Page 175 of The Sound of Temptation

She looks up at me hopefully.

I look down at my hands. “I wish we had the kind of relationship where we could comfort each other. I could do with that, myself. But… I don’t know you. You don’t know me. I hope one day, that will change. Your being here is just making things harder. I’m sorry if that hurts you, but I’m barely breathing.”

She grasps my hand hard. “If something happened to you, too… I know you don’t understand.”

I pull my hand free. “Give me time. Please.”

She nods and leaves me alone, finally.

I pull out the drawing I’ve been carrying around all week. I drew it on the plane to remind myself that whether I was rich, poor, single or married, I was always myself. I stare at the picture now and let the truths staring back at me refresh my spirit.

I’m not the girl whose parents didn’t love her more than they hated living with each other.

Not a whiff of the Beth whose mother left her to be raised by a man who they call The Wolf. Those are my eyes that are boldly daring the world to try and tame me. My unyielding jaw, my chin held high, my lips curved in a sensual, knowing smile. She isn’t afraid of canyonless valleys or undammed rivers.

Or wolves.

The only thing that truly scares this Beth is not getting to explore all the wonder this world has to show me. My scar is a clover shaped badge of survival. This woman is a galaxy of color, light, strength, and power and she deserves to be happy and free and loved. She won’t settle for anything less.

I pick up the papers my lawyer couriered over this morning and go see my husband.

I find Duke in his study well on his way to being drunk and it’s not even noon.

“I want a divorce.” I say when I sit down across the desk for him.

; “Ah, if wishes were horses…” He says with a sloppy grin.

“Here,” I thrust the papers that I had drawn up today in his direction.

“What’s this?” He slurs.

“Divorce papers. Sign them. In ninety days we’ll both be riding our horses in opposite directions.”

He sits up at that. His eyes alert and focused now.

“Where’d you get these?” he looks between me and the papers he’s clutching in his fist.

“From the lawyer I hired to draw them up.”

“What lawyer?” he spits the word like a curse.

“Not that it matters, but his name and information is right there.” I point at the card paper clipped to the documents. Just sign it. It’s pretty straightforward.”

“You must be crazy. If we get divorced, you get nothing.”

“There’s a check for, written out to you. As a divorce settlement.”

He picks up the papers and flips through him. When he sees the check, his eyes nearly bug out of his head “This is for me? All the money? How?”

“My father left me everything.”

He jaw drops. “What about Fiona?”

I’m confused by his concern for my stepmother. But I don’t care enough to probe. I shrug. “I guess he thought whatever the prenup gave her was enough.”

His eyes narrow. “So, you’re getting billions.”