"Babe, Felicia's been examined and watched overnight. Nothing serious."
"I asked the doctor. Your leg isn't badly hurt. Rest and it'll heal on its own."
When he finished, Burton reached out to ruffle our son's hair, the way he always had.
But the boy slipped quietly out from under his palm, putting distance between them without a single word.
Burton froze, and something between embarrassment and anger flickered across his face.
I held his gaze and repeated it, cold and even.
"Burton, we built that company together. Part of it is mine."
"The house and the car, we split down the middle, fifty-fifty."
"Everything you bought for Gabriella and her daughter gets converted to cash. I want—"
His expression went darker and darker, until he couldn't stand it and slammed his fist down on the foot of the bed.
"Money! Money! Money! Laurel, is there anything in your eyes besides money?"
"What right do you have to talk to me about divorce? Without me, you're nothing."
"Gabriella's gentler than you, more reasonable than you. She never forces me to do things I don't want to do. And you? Have you ever once thought about how I feel?"
"Laurel, I won't divorce you. And as for money, beyond enough to live on, don't expect a single cent."
Burton's sudden outburst startled our son, who shrank back and burrowed into my arms.
I looked at this man I'd loved for over a decade, and all of a sudden it struck me as absurd.
When he loved me, he was willing to give me everything he had.
When he didn't, cruel words and fighting over money became the everyday.
I nodded calmly.
"Fine. You said it yourself."
Burton stormed out of the room, seething, without sparing us so much as a glance.
I held my son tighter, my face setting harder.
That evening, a news story shot to the top of the trending list.
When the alert came through, Burton was having dinner with Gabriella and her daughter.
His phone buzzed wildly, and he assumed it was a message from me, asking to make peace. A faint flicker of pleasure crossed his mind.
But once he saw what it actually said, Burton's eyes went wide with shock and his face drained of color.
