Chapter 10 - The Masterpiece
Six months after the night I was locked in the kitchen, my life was unrecognizable—in the best possible way.
The divorce was fully behind me, sealed with a permanent asset division that left Julian with nothing but his debts and his shattered ego. Fiona had retreated to a quiet suburb in Florida, far away from the high-society circles where she used to sneer at anyone whose pedigree didn't match her delusions of grandeur.
And me?
I was standing in the grand lobby of the newly renovated Gold Coast boutique hotel, watching guests walk across the gleaming marble floors I had personally designed, beneath crystal chandeliers that cast a warm, welcoming glow over the entire space.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw a text message from Marcus:
“Dinner at my place tonight? I’m making lasagna. No sixty-dish requirement, I promise.”
I smiled, tapping out a quick reply:
May you like
“On my way. And don't worry—I brought my own escape fund.”
I locked my phone, slipped it into my pocket, and walked out through the heavy glass doors into the Chicago evening air. The city stretched out before me, vast and limitless, waiting for whatever masterpiece I chose to build next.
