Chapter 6

Adelle POV

Carter wouldn' t meet my eyes, and in that averted glance, I knew. This 'family meeting' wasn' t about reconnection; it was about me, and they had already decided my fate. He knew what was coming. He probably orchestrated it. He wanted a divorce, and he wanted it clean, with me out of the picture. He wanted me to be erased, so he could slot Fernanda and her child into the perfect family portrait, cementing his ties with a powerful rival family.

But I wouldn' t make it easy for him. Not anymore. Not after yesterday. Not after today.

"My divorce is a private matter," I said, my voice cutting through the sudden silence of the room. It was surprisingly steady, cold. "It concerns only Carter and me." I turned, pulling Daisy closer, and started towards the door.

"Adelle, you ungrateful bitch!" Marcus, my brother, spat, his voice laced with venom. "After everything this family has done for you!"

My mother rushed forward, placing a hand on his arm. "Marcus, please! Not here. Not now." She looked at me, a flicker of something, perhaps regret, in her eyes. "Adelle, darling, don' t be like this. We only want what' s best for you. For the family." She lowered her voice. "Don' t make the same mistakes your grandmother made."

I paused. My grandmother. The matriarch who had been subtly, effectively, pushed aside by my grandfather for a younger, more 'suitable' wife when her health declined. I felt a prickle of recognition. History was repeating itself.

"Divorce is messy, Adelle," my mother continued, her voice pleading now. "Think of the press. The scandal."

"Scandal?" I scoffed. "You mean the scandal of your precious Carter, the celebrated architect, abandoning his wife and legitimate daughter for his secret mistress and illegitimate child? Is that the scandal you' re so worried about, Mother?"

Marcus stepped past my mother, his face contorted in a sneer. "He doesn't love you, Adelle! He never did! He loves Fernanda. Everyone knows it. Just let him go. It' s better for everyone. Especially for you. You' ll get a good settlement, and you can finally move on." He looked at Carter for confirmation.

Carter said nothing. His silence was deafening. It was all the confirmation I needed. A final, crushing betrayal. A betrayal sanctioned, even encouraged, by my own blood.

I clutched Daisy closer, her small body a warm, comforting weight against my rapidly freezing heart. The air outside was colder than I remembered, a biting wind that mirrored the chill spreading through my soul. This was it. The final, irreparable break.

"Mommy, are you sad?" Daisy asked, her small voice muffled against my shoulder.

I forced a brittle smile. "No, sweetie. Mommy' s not sad. Mommy' s... strong." And in that moment, something shifted inside me. The years of meek compliance, of desperate longing for crumbs of affection, dissolved. I was done being the victim. Done being the martyr. They wanted me gone? Fine. But they wouldn' t get rid of me so easily. And they certainly wouldn' t walk away unscathed.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. A text message. From Carter.

You' re making a fool of yourself. Come back. Don' t cause a scene.

My thumb hovered over the keyboard. A cold, furious laugh escaped me. He still thought he could control me. He still thought I cared about his pristine image.

This isn' t your home anymore, Carter. And I' m not your fool. I typed, my fingers flying with a newfound speed, a delicious surge of adrenaline. This is MY home. And I won' t be leaving.

His reply was almost instantaneous. Don' t be ridiculous. You' re overreacting. As usual.

I didn' t reply. There was no point. I hailed a cab, bundling Daisy into the backseat. She fell asleep almost immediately, exhausted by the day' s emotional turmoil. I stared out the window, watching the city lights blur into streaks of color. A new kind of strength, cold and unyielding, was taking root in me. They wanted a war? They would get one. And I would make sure he, and my complicit family, paid for every single tear Daisy had cried today.

My plan began to form, cold and precise. I would move. But not far. I would move into the same building. Just one floor below him. I would be a constant, chilling reminder of his discarded past, a ghost in his grand new life. It was a petty act, perhaps, but it was all the power I had left. And it was enough.

Moving day arrived, a week later. Carter stood in the hallway, his face a thunderous mask.