Chapter 12

<p>The black letters stood out starkly on the white paper.</p><p>That night, Noah didn't come home.</p><p>Emily was alone in the bedroom, packing her last few things. The divorce agreement, still stained with blood, was tucked away in the innermost pocket of her bag, right next to her passport and ID.</p><p>She zipped up her suitcase and looked around the room she'd lived in for seven years. There were no decorations on the walls, no photos on the desk, no flowers on the windowsill. It was spotless, just like a hotel room.</p><p>For seven years, she'd never left a single trace of herself in this room.</p><p>Her phone rang. It was Isabella.</p><p>Isabella said, "Did you hear? Something big happened at the Oliver Group's shareholders' meeting today. An anonymous major investor is pulling out one billion dollars."</p><p>Emily said, "Yeah, I heard."</p><p>"The whole city's buzzing about it. They say Noah crossed some big shot. There are all kinds of rumors. Some say it's about business, others say it's a personal grudge."</p><p>"Yeah."</p><p>"Why are you so calm? That's your husband's company, you know."</p><p>"Not for much longer. I'm going to file the paperwork tomorrow."</p><p>Isabella went quiet for a couple of seconds. "Tomorrow? You mean you can get it done that fast?"</p><p>Emily replied, "The agreement's already signed. He put his signature on it last week. All that's left is to hand it in."</p><p>"So, where are you planning to go?"</p><p>"I'll move to Eastbrook for now. I'll figure out the rest later."</p><p>"That apartment of yours? Isn't it a bit cramped?" Isabella sounded a little hesitant. "Why not come stay with me?"</p><p>"No, thanks. I'm used to living alone," Emily said.</p><p>Isabella suddenly sounded serious. "Emily, are you hiding something from me?"</p><p>"Nope. Why do you ask?" Emily replied.</p><p>"My gut tells me. You've been way too calm lately. After all that's happened, you don't even seem angry. That's just not right."</p><p>Emily gave a small smile. "Maybe I'm just numb."</p><p>Isabella sighed. "Alright. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't push you. Do you want me to go with you tomorrow?"</p><p>"No, thanks. It won't take long," Emily replied.</p><p>After hanging up, Emily plugged her phone in and set it on the nightstand.</p><p>She didn't drift off right away. Lying there in the darkness, she heard the front door open and close downstairs. Footsteps came up the stairs, passed right by her room, and headed toward the master bedroom.</p><p>Noah had come home.</p><p>The footsteps never stopped at her door. They went straight past, and the master bedroom door opened and closed.</p><p>Emily rolled over, pulled the covers up higher, and shut her eyes. Tomorrow, it would all be over.</p><p>*****</p><p>Early the next morning, when Emily came downstairs, Noah was already sitting at the dining table.</p><p>The coffee in front of him hadn't been touched, and his phone screen was lit up with a flood of messages. His face looked even colder and harder than yesterday, with dark circles under his eyes.</p><p>When he saw Emily coming down with her suitcase, he paused for a moment.</p><p>"Where are you going?" Noah asked.</p><p>"I'm heading to the courthouse today to file the divorce papers. Just moving my stuff out first," Emily replied.</p><p>Noah set his phone down on the table. He looked up at her.</p><p>"Now?" he asked.</p><p>"Yeah, I've got an appointment," Emily replied.</p><p>"Can you wait a couple of days?" His tone was more command than question. "The company's in trouble right now. If news of the divorce gets out, it'll tank the stock price."</p><p>"The agreement says today," Emily replied, setting her suitcase down. "You signed off on it last week, remember?"</p><p>Noah stared at her for a few seconds. She wore a plain white shirt and black pants, her hair in a low ponytail, no makeup at all. The stitched scar on her forehead had healed over, leaving a faint pink line.</p><p>"Emily." He stood up and walked over, towering over her by almost a head, looking down. "What do you really want?"</p><p>"I want a divorce," Emily said.</p><p>"Do you even realize what kind of timing this is? One billion dollars pulled out, and now a divorce. How do you think that's going to look?"</p><p>"You care about what people think. Why should I care?"</p><p>Noah's jaw clenched. He strode over, grabbed his phone from the table, and dialed a number.</p><p>"John, cancel the appointment at the courthouse today," he ordered.</p><p>Emily watched him.</p><p>He hung up and turned to her. "We'll deal with this after the company's problems are handled."</p><p>"You don't have the right to cancel my appointment," Emily said.</p><p>"I had John give them a heads-up. It's not going to happen today," Noah replied.</p>