Five minutes after the divorce was signed, I boarded a flight with my two kids and disappeared overseas. Meanwhile, all seven of his family members crowded into a maternity clinic, celebrating his mistress—until the doctor spoke… and the room went dead silent.

David smirked, a look of triumph crossing his face. “Commendable. You’re finally catching on to your station, Catherine.”

“What isn’t yours, you eventually have to return,” Megan added, fueling the fire of her brother’s arrogance.

I didn’t offer a rebuttal. Instead, I reached back into my bag and produced two navy blue passports. I fanned them out like a winning hand at a high-stakes table. “David, the visas were finalized last week. I’m taking Aiden and Chloe to London. Permanently.”

The smugness on his face froze into a mask of confusion. Megan was the one who found her voice first, shrieking, “Are you insane? Do you have any idea what that costs? Where would you get that kind of money?”

I looked at them both—truly looked at them—and felt a wave of pity. “Money is no longer your concern.”

As if on cue, a black Mercedes GLS glided to the curb outside the glass doors. A driver in a crisp suit stepped out, opening the rear door and bowing toward the window. “Miss Catherine, the transport is ready.”

David’s face turned a mottled purple. “What kind of circus is this?”

I didn’t answer. I knelt to pick up Chloe, while Aiden gripped my hand with a strength that broke my heart. I looked at my ex-husband one last time. “Rest assured, from this second forward, we will never interfere with your ‘new life’ again.”

As I walked down the steps, the driver handed me a thick manila envelope. “From Steven, ma’am. All the evidence of the asset transfers has been compiled.”

I climbed into the car, the scent of expensive leather a stark contrast to the stagnant air of the office. Looking out the window, I saw David and Megan arguing on the sidewalk, oblivious to the fact that their world was about to be hit by a tactical strike they never saw coming.

Chapter 2: The Heir to Nothing

The black Mercedes merged into the morning sprawl of Manhattan, the June sun reflecting off the skyscrapers with a blinding, indifferent brilliance. Inside the car, the silence was heavy. Aiden stared out the window, his small face etched with a gravity no seven-year-old should possess.

“Mom,” he whispered, not looking away from the passing blur of the city. “Is Dad ever coming to visit us in the new house?”

I stroked his hair, my heart a lead weight. “We’re going to start a new adventure, Aiden. Just you, me, and Chloe.”