Chapter 1
The day my daughter called another woman "Mom".
"I’m not eating it!"
Lila kicked her sparkly sneakers against the kitchen island.
She threw the cupcake I had spent all morning straight into the bin.
"Aunt Rosalie took me downtown yesterday. She bought me real French treats."
The casual cruelty from my own six-year-old made my chest tighten until I couldn't breathe.
Rosalie Bennett was Callan’s new business consultant.
She had spent the last four months creeping into my life while Callan kept me busy on a project overseas.
My daughter was starting to repeat Rosalie's words instead of mine.
Every day, Lila sounded a little more like Rosalie.
"Lila," I said, keeping my voice level even though my hands were cold against the counter.
"Today is your school orientation. I’ve had it on the kitchen calendar for six months. I am your mother. I am taking you."
"No! Daddy said Aunt Rosalie is coming too!"
Lila crossed her arms, glaring at me.
"She knows how to dress for a private school. You just look like a nanny."
My phone buzzed.
Rosalie: [Can't wait to see you and Lila today.]
I stared at the message for a long second.
Then I locked my phone without replying.
"Lila," I said quietly. "Let's go."
The drive to Evermoor Academy was completely silent.
When we pulled into the drop-off lane, Callan’s Bentley was already idling at the curb.
He stepped out, looking every bit the cold billionaire who ran this city.
He didn't even look toward me.
Instead, he walked around to open the passenger door for Rosalie.
Rosalie looked flawless in a white Chanel blazer, her diamond bracelets catching the morning sun.
To the other parents watching at the gates, they looked like the perfect family.
Rosalie smoothed the front of Callan's tie before she turned toward Lila.
The movement was so natural that it made me pause. Maybe I was imagining things.
"Aunt Rosalie!"
Lila jumped out of my car, running straight into Rosalie's open arms without a single glance backward.
Rosalie caught her with a soft laugh, her eyes locking onto mine.
She just gave me the satisfied smile of a woman who had won a war without firing a shot.
Callan finally turned his eyes toward me, cold and indifferent.
"You can go home, Seren. Rosalie handled the school donation this morning, so she’ll be sitting with me in the VIP lounge. Don't linger and make things awkward."
I stood by my car door, listening to the whispers of the school moms around me.
For seven years, I had told myself that keeping my family together was worth breaking myself into pieces.
But watching Lila hold Rosalie’s hand as they walked into the building, the illusion finally cracked.
I got into my car, opened my phone, and pulled up my text thread with Callan.
I typed three words:
[ We're done.]
I pressed send, shifted into drive, and left the school gates behind.