My family was cursed. Every generation, men and women alike, struggled to conceive.
Because of that, the first child born to any member of the bloodline was raised as the family's successor.
The one who would helm a trillion-dollar empire.
In my generation, I was the first to get pregnant.
The day I got the confirmation, I rushed home, bursting with joy, ready to tell my husband the news in person.
With a baby on the way, I could finally introduce him to my family.
And the business troubles he'd been drowning in would resolve themselves the moment my family learned about the pregnancy.
But when I walked through the door, there was another woman in our home.
Dale Fleming's voice was calm. "Noreen's back."
"So let's get a divorce."
I rested my hand against my stomach. It seemed Dale and this child weren't fated to share much of anything. He wouldn't be leveraging this baby to expand his empire after all.
Fine. I'd keep the child and lose the man.
——
Noreen Pruitt. Dale's childhood sweetheart.
She'd left the country eight years ago, and Dale had been devastated.
My best friend, who also happened to be Dale's sister, was the one who set us up.
I didn't learn about Dale's all-consuming first love until after we were already married.
Everyone has a past. I didn't hold it against him.
What I hadn't expected was that he'd never let her go.
The moment Noreen set foot back in the country, he wanted a divorce.
I looked at the dining table. A lavish spread, every dish plated to perfection, the aroma filling the room.
Dale still had the apron on.
Eight years of knowing him. Six years of marriage. I never once knew he could cook.
I sat down. "The last supper?"
"Sorry." Dale untied the apron. "This is a welcome-home dinner for Noreen. She doesn't like to share. I promised her that anything I cook is for her and her alone."
He walked over and picked up a divorce agreement he'd clearly prepared in advance.
"If you agree, sign it and move out."
That eager to get rid of me.
I picked up the agreement. My brow creased.
The terms were spelled out in black and white. I would leave with nothing.
I said nothing. I picked up the pen.
Divorce was a perfectly normal thing. I could accept it.
But Dale had gone too far. If he'd even split things evenly, I wouldn't have said a word.
From here on out, I would take back everything that was mine. In my own way.
I signed, slipped off my wedding ring, and stood to leave.
Noreen's voice cut through the air. "Wait."
"Open the purse. Let me see."
I looked at Dale. "You want to search my things?"
"Noreen is the woman of this house now. Do as she says."
I took out my phone, then tossed the purse to Dale.
"Search away."
Dale handed the purse to Noreen.
Noreen rifled through it. "Everything in here was bought with Dale's money, wasn't it?"
"Including the purse itself. You can't take it."
"And your phone."
"The clothes on your back."
Noreen looked me up and down, a smirk playing on her lips. "If you've really got that much pride, leave it all behind."
I turned to Dale. He was gazing at Noreen, soft and indulgent. "Do as Noreen says."
He used to look at me that way. But Noreen's return had changed everything.
I set the phone down without a word and walked back to the bedroom.
Minutes later, I emerged wearing the traditional wedding gown my birth family had custom-made for me.
I never imagined I'd walk into this marriage wearing this dress and walk out of it wearing the same one.
When I stepped out of the bedroom, something flickered in Dale's eyes.
On our wedding day, he'd told me I was the most beautiful woman in the world. An angel descended from heaven.
I wondered what was running through his mind now. Maybe he thought he was powerful enough to have it all.
