Chapter 4

Leo stood by the door, watching me pack my suitcase.

I could be ruthless with Julian.

But facing my son, whom I had carried for nine months, I wavered.

There weren't many things to pack, anyway. I put items in, then took them out, agonizing for over an hour.

I knelt before him, gently stroking his soft, little cheek.

For the first time, he didn't swat my hand away.

I asked softly, "Do you want to come with Mommy?"

Leo's eyes sparkled, but he asked me in return, "Are you leaving? If you leave, are you never coming back?"

My throat tightened. "Yes, Mommy won't be coming back."

"Come with Mommy, okay?"

I pulled him into my arms.

Leo's small voice whispered beside my ear.

"Yay! If you leave, I'll have a pretty mommy!"

My body went rigid. I slowly let him go and stood up.

I had planned, even in leaving, to protect the boy. He was innocent. I was going to help him settle things with Ivy's child-to make sure no one would ever try to take what was his.

But with that kind of attitude from him, why should I bother planning his future?

I stepped over him and walked out without looking back.

The moment I landed in the Maldives, my phone lit up with Snap notifications.

"Mrs. Thorne, even if I handed Julian back to you now, he wouldn't take you."

"I'll take good care of him and Leo."

"Oh, and it's a boy. Julian says he'll inherit everything."

The next message was a video.

It showed Julian at her prenatal appointment.

"Hubby, listen here. He can hear your voice now, you know."

I turned off my phone.

This wouldn't end with a simple divorce, Julian.

I had a surprise planned for him at the annual gala.

We didn't speak for a whole week.

But his social media was flooded-no less than twenty posts of him and Ivy.

At the annual gala, Julian introduced Ivy to the room.

His hand rested possessively on her waist, his meaning clear.

A few executives rushed to flatter him. "Mr. Thorne, it's about time you saw the light!"

"Who knows what he was doing, tied to that battleaxe all these years."

"Exactly! When's the big day, sir?"

These were people I had promoted. Every one of them.

Julian smiled, his gaze dropping to Ivy's stomach.

"You'll all have cake soon enough."

They stood there like a bride and groom, accepting the room's toasts.

Someone finally mentioned me. Julian's lips curved into a smirk.

"She'll be here soon."

When it came time to distribute the annual bonuses, Julian finally noticed my absence.

He began calling my phone repeatedly.

"Where is Eleanor Vance?!"

My chief assistant stammered. "Eleanor... she's been unreachable all week. And this afternoon...the company accounts were cleared out."

"We tried calling you, sir. Many times. You never answered."

Her voice faded to a whisper.

Julian's expression darkened by the second.

Suddenly, the large screen behind him flickered to life, cycling through a series of images.

A collective gasp swept the hall, followed by dead silence.

Julian turned. His face went rigid with fury. The phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor.