PART 1: THE MOMENT EVERYTHING BROKE
Rain hammered against the tall glass windows of the Manhattan law office, blurring the city skyline until it looked like paint sliding down a canvas. Inside the room, the atmosphere felt cold, polished, and lifeless—much like the man sitting behind the dark mahogany desk.
Julian Thorne, the celebrated tech prodigy, didn’t even bother to lift his eyes toward the woman across from him. His attention remained fixed on the tablet in his hand as he checked the latest numbers for AeroTech, the revolutionary company he had built.
“It’s really quite straightforward, Eleanor,” Julian said lazily. “You no longer match the image I need. When we first married, you were the quiet librarian who kept me grounded. But things have changed. I’m leading the future now. I need someone dazzling. Someone like Isabella.”
Across from him, Eleanor Vance sat quietly in a worn gray wool coat. She didn’t cry. One hand rested unconsciously on her stomach, where a tiny six-week secret had just begun to grow. She had come here intending to share the news that they were expecting a child.
