Scarlett POV

 

Hale Group headquarters.

 

I’d just gotten to the door of the executive break room when I heard the voices inside. I slowed down and stood right outside, picking up those familiar voices—Mark, Sarah, and Tom. Their laughs came through the door, full of cocky disrespect.

 

“Hey, what do you guys think our Boss Lady’s doing right now?” That was Mark from Finance.

 

Sarah snorted. “Hmph, what else? Either stuck to Alpha like glue or plotting how to mess with Liliana Ashford.”

 

Tom chuckled low. “I bet she’s still crying in the hospital. After that big kidnapping thing, she probably thinks she can still turn it around.”

 

“Turn it around? Come on.” Mark’s voice was full of sarcasm. “We’ve followed Alpha for years—we’ve seen everything. She started as Regina’s plain foster daughter and climbed to Luna. And for what? Every time she shows up in the office, Boss looks like he swallowed a fly.”

 

Sarah lowered her voice, sounding far too happy about it. “I bet five hundred bucks Jaxen won’t put up with her for over three months. Once Liliana’s back, this whole thing is done.”

 

Tom jumped in, “I say one month! That woman is straight-up poison.”

 

All three of them sniggered. Their laughs hit my chest like little needles.

 

I stood there in the hallway, fingers gripping my bag strap without thinking.

 

Then I walked right in.

 

The three of them froze as if they’d seen a ghost.

 

Mark almost dropped his coffee cup. Tom’s smile froze on his face. Sarah’s mouth hung open in a perfect O.

 

I walked over to the coffee machine, took my time grabbing a cup, and started making one. I didn’t even look at them when I said, calm as anything:

 

“Go on.”

 

Dead silence.

 

“How much was the bet?” I turned around and looked straight at Mark. “One month for the divorce or three? I can tell you the answer.”

 

Mark’s face went ghostly white. He couldn’t get a single word out.

 

“I’m the one who asked for the divorce.” I picked up my coffee and headed for the door. As I passed them, I paused. “So I guess I win the bet, huh?”

 

I didn’t wait for them to answer. I just walked out.

 

The hallway was quiet. I carried my coffee, trudging. I turned the corner, made sure no one was following, and stopped.

 

I gripped the cup tightly and leaned against the icy wall for a few seconds.

 

Something twisted hard in my chest. The old pain on the back of my head started throbbing again.

 

I took my coffee and walked into the office.

 

I looked around the space I’d decorated myself. My eyes landed on the framed wedding photo on the desk: Jaxen and me.

 

In the picture, I was smiling so big, and Jaxen looked cold and serious. I stared at it for two seconds. I used to love that photo so much.

 

I remembered the day we took it. After the wedding, I sat on the bed in my white dress, still smelling of rose petals. I waited for him for three hours. When he finally came in, he smelled of rain and something else I couldn’t place. He didn’t even look at me. Just changed and went to his study.

 

That night, I took off my veil alone and put the photo in the frame alone.

 

I used to love that picture. Now it was just a piece of paper.

 

I flipped the frame down onto the desk.

 

I didn’t wait for Jaxen’s meeting to end.

 

I submitted my resignation in the company system and started packing up my things—those brief items I’d brought in with so much hope. My favorite pen holder I picked out myself, the plant I’d kept alive for five months, and the scarf I kept in my drawer. One by one, they went into the cardboard box.

 

Halfway through, I checked my phone. The resignation still needed Jaxen’s approval.

 

System message: Waiting for Jaxen Hale to approve.

 

I stared at the screen and hit refresh.

 

Three seconds later, it changed to :rejected.

 

I looked at those words, and my mouth twitched. I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh or cry.

 

I leaned back in my chair and looked around the office I’d sat in for two years. I always get here first and leave last. I did everything perfectly. I thought he’d notice. He did. He just didn’t care.

 

I grabbed my phone and texted Delaney, “Can I crash at your place tonight?”

 

She texted back instantly: “Absolutely.”

 

After I finished packing, I took a deep breath, picked up the box, and headed to Jaxen’s office.

 

I knocked once, just for show, and pushed the door open.

 

The next second, I froze solid.

 

On the couch, Jaxen and Liliana were sitting far too close. She was practically leaning all over him. Jaxen’s face was still cool, but the way he looked down a little and didn’t push her away felt like needles digging into my weakest spot.

 

I wasn’t angry. Something I couldn’t even name, as I had finally accepted a truth I never wanted to believe.

 

I stood in the doorway. The box in my arms suddenly felt super heavy.