Chapter 4
A week passed.
I slept in soft sheets. Ate meals prepared with care. Walked through gardens that seemed to go on forever.
But peace didn’t come easy.
I kept waiting to be sent away. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. This was too good. Too perfect.
One morning, Vincent came to me.
“James has been calling,” he said. “Repeatedly. Begging to speak to you.”
My stomach turned.
“Does he think I’ll come back?”
“He thinks you’re still the girl who took his abuse quietly,” Vincent said, voice sharp. “He has no idea who you really are.”
He handed me his phone.
“Your choice. If you want to speak to him, I’ll be right beside you. If not, I’ll handle it.”
I thought about it. Thought about five years of silence. Five years of neglect. Five years of being invisible.
I took the phone.
“Put him on speaker,” I said.
Vincent nodded. Connected the call.
“Emily! Thank God!” James’s voice came through, desperate. “I’ve been so worried. Please, listen to me—what happened was a mistake. I was confused. I love you. Come home.”
I closed my eyes. Listened to the lies. The same smooth words he’d always used to keep me compliant.
“Home?” I said, my voice steady. “That was never my home, James. That was your house. And I was never anything more than your servant.”
“Emily, don’t say that—”
“Silence,” I said. Something in my voice made him stop. “You humiliated me. In front of everyone. You replaced me like I was nothing. And now you’re begging me to come back because you know who my father is.”
He hesitated.
“Emily, I made a mistake. I’ll fix it. Send her away. We’ll start over. Please—”
“You didn’t make a mistake, James. You showed me exactly who you are. And I finally believed you.”
“Emily, wait—your father… he’s dangerous. You don’t know what you’re getting into—”
“He’s my father,” I said. “And he loves me. Something you never did.”
I took a breath.
“Here is what will happen. You will sign the divorce papers. You will give me half of everything we owned. And you will never speak my name again. If you do… you’ll answer to him.”
Silence on the line.
“Half?” he snapped. “That’s ridiculous—”
“Then I’ll let him handle it,” I said. “And believe me, James. You won’t like his terms.”
Vincent leaned in.
“Hello, James,” he said, calm and cold. “My lawyer will be in touch. If you make this difficult, I’ll ruin your family’s business. Every bank account. Every asset. Everything.”
James made a choked sound.
“Mr. Gallo—please—”
“Sign the papers,” Vincent said. “Or lose everything.”
He ended the call.
I handed the phone back. My hands were shaking.
Vincent looked at me, proud.
May you like
“You did well,” he said. “But are you sure about the settlement? I could get you far more.”
“I don’t want his money,” I said. “I want what’s fair. And I want him to know I’m not weak anymore.”
