I just walk past, chin up.
Inside, the judge is waiting. An older man with tired eyes and a pen already in his hand.
It’s fast. Efficient. Painless, on the surface.
Except for the part where I sign my name—Sabrina Kensington—next tohis.
Langston Blackwell.
My husband.
Ariana hugs me tight before I can think about it too hard.
“You’ll be okay,” she whispers.
I nod, forcing a small smile. “You too.”
She leaves with her head down, slipping out before anyone else can speak.
And then it’s just us.
Langston and me.
Standing alone on the courthouse steps with the city stretching wide around us.
My heels click against the stone as I turn to face him. His hands are in his pockets, but there’s nothing relaxed about the way he looks at me.
Like he’s waiting for the next move.
Like he knows I’m going to fight him every step of the way—and he’s already looking forward to it.
“I’m giving you one year,” I say.
He tilts his head. “One year?”
“That’s the deal,” I bite out. “One year. Then we walk away. You get your merger, your reputation stays clean, and I get to go back to my life.”
Langston’s mouth curves into something dark. Dangerous.
“I never agreed to that.”
And before I can snap back, before I can remind him thatIam not something he can own—
He kisses me.
Right there.
On the courthouse steps.
It’s not gentle.
It’s not polite.
It’s the kind of kiss that pins you in place—hot, hungry, and anchored in a promise neither of us has the guts to say out loud.
When he pulls back, I’m breathless.
Blinking.
