Lavinia curled her lip in disgust. "All that jewelry was stuff that frumpy wife of yours wore. Just looking at it makes my skin crawl. Gold prices have been through the roof lately, so I figured I'd just sell it all off."
Derek sighed. "Forget selling it. Take it to a jeweler tomorrow and have it melted down. Get it recast into new pieces as fast as you can."
He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've had this nagging feeling something's off. Lucy might already be getting suspicious. If we get rid of those pieces fast enough, there won't be any evidence left, and I can keep stringing her along."
Lavinia's expression soured. She let out an irritated huff. "I've been with you for six months now. I'm pregnant, Derek. When are you going to make this official?"
"You promised me. You said the moment I got pregnant, you'd divorce her."
"So when are you going to tell her? Because I'm done sneaking around like some dirty little secret. And I will not let my child be born in the shadows. I don't care what it takes. My baby is not going to be whispered about as someone's illegitimate child."
Her voice turned sharp as a blade. "If you don't divorce her soon, I'm walking into a clinic and ending this pregnancy."
Derek grabbed her, pulling her into his arms. A strained smile tugged at his mouth. "Baby, calm down. Just take it easy."
"I'm going to divorce Lucy. I swear. Just give me a little more time."
He loosened his hold, his tone turning calculating. "When Lucy married me, I had nothing. Not a dime to my name. So we never signed a prenup. If I file for divorce now, she's legally entitled to at least half of everything."
"I've already consulted with several lawyers. I've started transferring assets through legal channels, spreading things around so they're harder to trace. Once enough of the money is moved, I'll bring up the divorce."
Seeing how worked up he was, Lavinia finally looked satisfied. "Four months. That's all you get. After that, I'll be showing, and if people find out I'm pregnant and unmarried, I'll never live it down."
"Four months, Derek. If you haven't divorced her by then, I will go to that clinic."
She pressed her advantage, her voice softening just enough to sting. "You and Lucy have been married three years, and she hasn't given you a single child. I'm not like her. I can give the Lawson family an heir. Your parents, God rest their souls, wouldn't want the family line to end with you."
Derek nodded hard, swearing up and down that he'd divorce me within four months.
Right then, the doorbell rang.
Lavinia frowned. "Who the hell would be coming here at this hour?"
Derek waved it off with a casual smile. "Probably building management."
"It's Valentine's Day, remember? I heard this complex has great property management. They send little gifts to residents on every holiday. I bet they're dropping off chocolates or something."
He stood up and went to open the door.
The moment it swung open, the smile on his face froze solid. His pupils shrank to pinpoints.
Lavinia's complexion drained of color. The words tore out of her before she could stop them. "You? How did you find this place?"
