Finley Rhodes POV:
The world spun for a moment, then went black. When I opened my eyes, the concert hall was long gone. I was in the passenger seat of my car, the engine idling softly. Someone was driving. Brody. He hadn't left me there after all. Or maybe he had, and someone else picked me up. I didn't know. My head throbbed, and a dull, persistent ache lingered in my lower abdomen.
"Are you feeling better?" Brody's voice cut through the silence, devoid of genuine concern, more like a polite inquiry to a subordinate. "You really caused quite a stir back there. Gemma had to cover for you with the press, saying you had a sudden migraine. Try not to make a habit of it."
He didn't even look at me. His eyes were fixed on the road, his jaw tight. I just stared out the window, watching the city lights blur into streaks of color. The thought of confronting him again, of trying to explain the unexplainable pain, felt utterly draining. There was no point. He wouldn' t hear me. He never did.
I remembered the early days. The way he used to look at me, like I was the most brilliant person he' d ever met. The way he' d praise my designs, my ideas. He' d told me I was his muse, his partner, his everything. Those memories were like ghosts now, beautiful and cruel, haunting the empty spaces in my heart. He used to hold my hand, tell me I was home. Now, his touch was a weapon, his words poison.
"I need to go to my parents' house tonight," I heard myself say, the words flat, emotionless.
Brody gripped the steering wheel tighter. "What? Don't be ridiculous. Our home is fine. You just need some rest."
"No," I insisted, my voice gaining a surprising strength. "I need to speak with my father about something important. He specifically asked." It was a lie, a desperate attempt to create a reason he might understand, a reason connected to power and influence.
He scoffed. "Oh, now your father is involved? What drama are you trying to stir up, Finley? Honestly, sometimes I think you enjoy making things difficult."
I ignored him, pushing down the rising tide of nausea. My body still felt fragile, on the verge of splintering. But my mind was clearer than it had been in years. Something had broken inside me tonight, something irreparable. The last vestiges of my love for him, the tiny embers of hope I had clung to, had finally been extinguished.
We pulled up to my childhood home. The lights were on, casting a warm glow. My parents were probably still up, waiting for me, worrying. Brody turned off the engine, but didn't move to get out.
"Are you coming in?" I asked, my voice still devoid of warmth.
He sighed dramatically. "Do I have to? I'm exhausted, Finley. And frankly, I don't need another lecture from your father about 'being a good husband.'" His words were laced with mockery.
"No," I said, unbuckling my seatbelt. "You don't have to."
I opened the car door and stepped out, not waiting for his reply. The cool night air felt like a balm against my inflamed skin. I walked towards the front door, my legs still a little unsteady.
"Finley!" Brody called after me.
I paused, my hand on the doorknob, but I didn't turn around. The silence stretched, tense and heavy.
"Finley, don't ignore me," he snapped, his voice growing louder. "What is this? Some kind of game?"
I took a deep breath, the scent of jasmine from my mother's garden filling my lungs. "It's not a game, Brody." My voice was steady, betraying none of the turmoil inside me. "I'm just tired."
I heard his car door open, then slam shut. His footsteps crunched on the gravel driveway, coming closer. My heart hammered in my chest, a frantic drumbeat against my ribs.
"Tired of what, Finley?" he demanded, his voice dangerously low now, right behind me. "Tired of being my wife? Tired of supporting my career?"
I finally turned, meeting his gaze. His eyes were narrowed, a storm brewing within them. I saw confusion there, and something else – a flicker of genuine shock. He wasn't used to this. He was used to my compliance, my quiet suffering.
"Tired of being invisible," I whispered, the words loaded with years of unspoken pain. "Tired of being a tool."
His mouth opened, then closed. He stared at me, truly saw me for the first time in a long time, and I could tell he didn't like what he saw. The submissive wife he had molded, the quiet architect who put his ambitions before her own, was gone. In her place was a woman with cold, empty eyes.
"Finley, what are you talking about?" he said, his voice softer now, a hint of concern finally creeping in, but it was too late. Way too late.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," I said, my voice gaining strength. "Every conversation, every public appearance, every stolen idea. It's all been a performance for you, hasn't it? A calculated move."
He took a step towards me, reaching for my arm. "Finley, don't be dramatic. We're a team. And tonight, you just... you overreacted. You were emotional."
I flinched away from his touch. "Emotional? What do you call what you do with Gemma, Brody? Is that 'professional bonding' too? Or is that just what happens when you finally stop pretending you actually care about your wife?"
His face went pale. He hadn't expected me to bring her up, not like this. Not so directly.
"Gemma is my campaign manager," he said, his voice tight. "Nothing more. You're imagining things."
"Am I?" I asked, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "Is it my imagination that you spend more time with her than with me? Is it my imagination that her hand was on your back, tonight, possessively, just like it always is?"
He opened his mouth to protest, but I cut him off. "And don't tell me I'm being a 'jealous wife.' I'm tired of your lies, Brody. I'm tired of your manipulations. I'm just… done."
His eyes hardened. "Done? What does that mean, 'done'?"
"It means," I said, my voice shaking now, but with resolve, "I can't do this anymore. I can't be your trophy wife, your ghostwriter, your convenient accessory. I want a divorce."
The words hung in the air, sharp and clear. Brody stared at me, his face a mask of disbelief, then anger.
"A divorce?" he scoffed, recovering quickly. "Don't be absurd, Finley. You're upset. You're not thinking straight. And you know what your father will say about this. A scandal right before the election? It'll ruin everything."
"That's your concern, isn't it?" I asked, a fresh wave of bitterness washing over me. "Not my feelings. Not my pain. Just your precious election."
"Our lives are intertwined, Finley! Our families are. You can't just throw it all away because you're having a little emotional moment." He grabbed my arm, his grip bruising. "You're not going anywhere."
The pain in my abdomen flared again, more intensely this time, a searing, twisting agony that made me gasp. My knees buckled. I clutched my stomach, my vision tunneling.
"Brody... I... I really don't feel well," I whispered, barely able to speak. The world was tilting again, threatening to drag me down.
He saw the genuine fear in my eyes, the way my face had gone ashen. For a split second, a flicker of genuine concern crossed his features, mixed with panic. This wasn't part of his plan. This wasn't a performance.
"Finley? What's wrong?" he asked, his grip loosening.
But the words were too late. The pain was too much. I felt a warm gush, a terrifying wetness between my legs. My last coherent thought was a frantic, desperate prayer.
