Not a single one of Seth's friends or family had shown up. It had been just the two of us in that church, exchanging vows in a ceremony so simple it barely qualified as one.

Back then, I'd been naive enough to believe he truly loved me, that he was genuinely too busy with work to do more.

Even though I'd handled every detail of the wedding on my own, I'd still felt happy.

But now, staring at these pages, the realization cut through me with perfect clarity.

Seth had always been capable of patience. He'd simply never spent any of it on me.

I took the brochures with steady hands, my voice scraping out rough and dry.

"Fine. I understand."

"I hope you keep your word."

Then I turned to Seth and added one last thing.

"Since that's how things are, let's get a divorce. Make room for your new bride."

Seth looked at me with a flicker of surprise, as if my calm compliance had caught him off guard. But he didn't dwell on it. In his mind, this had been the arrangement all along. There was nothing left to explain.

"That's a good girl. Just do your job as Mrs. Vance."

"Once I've had my fill, I'll come back to you. Naturally."

"Use this time to learn how things work in high society. Stop embarrassing me."

Whether it was deliberate or simply instinct, Seth brushed right past what I'd said about the divorce.

He was so certain I couldn't leave him. So certain I loved him too much. He took everything I gave him as though it were owed, and he enjoyed it without a second thought.

So he ignored everything I felt.

It had always been like this. I loved him too much, and he'd turned my devotion into something he was entitled to.

But none of that mattered anymore.

Because I was about to leave him.

Zoe shot me a triumphant look, one eyebrow arched, and followed Seth into the bedroom. Within moments, muffled sounds drifted through the door, unmistakable and intimate.

Seth's voice came again, low and breathless, and my feet froze to the floor as if nailed there.

"Sandra, you should know what brand I like."

"Be a good girl and go buy them."

"Your grandfather's medical bills still need me to pay for them, remember?"

His threatening voice still rang in my ears. I could only limp my way to the convenience store and buy a box of condoms.

I slid them through the bedroom door. The scene inside made my stomach lurch.