THE CONTRACT WIFE

My marriage was a transaction, a cold business deal.

For four years, I, CEO Ava Sterling, barely tolerated Liam Hayes, the man I married for convenience.

I thought I was finally free when the divorce papers arrived, signed by him, a strange relief washing over me.

But then, a familiar face stormed into my penthouse, her eyes burning with grief and hatred, the words striking me like a physical blow: "He' s dead, Ava!"

"Liam jumped!"

"From his balcony! It' s your fault!"

The man I' d just discarded, the one I told I'd feel more for a stray dog, was gone, and his friend, Chloe, accused me, his "widow," of killing him with my indifference.