The Anniversay Divorce Gift

ret life, of being a wife no one knew about, all for the sake of Mark Johnson's rising career. Today, she had decided, was the day it would en

hone and dialed her

e steady, betraying none of the tu

Sarah's voice was sharp, a mix of co

at the bustling city below, a city where she was a success, yet felt completely invisible. "He doesn't

"Okay. I'll have them ready for you this afternoon. Standa

nfirmed. "I want nothing

ough, her friend's loyalty a small comfort in the wreckage of her life. With the papers tucked into her designer briefcase, she drove to Mark's of

with a familiar, professional smile. "Ms. Reed, good to see yo

voice calm. She was Ms. Reed here, his most trusted a

d warm wood tones meant to reflect a man of both ambition and substance. The irony was bitter. She sat on the plush leather couch

g smile on his face. "Olivia. I was just about to call y

guised under a cover sheet titled "Project Phoenix Addendum," to the top. "And there's an u

He picked up a pen, his movements casual and confident. He scribbled his signature on the line she

ing as she carefully collected the signed document

it, his tone instantly shifting, becoming softer, more intimate

e. Olivia had overheard them talking weeks ago, a hushed conversation she wasn't meant to hear. Mark was waiting for Chloe's own messy divorce to be finalized, and he'd used Olivia, hi

age, how her family connections in the city could help him. She, blinded by a decade of love, had believed his promises that they would make it public on

esolve. She turned the doorknob and walked out without another word,

She started small, taking her favorite painting off the wall, removing her personal books from the shelves, deleting her

empty space on the wall. "Did you move that paintin

ok better in my office

hout a second thought. He was too preocc

him breakfast. She didn't press his shirt. She sat by the window, sipping her coffee, w

reakf

ungry," she

ivia turned her head just in time, so his lips met her cheek. He froze, a fl

ything o

king back control, piece by piece. The penthouse felt less like a prison and more like a temporar