The ink on the divorce documents had barely dried when Ethan Carter let out a cold laugh and casually slid a black Amex card across the polished mahogany table.

“Take it, Emily. It should be enough to cover a cheap place for a month. Consider it compensation for two years of wasted time.”

From the corner, his girlfriend Vanessa let out a quiet giggle, already imagining how she would redesign Ethan’s penthouse.

To them, Emily was nothing—someone with no future and nowhere to go.

They assumed she was weak.

They completely ignored the man in the charcoal suit seated quietly at the back of the room.

They had no idea he was Alexander Reed—the building’s owner… and Emily’s father.

And they certainly didn’t realize that signing those papers had just cost Ethan everything .

The conference room at Harrison & Cole carried the scent of leather, stale coffee, and finality. Rain streaked the tall windows overlooking the city.

Emily sat calmly on one side of the table, hands resting in her lap. She wore a simple cream sweater, no jewelry—her wedding ring had been gone for days.

Across from her sat Ethan.

Impeccable suit. Luxury watch. A confident smile that felt almost cruel.

“Let’s not drag this out,” he said, sliding the documents toward her. “We both know this marriage is over.”

“Over…” Emily repeated softly, her eyes falling on the title: Dissolution of Marriage.

“Don’t play the victim,” he added. “You were a waitress when I met you. I gave you a better life.”

He leaned back with a smirk.

“But you never fit in. You don’t know how to dress, how to speak to investors… you’re just…”

He paused, shrugging.

“Forgettable.”

Vanessa didn’t even look up from her phone.

“She really is. And those meals she cooked? Embarrassing.”

Ethan laughed.w