He threw money on the bed after our one-night stand.
I threw it back in his face at his own inauguration.
By sundown, we were engaged. By the week's end — married.
Franklin Flemington needed a wife to secure his empire. I needed a miracle to save my family. For two years, we played our parts flawlessly — the golden couple the whole city envied.
Behind closed doors, I was invisible to him.
When the two years were up, I handed him divorce papers without blinking.
He stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "I've given you everything a husband should. What more do you want from me, Octavia?"
I smiled, signed my name, and walked out.
I thought that was the end. I thought I'd finally won.
I forgot one thing — Franklin Flemington has never lost anything in his life. And he has no intention of starting with me.
Game on.

By the time I reached Chicago, the city greeted me with its legendary wind—not the kind that simply slips through your coat, but the kind that wraps around your skin and reminds you that you are somewhere entirely different. Somewhere I could finally breathe. For the first time in months, the negative thoughts about where my life had gone wrong felt muffled, silenced by the sheer scale of the Windy City. I was finally far from the Harrington shadow.


I switched on my phone as I taxied toward the gate. A text from Ayanna told me that Ethan's driver, Craig, was already waiting at the terminal. She described his sharp charcoal uniform and ended the message with a string of heart emojis, saying she couldn't wait another second to see me.


When I stepped into the terminal, I scanned the crowd and found him—a tall, professional man holding a signboard that read MISS ANNABEL REAGAN in elegant script.


"Craig?" I asked, arching an eyebrow as I approached.


Chapter 200 - ~ 200