The bathroom door swung open.
Blaine walked out with a bath towel hanging loosely around his waist, leaving little to the imagination.
Fresh droplets traced the defined contours of his chest before slipping lower.
His damp hair fell loosely over his forehead, giving him an effortlessly striking appearance that only made him more irritating to look at.
"Have you gotten what you wanted?" he asked, letting his eyes drift over Nicole without the slightest warmth.
Nicole forced back the ache in her chest and curved her lips into a faint smile. "To be honest, I expected more."
The towel in Blaine's hand stopped moving. His eyes narrowed as they locked onto hers. "What was that?"
Nicole refused to look away. "I said it wasn't nearly as remarkable as I imagined. After making me wait for three years, that's the best you could do?"
Silence settled over the room.
Without another word, Blaine tossed the towel aside and strode toward the bed. He stopped directly in front of her, standing close enough to make his presence impossible to ignore.
"So I disappointed you?" A mocking smile tugged at his lips. "Then I'd say no man in this world could ever live up to your expectations."
Nicole couldn't deny what had happened earlier. She had almost been overwhelmed by the intensity of it.
But admitting that now would mean surrendering. She refused to lose.
Instead, she lifted her chin and met his eyes without hesitation.
Blaine leaned closer. One hand pressed against the mattress beside her while the other tightened around her chin.
"Nicole." His voice carried unmistakable contempt. "Wasn't this your goal from the beginning? You wanted a child. Once you were pregnant, you'd have the perfect excuse to keep your place as Mrs. Lockhart. Am I right?"
A dull pain spread through Nicole's chest. Her fingers quietly tightened around the bedsheet, but her face remained calm. "You're right. A child would make it much harder for you to walk away from me, wouldn't it?"
The warmth disappeared completely from Blaine's face. He let go of her chin and took a slow step back, looking at her with even greater disdain. "So I was right about you all along."
"But I made the mistake about you." Nicole reached into the nightstand, took out a document, and pressed it against his chest. "I honestly believed you'd at least be worth remembering."
She deliberately let her eyes travel over him before giving a faint smile. "Turns out it's just... average."
For a brief moment, Blaine wondered if he had heard her correctly.
She had just called him average.
The muscles in his hands tightened until the veins stood out beneath his skin. Even the calmness that usually hid behind his eyes disappeared beneath a surge of restrained anger.
He was about to respond when something on the document caught his attention. Printed across the front in bold letters were the words: DIVORCE AGREEMENT.
The sight of it froze him where he stood.
"What exactly are you trying to do now?"
"Isn't this obvious enough?" Nicole smiled brightly. The familiar dimples on her cheeks appeared as though she had just heard something amusing. "I'd rather spend my money on someone who actually knows how to make a woman feel appreciated. At least a male escort would know how to treat me better than my own husband."
She met his eyes without the slightest hesitation. "You've been nothing but a disappointment."
Every word struck Blaine's pride like a sharp slap.
The vein near his temple pulsed visibly as his grip around the divorce agreement tightened. "Nicole!"
She ignored the anger in his voice. Pulling the blanket aside, she climbed out of bed.
The traces left by their earlier intimacy were still visible across her skin, with faint red marks scattered around her collarbone and waist.
Without any hurry, she got dressed. Then she walked to the wardrobe, took out a suitcase she had packed long before tonight, and placed it in the middle of the bedroom.
The suitcase was compact, small enough to carry on. She placed it on the bedroom floor, right at the center.
Blaine's gaze locked onto the suitcase, and his face grew darker with each passing second. Then realization hit, and he let out a low, icy laugh. "So that's all you're taking? You're expecting to come back after you've made your little scene, aren't you, Nicole?"
In Blaine's mind, there was no chance Nicole would actually leave.
For the past three years, everything she did had centered around him.
She had cared for every part of his life without asking for anything in return.
Someone that devoted wouldn't have the courage to walk away. At least, that was what he believed.
This time, however, Nicole had already made up her mind.
She met his eyes and gave him a cold, humorless smile. "Blaine, do you always assume everyone is as repulsive as you? You couldn't even wait for the divorce before making room for your next woman."
His expression changed immediately.
Nicole gripped the handle of her suitcase and stopped at the doorway. She glanced toward the divorce agreement resting on the nightstand. "Sign it. Once that's done, we'll go to the courthouse and finish this properly. I don't want this dragged out any longer than it needed to."
"Nicole, you—"
"One last thing," she interrupted before he could continue. "After I leave, you won't have to hide Miss Shaw anymore. You can bring her home whenever you want."
Her eyes deliberately swept over him one last time. "They say everyone has different standards. Maybe she'll appreciate what I couldn't."
Without waiting for his reaction, Nicole pulled the door open and walked away. She never looked back.
Blaine remained where he was. The bedroom fell silent as he stood frozen in place, his face dark with anger and disbelief.
The moment Nicole stepped outside, she slowly released the breath she had been holding. It felt as though every bit of frustration she had bottled up over the last three years had finally been thrown back in his face.
She reached for her phone to book a ride. Before she could do anything, a bank notification appeared on the screen. Her card had been temporarily frozen because of unusual account activity.
Nicole frowned. She immediately checked her banking app, only to discover that every cent in her account was gone and every bank card under her name had been frozen.
She stared silently at the screen.
A bitter laugh escaped her before her eyes gradually reddened again.
"So this is how you want to play it, Blaine."
