General He is really miserable, got divorced by his wife.

Evelyn pulled the silk sheet up over her bare shoulders. Her chest still heaved, her breathing uneven from the intimacy they had just shared. The heat of his skin seemed to linger on hers, a phantom warmth in the dim light of the master bedroom.

Julian stood up from the edge of the mattress. He did not look back. His broad back and the hard lines of his muscles looked rigid, carved from cold stone under the glow of the wall sconce.

He walked toward the mahogany walk-in closet. His bare feet sank into the thick Persian rug, making absolutely no sound.

Evelyn watched him, her heart maintaining a steady, hopeful rhythm. That rhythm shattered when Julian emerged wearing a chilled silk robe. He held a thick manila envelope in his right hand.

He walked back to the bed and tossed the envelope onto the mattress. It landed near her knees with a heavy, muffled thud.

Evelyn's eyes dropped to the brown paper. A cold dread pooled in her stomach. Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached out and pulled the flap open.

She slid the documents out. The bold, black letters at the top of the first page screamed at her: DIVORCE AGREEMENT.

Evelyn snapped her head up. She stared at Julian, her eyes searching his sharp, handsome features for any sign of a cruel joke. His jaw was set.

"Sign it," Julian said. His voice held zero temperature. He looked down at her as if she were a stranger who had overstayed her welcome.

He adjusted the belt of his robe. "Scarlett landed at JFK an hour ago. I need my single status restored to welcome her back."

The name hit Evelyn like a physical blow to the sternum. Scarlett Vance.

All the blood drained from Evelyn's face. Her heart felt as if an invisible fist had reached into her chest and crushed it flat. Her lungs burned. She could not pull in a single breath.

She bit down hard on her lower lip, forcing the tears to stay behind her eyes. Suddenly, her stomach violently twisted. A wave of intense nausea surged up her throat.

Evelyn clamped a hand over her mouth. She threw the silk sheet aside, stumbled off the bed, her legs weak and shaking, and rushed into the master bathroom.

She gripped the edges of the cold marble sink. She hunched over, gagging, her body shaking as dry heaves wracked her chest.

Julian stood outside the frosted glass door. His brow furrowed in deep irritation.

"Don't use cheap tricks to stall for time, Evelyn," Julian's voice cut through the heavy door, laced with brutal mockery. "Faking an illness won't change anything."

Evelyn turned on the faucet. She splashed freezing water onto her face. She stared at her pale, hollow reflection in the mirror. The water dripped from her chin. The naive hope in her eyes died, replaced by a clear, sharp resolve.

She grabbed a towel, dried her face, and walked out of the