Chapter 5

An hour later, my phone rang.

Caller ID: Richard Vance.

I answered. His first words made me freeze.

"Vivian, Ethan said you put his girlfriend in jail?"

Richard's tone was heavy with accusation. "He also said you called him an ungrateful leech in front of everyone. How could you do that to him?"

"He was crying on the phone just now, saying he wants to end his life. Do you realize you almost drove my son to suicide?"

My grip on the phone tightened.

Ethan was crying, claiming I drove him to suicide.

Yet Richard hadn't asked a single question about Zephyr's injuries. He didn't care about the pushpins.

He didn't even ask if I was okay.

"Richard," I said, closing my eyes. "Come home. We need to talk."

"We're getting a divorce."

Silence fell over the line for ten seconds.

Then, Richard spoke in a cold, dark tone I had never heard from him before.

"Divorce? Vivian, you've lost your mind."

"Do you think the Sinclair family is still what it was eight years ago?"

"Your father is dead. Your brother is crippled. The Sinclair assets have been drained. You're nothing but a paper tiger."

"Without me, you are absolutely nothing."

I held the phone, my entire body going cold.

Because I suddenly realized something.

Ethan's disrespect and venomous words hadn't come out of nowhere.

They were a mirror.

A mirror reflecting the thoughts of the man I had slept next to for eight years.

After hanging up, I stood in the stable, watching the dusk settle.

Zephyr's hoof was bandaged. Dr. Evans had given him anti-inflammatories. He lay quietly on the straw, occasionally nuzzling my palm to comfort me.

Eight years.

Eight years since I married Richard. He had gone from a near-bankrupt business owner to a prominent tycoon.

His business empire had expanded nationwide, crossing into real estate, logistics, and dining. Everyone praised his vision and guts, calling him a natural businessman.

But only I knew that his "vision" came from my strategies behind the scenes.

His "guts" were backed by the Sinclair family's connections and resources.

Before my father died, he was the wealthiest man in the state.

My brother, Arthur, though in poor health, was a recognized business prodigy.

When the Sinclair family was at its peak, Richard wasn't even fit to shine our shoes.

But now that my brother was bedridden and our family business had been slowly eaten away, Richard thought his wings were fully grown.

He dared to tell me I was nothing without him.

"Zephyr... do you think he was playing me from the very start?"

I buried my face in his mane, my voice muffled.

Zephyr couldn't answer, but his quiet presence was the only comfort I had.

My phone buzzed again. This time, it was Ethan.

I stared at his contact name, "My Boy," before picking up.