Ethan Mason's little performance made my skin crawl.
But Nora ate it up.
She shot me a vicious glare and scrawled her signature across the divorce agreement.
"I've approved your resignation, and I've signed this. You can leave now."
"Alex, the moment you walk away from me, everything you have goes back to zero."
"You'll regret it. I'll be waiting for the day you come crawling back."
I looked at her for a long moment. Said nothing. Turned and walked out.
I already regretted it.
Regretted meeting her. Getting to know her. Walking down that aisle with her.
The moment I stepped through the company's front doors, I exhaled long and slow.
My mood was still heavy, but my whole body felt like I'd just shed a suit of armor.
Years ago, Nora had treated me as her only pillar. I'd devoted myself completely to protecting her, to pushing her forward. To make Simmons Corp thrive, I'd poured in every ounce of energy I had.
And the whole time, watching her and Ethan circle each other—it made me furious. Helpless. I kept dragging it out, never able to decide.
Now that I'd finally cut through the mess, it was time to rest.
In the parking garage, I pulled out my keys and was about to drive off when Linda Finch from Finance jogged over.
She gave me an awkward look. "Mr. Gilbert, Ms. Simmons just called down. She said since you've resigned, the car is company property, so…"
She trailed off. I got it.
I smiled bitterly, tossed her the keys, and walked away.
When I cabbed back to the villa complex, the guard at the gate stopped me.
Manager Finch was there too, wearing an apologetic smile. "Mr. Gilbert, Miss Simmons just called. Your access card and facial recognition have been revoked. You can't enter the complex anymore."
"Did something happen between you two?"
"Maybe you could call her and sort it out?"
"We're caught in the middle here—it's pretty awkward for us."
What could I even say?
How much money I'd made for Simmons Corp over the years—others might not know, but Nora knew exactly.
And I'd never seen a dime of real compensation.
In her words: what's mine is yours. We're husband and wife, one body. No need to keep score.
So nothing was in my name. The luxury cars, the house—all under Nora's name.
Even my bank account had never held more than ten thousand dollars.
Standing there at the gate, I smiled at myself.
Laughing at how stupid I used to be.
That night, Nora brought Ethan home.
On the drive, she told him, "I know Alex. He can't survive without me."
"He's probably waiting at the gate right now."
"When we get there, you mock him first. I won't even acknowledge him. Let him stand out there all night."
"Tomorrow, he'll kneel and apologize…"
A flicker of reluctance crossed Ethan's face. He said smoothly, "Mr. Gilbert's pretty stubborn. What if he won't apologize?"
"You already signed the divorce papers and approved his resignation. What if he—"
Nora cut him off. "There is no 'what if.' Alex will apologize to me."
