Nathan handed me the dossier, his expression grave. "The more detailed the evidence, the better."
I scanned the list. Dealing with a man as controlling and vindictive as Alex Delgado required more than courage—it required strategy. Without tactics, he'd never let me go. He'd just tighten the leash.
Better to arm myself with undeniable proof and let the court swing the hammer. Litigation was the only language he understood.
I recounted what happened at the shop—how he'd stormed in, the scene he'd caused, the vile things he'd said.
"His personal admission of a third party is gold," Nathan said, leaning back. "He handed us the knife to cut him loose. In court, he won't have a leg to stand on."
The knot of anxiety in my chest began to loosen. The path forward was clear.
I gathered the list, grabbed my coat and bag, and offered him a genuine smile. "It's getting late. Let me buy you dinner—it's the least I can do."
Seeing the shadow lift from my face, he didn't stand on ceremony. "Deal. It's rare for you to treat, so I intend to eat my fill."
We were laughing, the atmosphere light, when the office door crashed against the wall.
Alex Delgado stood in the threshold, chest heaving, eyes locked on Nathan.
"Fine! Just fine!" He stepped into the room. "I told you Yolanda was pregnant. I expected you to cry, make a scene, maybe threaten to hang yourself. Instead, you ran off in a fit of pique."
He marched closer. "You kept insisting on divorce. Yolanda scolded me, said I was handling you wrong, that I should be sincere and invite you back."
His face twisted into a sneer. "So I came to apologize. And what do I find? You, shacking up with him? You dare cuckold me?"
He lunged at Nathan, fist raised.
The blow never landed.
Nathan caught his wrist mid-air. His grip was iron, his expression a terrifying calm.
"What do you think you're doing?" Nathan's voice was low, dangerous. "You dare raise your hand to me?"
Delgado struggled. Nathan didn't budge.
"A man who can't control his lower half, let alone his temper—and you call yourself Chief of Thoracic Surgery?" Nathan scoffed. "You're a disgrace to the white coat."
"You fool around, impregnate another woman, then have the audacity to demand your wife serve your mistress?"
He shoved Delgado's hand back, forcing him to stumble. "You shout 'thief' while you're the one stealing. If your conduct gets out, how will you face the medical board? Your reputation will be in tatters."
Delgado's face turned a sickly green. He straightened his jacket, eyes darting between us. "You... you wouldn't dare!"
He turned to me, gaze burning with malice. "Alex, if you ruin me, I'll destroy you. If you won't let me live in peace, don't think you will either."
Nathan didn't waste breath. He drove a sharp kick into Delgado, sending him stumbling toward the hallway. "With how pathetic you are, I don't know how Lexi was ever blind enough to fall for you."
I watched Delgado, feeling nothing but cold indifference. The fear was gone.
"It's not too late to see clearly now," I said. "Nathan, throw him out. Don't let him ruin our appetite."
Nathan grabbed Delgado by the collar and dragged him out like a sack of trash.
Delgado flailed, screaming as he was hauled away. "Alex! You want to dump me for him? Unless you come back and serve Yolanda during her confinement, forget it! If you make me happy, maybe I'll sign the papers! Otherwise, as long as I'm alive, you're mine! I'll drag this out until you're dead!"
The door slammed shut, cutting off his voice.
I stood there, shaken—not by his threats, but by the revelation of his true nature.
Ten years of marriage. We'd had our frictions, our arguments, but I'd never seen him look so vicious, so devoid of humanity. For a decade, he'd hidden behind a mask of gentility.
If this divorce hadn't enraged him enough to tear that mask off, I might never have known the monster sleeping beside me.
No wonder my father had warned me before the wedding. He'd seen past the charm I was too blind to question.
My own fault. Back then, I was a love-struck fool, so desperate for affection I insisted on jumping into the fire pit.
Now, I had to climb my way out.
