Vivian fell asleep on the sofa in the library. She woke up to the sound of tires crunching on gravel.
It was late. Past midnight.
She wiped her face, smoothing her hair. She wouldn't let him see her disheveled.
The front door opened. Julian walked in. He looked tired, but there was a softness to his edges that hadn't been there before. The aftermath of a good evening.
He saw her sitting in the library. He looked surprised.
You're still up, he said.
I couldn't sleep, Vivian said. "The safe was empty, Julian."
He didn't even flinch. He walked into the room, unbuttoning his cuffs. "I must have left them in the city office. My mistake."
He was lying so easily now.
He placed a small, black velvet box on the coffee table in front of her.
For you, he said. "A parting gift."
Vivian's heart did a treacherous flip. For a second, a foolish, stupid second, she thought he had come to apologize. She thought he had realized his mistake.
Open it, he urged.
She reached out and snapped the lid open.
Inside lay a diamond tennis bracelet. It was thick, heavy with stones. It must have cost fifty thousand dollars. It was beautiful. It was cold. It was generic.
It looked like something you bought for a mistress, or a distant relative. It had no personality.
Serena helped me pick it out, he said casually. "She has great taste."
Vivian felt the air leave the room.
He didn't realize. He genuinely didn't realize the cruelty of that statement. He was giving his wife a divorce gift picked out by the woman he was leaving her for.
Vivian snapped the box shut. The sound was like a gunshot in the quiet room.
I don't want it, she said.
Julian sighed. He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "Don't be difficult, Vivian. It's a gesture of goodwill."
Goodwill? Vivian repeated.
The trust fund will be set up next week, he switched to business mode. "You'll never have to work again. You can travel. You can do whatever you want."
I want to work, she said.
Not at Sterling Corp, he countered immediately.
Why not? I'm good at my job.
It would be awkward, Julian said. "For Serena. She's going to be the face of the new campaign. Having my ex-wife in the PR department... it sends the wrong message."
Vivian laughed. It was a dry, broken sound.
So I lose my husband, my home, and my job?
You gain your freedom, he said.
Vivian looked at him. She really looked at him. She saw the man she had loved for ten years. And she realized she didn't know him at all. He was a stranger. A selfish, oblivious stranger.
She placed a hand on her stomach.
What if I wanted something else? she asked softly.
Julian checked his watch. "It's late, Vivian. We can discuss the logistics tomorrow."
He turned to leave the room.
He didn't care what she wanted. He never had.
Vivian looked at the bracelet on the table. It glittered under the lamp, mocking her.
She stood up and walked past him. She went to the guest room. She locked the door.
She sat on the bed and pulled out her phone. She opened her email.
There was a message from Olivia Lane.
Subject: Mandatory Meeting.
Meeting at 9 AM tomorrow. Don't be late. We have big changes to discuss.
Vivian deleted the email.
She decided then and there. She would sign the papers. But she would do it on her terms. And she would make sure he never, ever found out about the baby.
