Chapter 4

The elevator hit the lobby, and the doors slid open.

I walked out, crossed the polished marble floor, and pushed through the revolving doors.

Standing on the steps outside, I pulled out my phone and sent Carter a text on Snapchat.

[Tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM, meet me at the Family Court. We're filing for divorce.]

The chat remained on "Read." No reply.

He was always like this. Whenever it came to things that didn't benefit him—like losing half of his net worth in a divorce settlement—he chose to ignore it.

But this marriage had reached a point where it had to end.

The next morning at 8:30 AM, I arrived at the Family Court house early.

Several young couples were waiting in line outside, their faces glowing with the sweet, naive hope of newlyweds.

I walked past them and found a seat by the window.

9:15 AM.

He didn't show.

I set my designer bag on the empty seat next to me and looked down at the pale indentation on my ring finger.

The skin underneath was still strikingly white.

Like a scar of my failure.

Seven years of devotion, and all I had left to show for it was a blank space on my finger.

Deep down, I knew he wouldn't show up. But it didn't matter anymore.

What mattered was that I was done waiting.

Just as I was about to stand up, a voice called out from above me:

"Well, well. If it isn't Mrs. Sterling?"

I looked up and saw a heavily made-up face.

Short, dark hair, wearing a low-cut black slip dress.

I recognized her. She had cornered me last summer. Her name was Amber, a contemporary dancer.

Carter had secretly funded several of her solo shows.

She stood in front of me with her arms crossed.

"What is the grand Mrs. Sterling doing here?"

"Filing for divorce."

She blinked in shock, then let out a sharp laugh. "Divorce? Who actually got those three ridiculous questions right?"

I shook my head.

Her laughter faded, and she tilted her head, her eyes flashing with a strange, complicated expression.

"You two are honestly the most bizarre couple I’ve ever met," she said suddenly. "But Carter is on a whole different level of psycho."

"Back then, I asked him what those three questions of yours meant. I asked him if I really had to answer them correctly to be with him."

"Do you want to guess what he said?"

She leaned in closer, whispering: "He said..."

"Those questions are just a trap she set up to humiliate you guys. She'll never give you the correct answer anyway."

She let out a scoff.

"Turns out you two were just using us like circus monkeys for your little marriage games. Absolutely pathetic."

My hands clenched into tight fists over my knees.

But I forced my face to remain perfectly serene. "When you accepted the half-million-dollar breakup settlement, you didn't seem to think it was pathetic."

Amber's face stiffened. She couldn't find a single word to fire back.

I threw my bag over my shoulder and walked right past her.

When I pushed open the heavy glass doors of the courthouse, the sky outside had turned a gloomy gray.

I slumped onto a public bench by the street.

My fingers had started violently trembling.

My therapist had warned me that under extreme stress, my dependency disorder would trigger severe physical withdrawal symptoms.

Trembling, heart palpitations, hyperventilation...

I gripped the strap of my bag, digging my fingernails into my palms, forcing myself to count.

"One, two, three, four..."

My heart was hammering against my ribs. Cold sweat broke out across my back.

My vision started going dark.

I knew this was the withdrawal.

I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my face in them.

It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing my lungs.

I wanted so badly to call him. I knew that if he just said one kind word, the pain would stop instantly.

He doesn’t want me anymore.

The thought screamed in my head, making my skull throb. I forced myself to rewrite the narrative:

No. I don't want him anymore!

I pulled out my phone and dialed a different number.

"Dr. Evans, it's me," my voice was shaking violently. "You said there was a treatment that could completely cure my codependency... that could decouple my trauma triggers."

He hesitated on the line. "Yes, Evelyn. But that method is highly extreme. It could cause..."

"I want to do it. Now."