Chapter 2

The fire-red Alexander McQueen gown felt like armor against my skin as I stepped out of the Bentley at The Glass. The backless design exposed more skin than I'd shown in public for two years, and the silk clung to curves I'd forgotten I possessed. My reflection in the club's towering windows showed a woman I barely recognized—bold red lips, smoky eyes, and a confidence that radiated from every pore.

"You look incredible," Theo said, offering his arm as we approached the entrance. His navy suit was perfectly tailored, emphasizing the broad shoulders I remembered from our teenage summers in the Hamptons.

"I feel like myself again," I replied, surprised by the truth of it. "Thank you for coming tonight."

The Glass lived up to its reputation as Manhattan's most exclusive private club. Crystal chandeliers cast prismatic light across marble floors, and the city glittered through floor-to-ceiling windows like scattered diamonds. The air hummed with quiet conversations and the soft clink of expensive crystal.

I'd chosen this place deliberately. Ken's crowd frequented The Glass, and tonight, I wanted to be seen.

"Shall we get a drink first?" Theo asked, his hand warm and steady on my lower back—a touch that sent electricity through me after years of Ken's cold indifference.

"Actually," I said, hearing the sultry jazz music drifting from the dance floor, "let's dance."

Theo's eyebrows rose slightly. "Are you sure? You used to hate dancing in public."

"That was the old Eileen." I took his hand and led him toward the music. "She's dead."

The dance floor was intimate, dimly lit with amber lights that cast everything in warm gold. Theo pulled me close, his hand settling on the bare skin of my back, and I felt a shiver that had nothing to do with the temperature.

"I've missed this," he murmured as we swayed to the music. "Missed you."

We moved together like we had at our high school prom, before Ken Blackwood became the center of my universe and reduced me to a shadow of myself. Theo's chest was solid against mine, his cologne familiar and comforting. When the music slowed, he spun me gently, the red silk of my dress flaring around my legs.

"Everyone's watching us," I whispered, suddenly aware of the eyes tracking our movement.

"Let them watch," Theo said, pulling me closer. "You're magnificent tonight."

I pressed against him, feeling reckless and alive for the first time in years. His hands were respectful but possessive, and when I looked up into his dark eyes, I saw something I'd forgotten existed—genuine desire mixed with tenderness.

That's when I spotted him.

Ken sat in the elevated VIP section, his usual booth commanding a perfect view of the dance floor. Even from this distance, I could see the rigid line of his shoulders, the way his fingers gripped his whiskey glass. His friends surrounded him—Julian Davenport and the usual collection of old-money parasites who fed off each other's inherited wealth.

"Your husband's here," Theo said quietly, following my gaze.

"Ex-husband," I corrected, though the papers weren't signed yet. "Dance with me like you mean it."

Theo's grip tightened, and he dipped me low, his face inches from mine. "Eileen—"

"Please." The word came out breathier than I intended. "I need him to see who I really am."

When Theo pulled me upright, his thumb traced along my bare shoulder blade, and I heard someone at a nearby table whisper, "Isn't that Eileen Blackwood? She looks... different."

Perfect.

We danced through three more songs, our bodies moving in perfect synchronization. I could feel Ken's stare like a physical weight, could practically hear his jaw grinding from across the room. When Julian leaned over to whisper something in Ken's ear, I saw my husband's face darken.

"He looks like he wants to murder someone," Theo observed.

"Good," I breathed against his ear. "Let him burn."

But then the music stopped abruptly, and a commotion erupted from Ken's booth. A flash of platinum blonde hair caught my attention—Marissa, stumbling through the crowd in a white slip dress that made her look like a broken angel.

She burst into Ken's booth with tears streaming down her face, her voice carrying across the suddenly quiet club: "You've been avoiding me! You won't answer my calls, you barely look at me anymore. What did I do wrong?"

The entire VIP section fell silent. I watched, transfixed, as Ken's entire demeanor transformed. The cold, controlled man I'd lived with for two years melted into someone I'd never seen before—gentle, concerned, infinitely patient.

"Marissa, sweetheart," he murmured, standing to wrap his arms around her trembling form. "You didn't do anything wrong. I've just been busy with work."

"But you used to call me every day," she sobbed into his chest. "You used to come see me, and now—"

"Shh," Ken soothed, stroking her hair with a tenderness that made my stomach clench. "I'm here now. Everything's alright."

Julian shifted uncomfortably, clearly embarrassed by the public display. "Perhaps we should—"

"No," Ken said firmly, his arms tightening around Marissa. "She needs me."

The way he held her, the way he spoke to her—it was everything I'd begged for during our marriage. Every cold rejection, every night I'd lain awake wondering what was wrong with me, suddenly made horrifying sense.

This was what love looked like on Ken Blackwood. I'd just never been worthy of receiving it.

"Eileen," Theo said quietly, "maybe we should—"

"No." I pulled away from him, my decision crystallizing like ice in my veins. "I have something to deliver."

I reached into my clutch and withdrew the divorce papers Victoria had prepared, the ones that would strip Ken of everything and expose his financial crimes. My heels clicked against the marble as I walked toward the VIP section, every eye in the club following my movement.

The security guard at the booth's entrance started to stop me, but Julian waved him off with a smirk. "Let her through. This should be entertaining."

Ken looked up as I approached, Marissa still clinging to him like a lifeline. His face went pale when he saw the papers in my hand, but his arms never loosened around his precious adopted sister.

"Gentlemen," I said pleasantly, my voice carrying clearly in the hushed space. "Marissa."

Then I drew back my arm and slammed the divorce papers directly into Ken's face, the legal documents scattering across the table and onto the floor.

"Consider yourself served, darling," I said, my smile sharp as broken glass. "I'm done playing house."