“My divorce petition,” I said. “Emergency protective order. Asset freeze request. Full custody notice once the child is born. And a civil suit for damages.”
His voice cracked. “You can’t take my child.”
I touched my stomach. “You slapped this child’s mother in a room full of witnesses.”
That finally broke him.
Adrian turned to the guests. “Someone say something!”
No one did.
Their silence had once belonged to him.
Now it belonged to me.
Richard was handcuffed first. His face flushed with rage as cameras captured every moment. The great Richard Vale, king of concrete and corruption, led past the anniversary cake with gold frosting and five white candles.
Adrian followed moments later, resisting just enough to seem pitiful.
As he passed me, he whispered, “You’ll regret this.”
I leaned close enough for only him to hear.
“I regretted you for years.”
Then I stepped away.
