The heavy oak door swung open. Bronson walked in, a relaxed, confident smile on his face.
He walked straight toward the sofa, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek.
Eloise jerked her head away.
Bronson's lips met empty air. His jaw clenched for a fraction of a second, but he quickly smoothed his expression. He stood up, his eyes landing on the silver-ribboned box on his desk.
He let out a soft, patronizing chuckle. "Are you reading those ridiculous fertility guides again, Eloise? I told you to stop stressing yourself out."
Eloise stood up. Her legs were shaking, but she locked her knees. She stared directly into his dark eyes.
"Joni Blake," she said. Her voice was a dead, hollow sound.
Bronson's smile vanished. The temperature in the room dropped to freezing.
His eyes darted to the bottom drawer of his desk, then back to her. The mask of the perfect husband shattered, replaced by cold, calculating machinery.
He took a step toward her, reaching for her shoulders. "Eloise, listen to me. I did this for you."
She slapped his hands away with a vicious strike. "Don't touch me!" Tears finally spilled over her cheeks. "You lied to me! You bought a woman to carry your child behind my back!"
Bronson's voice rose, echoing off the walls. "Your body is too weak! The doctors said IVF could ruin your health. I am protecting you! It's our genetic material, Eloise. I didn't touch her. I solved the problem."
"You stripped me of my right to know!" Eloise screamed, her chest heaving. "You played God with our marriage!"
Bronson adjusted his watch, his posture rigid with arrogance. "I spared you the pain of another failure."
Eloise wiped her face, her breathing ragged. "If I tell you to terminate that contract right now. Will you do it?"
Bronson stared at her. The silence stretched, thick and suffocating.
"No," he said coldly. "The contract is legally binding. And the fetus is healthy."
The fetus is healthy.
The words were a physical blade twisting into her chest. She looked down at her own flat stomach. She had a healthy fetus inside her, too. But looking at the monster standing in front of her, she realized he didn't want a child out of love. He wanted a blood tie to lock her in his cage forever.
She swallowed the truth of her pregnancy, burying it deep.
Eloise took a deep breath, her spine straightening. "I want a divorce."
Bronson let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "You're having a tantrum, Eloise. You'll calm down."
Eloise didn't argue. She raised her left hand. She gripped the massive pink diamond ring on her ring finger and pulled it off.
She slammed the ring down onto the mahogany desk. It landed with a heavy, final thud, sounding like a judge's gavel striking the block to condemn their marriage to death.
Bronson's face turned violently pale. His eyes darkened to pitch black. "If you walk out that door, Eloise, don't expect to come crawling back easily."
Eloise turned her back on him. She grabbed her purse and walked out the door, ignoring Alex Cole's terrified stare in the hallway.
She stepped into the elevator.
Inside the study, Bronson walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. He watched the street below until he saw her figure emerge from the building. He picked up his desk phone and hit a speed-dial button.
"Alex," Bronson said, his voice dripping with venom. "It's time to teach my wife how the real world works."
