Chapter 2 · This Time, I Broke The Door

The moment I stepped into the living room, Leonard pulled me into his arms and launched into his apology.

"Babe, I'm so sorry about last night. I was such an asshole. Work's been crushing me lately, and I had too much to drink.

"I swear I'll never lay a hand on you again. And about Vanessa—it's not what you think. She and I, we're just playing the game, you know that.

"Your father and I just broke ground on the Clearwater Bay project last week. You don't want him distracted right now, do you?"

*****

At this point in the story, Leonard hadn't completely devoured the Summers family fortune yet, so he needed to keep the female lead under control.

I listened to his "confession" and watched his performance, and I wanted to laugh.

Back when I was reading the story and got to the scene where Leonard locked Claire in their bedroom and beat her for the first time, then got down on his knees to apologize afterward. Claire forgave him, readers flooded the comments.

[Why doesn't she just leave this abusive bastard?]

[Abuse happens once, it happens forever. Run!]

But now, standing here in the middle of it, watching Leonard's "concerned" act and his threats wrapped in sweetness, listening to his "remorse"—I suddenly understood Claire.

She was trapped in the middle of it all.

The discrimination ran deep in how people thought.

The emotional ties bound her in place.

The laws lagged behind, offering no real protection.

And the physical threats loomed over everything.

Any one of these forces could keep a woman locked in a violent home, unable to break free.

I felt a wave of grief wash over me for Claire, but at the same time, relief flooded through me. I wasn't really her.

Between Leonard and me, there was nothing. I didn't buy into his twisted beliefs, I felt no emotional connection to him, and I sure as hell wasn't afraid of his threats.

I shoved him away hard and slapped him across the face.

The crack echoed through the room, sharp and unmistakable.

*****

Leonard stood there, stunned. He clearly hadn't expected me to fight back. The old Claire would've collapsed into his arms by now, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Divorce." I stared him down, my voice ice-cold.

When reality hit him, his face darkened. "Do you even know what you're saying?"

I pulled a document from my bag and threw it in his face. "Cut the crap. Sign it."

The divorce papers had been tucked into the stack of materials the female officer gave me.

He settled back onto the couch and lit a cigarette. He looked up at me and said, "You better think this through. You don't want the people around you getting hurt because of your stubbornness, do you? Think about it."

Then he stood up and walked out.

*****

I hadn't finished gathering evidence for the divorce yet, and Leonard left on a business trip for half a month.

I had the boxing techniques down, but I needed to get my stamina back up fast. If things played out like they did in the original story and he tried to lay hands on me, I wanted to be ready to knock him out cold.

So starting the next day, I dragged myself out of bed at six-thirty and hit the gym.

Lunch was beef and chicken breast. Dinner was protein shakes. I kept that up for almost a week.

Then one day, as I wiped sweat from my face, I walked out of the gym and heard my maid, Amy's, voice. "The second floor isn't for guests, Ms. Cole. You can't go up there."

I looked down from the second-floor railing.

Vanessa strutted in wearing oversized sunglasses, dragging a suitcase behind her like a peacock on parade. "Who the hell do you think you are? Get lost and don't touch me with your filthy hands!"

She shoved Amy aside.

Amy tried again. "Ms. Cole, you really can't go upstairs."

When Vanessa saw me coming down, she got even more demanding. "I'm staying here. Leonard already agreed, so clear out of the bedroom right now."

"Get out," I said.

"You're the one who needs to leave. Leonard already promised to transfer this house to me." Vanessa pushed past me and headed for the stairs.

This was the house where she and Leonard lived together before. They'd been on-and-off for six years, and now that she was back in the country, they'd already jumped into bed together.

This place was her trophy, her way of marking her territory.

It was exactly like the book. Claire would've swallowed her anger and kept quiet, but I wasn't Claire.

Chapter 2

The moment I stepped into the living room, Leonard pulled me into his arms and launched into his apology.

"Babe, I'm so sorry about last night. I was such an asshole. Work's been crushing me lately, and I had too much to drink.

"I swear I'll never lay a hand on you again. And about Vanessa—it's not what you think. She and I, we're just playing the game, you know that.

"Your father and I just broke ground on the Clearwater Bay project last week. You don't want him distracted right now, do you?"

*****

At this point in the story, Leonard hadn't completely devoured the Summers family fortune yet, so he needed to keep the female lead under control.

I listened to his "confession" and watched his performance, and I wanted to laugh.

[Why doesn't she just leave this abusive bastard?]

[Abuse happens once, it happens forever. Run!]

But now, standing here in the middle of it, watching Leonard's "concerned" act and his threats wrapped in sweetness, listening to his "remorse"—I suddenly understood Claire.

She was trapped in the middle of it all.

The discrimination ran deep in how people thought.

The emotional ties bound her in place.

The laws lagged behind, offering no real protection.

And the physical threats loomed over everything.

Any one of these forces could keep a woman locked in a violent home, unable to break free.

I felt a wave of grief wash over me for Claire, but at the same time, relief flooded through me. I wasn't really her.

Between Leonard and me, there was nothing. I didn't buy into his twisted beliefs, I felt no emotional connection to him, and I sure as hell wasn't afraid of his threats.

I shoved him away hard and slapped him across the face.

The crack echoed through the room, sharp and unmistakable.

*****

Leonard stood there, stunned. He clearly hadn't expected me to fight back. The old Claire would've collapsed into his arms by now, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Divorce." I stared him down, my voice ice-cold.

When reality hit him, his face darkened. "Do you even know what you're saying?"

I pulled a document from my bag and threw it in his face. "Cut the crap. Sign it."

The divorce papers had been tucked into the stack of materials the female officer gave me.

Then he stood up and walked out.

*****

I hadn't finished gathering evidence for the divorce yet, and Leonard left on a business trip for half a month.

So starting the next day, I dragged myself out of bed at six-thirty and hit the gym.

Lunch was beef and chicken breast. Dinner was protein shakes. I kept that up for almost a week.

Then one day, as I wiped sweat from my face, I walked out of the gym and heard my maid, Amy's, voice. "The second floor isn't for guests, Ms. Cole. You can't go up there."

I looked down from the second-floor railing.

Vanessa strutted in wearing oversized sunglasses, dragging a suitcase behind her like a peacock on parade. "Who the hell do you think you are? Get lost and don't touch me with your filthy hands!"

She shoved Amy aside.

Amy tried again. "Ms. Cole, you really can't go upstairs."

When Vanessa saw me coming down, she got even more demanding. "I'm staying here. Leonard already agreed, so clear out of the bedroom right now."

"Get out," I said.

"You're the one who needs to leave. Leonard already promised to transfer this house to me." Vanessa pushed past me and headed for the stairs.

This was the house where she and Leonard lived together before. They'd been on-and-off for six years, and now that she was back in the country, they'd already jumped into bed together.

This place was her trophy, her way of marking her territory.

It was exactly like the book. Claire would've swallowed her anger and kept quiet, but I wasn't Claire.