Chapter 3
Through my tears, I saw the driver's door of the Range Rover open. A tall figure emerged, limping slightly as they approached my car through the rain. My heart raced with panic—the perfect end to this nightmare day would be getting screamed at by some angry stranger whose expensive vehicle I'd just damaged.
I fumbled with my seatbelt, hands shaking so badly I could barely release the clasp. When I finally looked up, a man stood beside my window, rain soaking through his tailored suit. His face was partially shadowed, but I could make out strong features and eyes that studied me with unexpected intensity.
He gestured for me to roll down my window. I complied, bracing for his anger.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice deep and surprisingly gentle.
"I—I'm fine," I managed, wiping tears from my cheeks. "I'm so sorry about your car. I wasn't paying attention."
He glanced back at his Range Rover, then returned his gaze to me. "The car can be fixed. You look like you're having a much worse day than I am."
Something about his calm demeanor made me break down again. I covered my face with my hands, mortified to be sobbing in front of a complete stranger.
"I'm Ethan Brooks," he said, seemingly unfazed by my emotional state. He reached into his jacket and produced a business card, placing it carefully on my dashboard. "Take your time. Call me when you're ready."
I stared at him through my tears, confused by his kindness.
"But your car—"
"Will still be damaged tomorrow." His lips curved into a slight smile. "Some things can wait."
With that, he limped back to his vehicle, got in, and drove away, leaving me sitting in stunned silence, his card on my dashboard—the only evidence our encounter had been real.
* * *
The hotel room was bland and impersonal, but it was clean and, most importantly, not the house I'd shared with Jack. I'd checked in three days ago, paying with my personal credit card that Jack couldn't track. My phone buzzed on the nightstand, displaying a text from an unknown number. Against my better judgment, I opened it.
*You're stealing Jack's money. Back off or I'll make sure you regret it.*
My stomach twisted. Vanessa. It had to be. I scrolled to see previous messages I hadn't noticed.
*Jack built everything you had. You contributed NOTHING.*
*You think you deserve half? For what? Being a useless housewife?*
The phone buzzed again with a new message: *I know which hotel you're at. We can make this much worse for you.*
My hands trembled as I dropped the phone onto the bed. How did she know where I was staying? I hadn't told anyone except—
Jack. Of course. He must have tracked my credit card.
I grabbed my purse and hastily packed my few belongings. I needed somewhere safe, somewhere they couldn't find me.
* * *
"He did WHAT?" Leo's voice echoed through our childhood home as he paced the living room, phone in hand. My brother's face was flushed with anger. "That manipulative son of a—"
"Leo, please," my mother called from the kitchen. "Language."
I sat curled on the sofa, a blanket wrapped around my shoulders despite the warm evening. I'd shown up at my parents' doorstep two hours ago, and Leo had arrived shortly after, canceling his business dinner the moment he heard what happened.
"Look at this," he said, thrusting his phone toward me. "He's been busy."
I took the phone, scrolling through screenshots of social media posts. Jack's carefully worded statements about his "concern" for his "mentally unstable wife" who had "abandoned their marriage during a difficult time." Comments from mutual friends expressing sympathy—for him.
"He's painting me as the villain," I whispered, feeling sick.
"Of course he is," Leo said, sitting beside me. "He's trying to control the narrative before you can tell your side."
He took his phone back, his expression softening as he looked at me. "Sophia, you need a lawyer. A good one. This isn't just about divorce anymore—it's about protecting yourself."
I nodded numbly, thinking of the business card still sitting in my car. Ethan Brooks. CEO, Brooks Security Technologies.
"I might know someone who can help," I said quietly, wondering why the thought of that stranger in the rain gave me the first glimmer of hope I'd felt in days.
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