***
Nolan’s people came for Nina on the day of the hearing.
A black SUV with tinted windows, two more vehicles behind it. Everything by protocol. Everything serious.
They handed her clothes: a white blouse, a tailored pantsuit, black patent heels. Everything fit perfectly. She didn’t argue—just changed and pulled her hair into a low bun. No jewelry. Not a trace of makeup.
She looked elegant. Cold. Almost untouchable.
And yet… her eyes were empty, tired. As pale as paper. Like a shadow of who she used to be.
When Nina stepped out of the house, her fingers trembled slightly. She went down the porch steps, holding the railing. Her nerves were frayed. Before getting into the car, she looked back at the house one last time. A cleaning crew would come today and erase every trace of her being here. Irina had left an hour earlier—said a brief goodbye and was gone. Nina had gathered her things and left a bag by the door to be thrown out with the trash.
When the car pulled up to the courthouse, she started shaking. Her palms were slick, her fingers cramped. Nolan had assured her everything was under control, that the evidence would turn decisively against Frank—but she still couldn’t relax. She knew her husband too well.
One of the guards opened the door. Nina stepped out, forcing herself to stand straight.
Not to show the fear that was tightening her chest to the point of nausea.
Nina hadn’t taken more than two steps when she saw him.
Frank was already there.
Standing in the lobby in a perfectly pressed suit. Smiling at someone, as if no threat hung over his head. As if he were absolutely certain of his own impunity.
Their eyes met.
Nina froze.
And drowned in the hatred she saw in his.
He looked at her like trash—something to be cleaned out of his life. Like an inconvenience. A mistake. A failure. He didn’t even bother pretending to be polite. No smile. No trace of regret. Just cold fury—and something else. Dark. Possessive. As if she still belonged to him and had dared to defy his orders.
Nina barely stopped herself from walking up to him and slapping his face.
Why couldn’t they have separated like normal people? Just walked away. Each to their own life. Calmly. Without scenes. Without threats and schemes. Without courtrooms.
But no.
He needed to break her. Humiliate her. Make sure she was left with nothing. That no one would protect her. That she was nobody—without money, without connections, without power.
But he’d miscalculated.
Because she was still standing there.
Because, damn it, she’d had the courage to see this through.
And today, more than anything, she wanted to watch him fall.
Frank took a step forward, as if he were about to come at her. His jaw clenched, rage burning in his eyes. But the man beside him grabbed his forearm, stopping him. Leaned in and hissed something urgently, while Frank kept staring at Nina.
She smiled.
Smiled—and with her head held high, walked past with her security and her attorney into the courtroom. The hearing was set to begin in fifteen minutes.
The session started.
Nina sat straight as a wire, fingers digging into the armrests. Her palms were slick, her throat dry. But she didn’t allow herself a single emotion.
