The bastard thought he could break my heartstrategically. That he could cushion the blow if I were in my favorite café in the city with people I cared about.
“No,” I bite out, fury sparking at the base of my spine. “I’m not leaving him. I’m not going back to New York. This is my home now. I’m staying.”
Maxwell stands. “Elias made the right call. He’s going after The Association. I don’t know the details, but if he fails, the punishment isextirpation. They’ll go after his entire family—that includes you. This is the safest decision. The smart—”
“It’smychoice!” I scream. My brothers freeze, jaws slack. “I’m smart, capable. Just because I’m a woman, yourlittlesister, doesn’t mean I don’t get to decide how to live my life.”
“But your choice could kill the rest of us!” Maxwell slams both his hands on the table, a vein ticcing on his forehead. “Extirpation. If you stayed married, that’d include us. I don’t care about myself. But the kids. Belle, Olivia, your sisters. I can’t—”
The floor swirls, and I sway on my feet.
His words echo in my skull. Amid my grief and fury, I’ve forgotten the price if this goes south.
Aria squeezes my hand and eases me into a seat.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, heat prickling my eyes. “I just reacted. I didn’t think.”
Little Levi. The twins. My siblings. Their spouses. Dad.
I can’t be selfish.
“I don’t blame you,” Rex murmurs, clasping my hand. “I’d do the same thing. Probably worse.”
Scarlett slides into the booth next to me and tucks a hot drink into my hand. Aria sits across the table, her usually bright eyes solemn.
“If Olivia left you with the twins and disappeared, would you let her go?” I ask Rex.
He hesitates.
A lump constricts my throat. I turn to Maxwell. “If Belle vanished to protect you, would you just sit at home and be at peace with it?”
Then I ask Aria, “If Blake left you to face danger alone, would you be okay with his decision?”
She shakes her head, her eyes misting. “No. I wouldn’t.”
I take the papers, the words blurring in front of me.
Petition for Dissolution of Marriage.
Drafts prepared by his counsel, pre-filed, just needing my signature. He’s thought of everything.
My fingers shake as I flip to the end and see his name scrawled in blue ink—a single period punctuating a love that’s impossible to describe in words.
Memories flicker—startling green eyes, teasing smiles, gentle hands patching up my dress.
No. I won’t abandon him to deal with The Association alone. I know he’s doing this because he thinks he won’t make it out alive. But my brothers are right. It’s not only my life at stake.
Pulling in a stiff inhale, I grab the fountain pen and scrawl my name next to his.
The girls gasp.
I set the pen down and look at the people I love—my family, my friends—grim determination steeling my nerves.
I will never leave them behind.
Just like I will never leave Elias.
“No longer married,” I murmur. “You should be protected. But…”
