Chapter 1

The morning coffee had gone cold on my desk, forgotten amid the stack of case files that demanded my attention. Three years of running Thompson Breakup Consulting had taught me to expect the unexpected, but nothing could have prepared me for what walked through my office door at precisely 10:47 AM.

She swept in like she owned the place—designer heels clicking against the polished floor, a Hermès bag swinging from her manicured fingers, and jewelry that caught the light with every calculated movement. Everything about her screamed money, from the silk blouse that probably cost more than most people's rent to the way she surveyed my office with the cool assessment of someone used to getting exactly what she wanted.

"Ms. Thompson?" Her voice carried the kind of confidence that came from never hearing the word 'no.' "I need your services. Immediately."

I gestured to the chair across from my desk, my professional smile sliding into place despite something unsettling about her presence. "Of course. Please, have a seat and tell me how I can help."

She settled into the chair with fluid grace, crossing her legs and fixing me with a stare that felt more like a challenge than a consultation. "I need you to help a wife initiate divorce proceedings. The situation is... delicate."

"I see." I reached for my notepad, pen poised. "What makes this case particularly challenging?"

A smile played at the corners of her mouth—not warm, but predatory. "The husband wants out, but he's too much of a coward to do it himself. He needs the wife to think it's her idea."

The familiar weight of moral ambiguity settled in my chest. I'd handled cases like this before—marriages where one party wanted out but lacked the courage for honest confrontation. Still, something about her tone made my skin crawl.

"What's the husband's primary concern?" I asked, keeping my voice neutral.

"Oh, where do I start?" She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming. "He finds her absolutely repulsive now. Especially after she had their child—all those ugly scars across her stomach. He can barely stand to look at her, let alone touch her."

My pen stilled against the paper. A cold finger traced down my spine.

"The poor man has been suffering in silence for years," she continued, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "Every time he sees those hideous marks, he's reminded of how she's let herself go. How she's nothing like the woman he married."

The words hit like physical blows. I forced myself to keep writing, though my hand had begun to tremble slightly. Coincidences happened. Lots of women had cesarean scars. This couldn't be—

"He's been planning his exit strategy for months," she went on, examining her perfect nails. "Quietly moving assets, preparing for his new life. He deserves so much better than what he's trapped with now."

"Assets?" The word came out sharper than intended.

"Mmm." She waved a dismissive hand. "Money that should have been his all along. Her parents' investments, some business accounts. He's simply reclaiming what he's entitled to."

The room seemed to tilt. My heart hammered against my ribs as pieces clicked into place with sickening clarity. The timeline. The scars. The asset transfers I'd noticed but Davis had explained away.

"What's the husband's name?" I managed, though my voice sounded distant to my own ears.

Her smile widened, triumph dancing in her dark eyes. "Davis Thompson. And before you ask—yes, I know exactly who you are, Kiara."

The pen slipped from my numb fingers, clattering onto the desk. The sound echoed in the sudden silence as my world crashed down around me.

"Surprised?" She laughed, a sound like breaking glass. "Davis has told me so much about you. About how disgusted he is every time he has to pretend to love you. About how he counts down the days until he can be free of you and those revolting scars."

I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. The woman sitting across from me—this stranger who knew my most intimate secrets, my deepest insecurities—was casually dismantling my entire life.

"You're Nova," I whispered.

"Nova Ruiz. Davis's real future." She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone, swiping to a photo. "Look familiar?"

The image showed Davis's hands fastening a diamond necklace around her throat—the same necklace I'd seen charged to our joint account last month. The same necklace he'd claimed was a surprise for our anniversary.

"He bought this for me three weeks ago," she said, touching the diamonds at her throat. "Right after he transferred another fifty thousand from your parents' investment account. Did you know about that transfer, Kiara? Or are you still playing the oblivious little wife?"