Chapter 1

Dylan Reed handed me a divorce settlement to clear the way for Eliza Thornton.

It stated I would walk away with nothing but a rundown suburban apartment as compensation.

His assistant, Connor Parker, made a snide remark. "Ms. Jennings, you should be grateful. Mr. Reed is doing you a huge favor by giving you a place to live.

"With your education and background, you'd be flipping burgers or sleeping on the streets otherwise."

I laughed, picked up the papers, and folded them into a paper airplane before tossing it into the trash.

I said, "Dylan, did you forget whose name is on the deed to this mansion?"

I snapped my fingers. A group of bodyguards in black suits flooded the room.

"Throw these two trespassers out," I commanded.

Dylan was about to explode when his phone rang. It was the bank. All his accounts were frozen.

He stared at me in horror while I let my butler slip a massive canary diamond ring onto my finger.

"I forgot to tell you," I said, "The largest shareholder of Reed Group isn't a Reed. It's a Jennings."

*****

Three years of marriage felt like a slow and suffocating torture.

Today was the final blow.

Dylan tossed the thin settlement agreement on the table. The edge of the paper grazed my hand and left a faint red scratch.

"Sign it, Sierra," he demanded coldly. "Eliza is back. She deserves the best."

I looked at the terms. No alimony. The only compensation was a tiny, rundown apartment in the suburbs.

He even listed the downtown penthouse my mother gave me as a wedding gift as marital property, claiming it for himself.

It was laughable.

Connor, his assistant who always looked down on me, chimed in. "Ms. Jennings, Mr. Reed is offering you a roof over your head out of the goodness of his heart. You should be grateful."

I looked up at Dylan. He wore a custom suit, his handsome face full of cold impatience.

This was the man I had loved for three whole years.

I gave up everything for him. I hid my potential and willingly played the perfect, submissive housewife.

I cooked his meals. I drank myself into the ER schmoozing clients for him. I quietly cleaned up the messes he made with his business rivals.

But he knew none of that.

All he cared about was that his precious Eliza was back.

So I, the wife he promised to love forever, was just trash to be thrown away.

"What if I don't sign?" My voice was soft, with a slight tremor I couldn't hide.

Dylan frowned. "Don't push your luck, Sierra. You're an orphan with no degree and zero connections. Who else would want you? You can't survive without me."

Connor snorted. "Exactly. Don't tell me you actually think you're the real Mrs. Reed. You really think you deserve half his assets? Keep dreaming."

Every word felt like a knife to the chest.

"Absolute ruin?" I let out a soft laugh. "When you were scheming against me, did you think about leaving room for mercy?

I smiled so hard I almost cried.

I stood up slowly and grabbed the papers.

They thought I was going to cave and sign. Instead, I folded the document into a paper airplane and tossed it right into the trash can.

Dylan's face darkened. "Are you crazy, Sierra?"

I walked up to him and looked him dead in the eye. "Dylan, did you forget whose name is on the deed to this mansion?"