The penthouse was silent when Bentley walked in. He was humming. Actually humming. The sound made Chloe sick to her stomach.
She was sitting at the head of the long dining table. The room was dim, lit only by a single candle. There was no dinner laid out. Just a glass of red wine and a stack of papers.
Bentley paused in the doorway, his smile fading. "What is this? Where's dinner?"
"I wasn't hungry," Chloe said. She didn't look up. She just slid the papers across the polished wood. "I want a divorce."
Bentley stared at the papers, then let out a short, incredulous laugh. He walked over and picked them up, flipping through them. "Because of a dress? Chloe, you're acting like a child."
"It's not about the dress," Chloe said, finally meeting his eyes. "It's about you. And her. It's over."
Bentley tossed the papers onto the table. He pulled out a chair and sat down, leaning back like he was conducting a board meeting. "You're not getting a divorce. You're just throwing a tantrum because I didn't pay attention to you tonight."
"I'm leaving you because you're in love with someone else," Chloe shot back, her voice hard. "I'm leaving because you look at me and see Blair."
Bentley's face went pale for a fraction of a second, but he recovered quickly. He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "You don't know what you're talking about. You're my wife. That's all that matters."
"I'm your substitute," Chloe corrected. "And I quit."
Bentley stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. He snatched the divorce papers off the table. "You aren't going anywhere. You have nothing. You are nothing without me."
"I have myself," Chloe said, standing up to face him. "And that's enough."
Bentley's hand shot out. He grabbed the papers and ripped them in half. Then he ripped them again, throwing the shreds into the air. They fluttered down around Chloe like confetti.
"I am not signing these," he roared, his face inches from hers. "You are a Morrow. You stay a Morrow until I say otherwise."
Chloe didn't flinch. She looked at the torn paper scattered across the table. It was a physical manifestation of his control. He thought tearing the paper would tear her resolve. It only sharpened it.
"You can rip up the paper," she said, her voice quiet and deadly. "But you can't make me stay."
Bentley grabbed her arm, his fingers digging into her skin. "If you walk out that door, I will ruin you. I will make sure you never work in this city again. I will take everything."
Chloe looked down at his hand on her arm, then back up at his face. The fear was gone. There was only emptiness. "Then do it."
They stared at each other, the tension crackling like a live wire. Bentley was breathing hard, his chest heaving. He looked wild, unhinged. But Chloe was a stone.
He let go of her, stepping back like he'd been burned. He ran a hand through his hair, his composure cracking. "You're crazy," he muttered. "You're being irrational. We'll talk about this tomorrow."
He grabbed his coat and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. The apartment shook.
Chloe stood alone in the dining room. The shreds of the divorce agreement lay at her feet. She felt hollowed out, but also light. The worst had happened. He had threatened her. And she had survived.
She pulled out her phone and typed a message to Briana.
He tore it up. I'm filing the lawsuit.
Briana's reply was instant. Already on it. Meet tomorrow to prep. And get ready for the pitch. It's your lifeline.
Chloe looked around the empty apartment. It was a museum of a fake life. She wasn't going to live in a museum anymore.
