Shattered Vows: The Unwanted Wife's Escape

lvet curtain aside and s

her seemed to lower the te

delicate French pastries. Neither Atha nor

her fingers and resting her chin on her hands. Sh

s pathetic. You act like this ruthless CEO, but you're just a

s holding scraped harshly against the porcelain plate

His eyes were dark, swirl

"You played the submissive, loving wife for three years. Don't pretend it wasn

struck a

hattered. Her face

to the table. It knocked over her water glass, sending a

't breathe the same air

apped her fingers sharply a

ng terrified, and placed a sma

aiden's hand shot out. He slammed a black Ameri

lay of power. A final

him for it. She just let

d stood up, her chair scrapi

he restaurant in a h

epped through the glass doors. Snow was beginning to mi

handing Haiden the keys to the

ssenger door open. He stood there, the win

," he ordered. It wasn't a

d. She looked at him as if he were

in the snow," she said, he

of the intersection. She raised her arm, the silver se

, sliding slightly on the wet pavem

r handle so tightly his knuckles looked like they might burst through the

or open and threw hers

," she told

taxi pulled away. Haiden was still standi

shaky breath, her ch

mbling violently as the adrenaline from the restaurant began to crash. The heater in the cab was blasting, but sh

squeezed them into tight fists, digging her manicur

creen, her eyes staring blankly at the digital wallpaper-a picture

lent wave of

r eyeliner. She thought about the thick stack of divorce papers resting on the marble console table back at the apartment.

y across her cheek, furious at her own weakness. She refused to shed anoth

er morning flight to Maui. But the thought of stepping back into that dead, silent apartment made her skin

oud, something reckless, something to dr

most exclusive, chaotic under

plans," Atha told the driver, her voice hard and decisive. "Don't

erved across two lanes of

eavy, intoxicating dose of Tom Ford Black Orchid onto her collarbones and wrists. The tiny, silver sequined slip dress she wore