Chapter 7

Meanwhile, I was in the hotel room having a meeting. The team had come to Miami to launch a business, and we were officially starting the next day. Adam had suggested a team-building outing beforehand so everyone could get acquainted and sort out the division of labor. That afternoon, we went to a well-known local spa resort. In the evening, he booked a hotel suite so we could all meet in one place. There were eight people on the team, all seasoned professionals in the industry. I was the only one who had spent years as a housewife, long out of practice with the workflow. Adam noticed my unease and said quietly: "Take your time. We've all got your back." His patience put me at ease. As I reacquainted myself with the work, the old instincts started coming back. Before I knew it, the clock read eleven. After an evening-long meeting, everyone was starving. Someone suggested we go grab a bite. I was looking up nearby restaurants on my phone when the hotel room door beeped. The next second, Daniel burst in. I had no idea how he got a keycard. But with the Hayes family's reach, it wasn't hard to imagine. When he saw the eight of us gathered around the conference table, he stopped dead. "You..." His gaze swept the room in a panic. The moment it landed on Adam, his eyes blazed. He was about to erupt when I stepped forward and blocked his path. "We're in a meeting. Can I help you?" Daniel looked at me, then at Adam. Then he seized my wrist and started pulling me toward the door. "I need to talk to you." I didn't want to get dragged into this. But with my colleagues watching, I didn't want to make the scene any worse. So I went. "Emma." Adam followed, his voice laced with concern. He leaned close and said softly: "If anything happens, call me. Don't try to handle it alone." I nodded. In the hotel lobby, Daniel's anger still hadn't cooled. "Did Adam lure you here?" I pulled my wrist free and looked at him coldly. "Adam is my boss. I'd appreciate it if you chose your words more carefully. And I'm an adult. Where I go is my own business. Don't use words like 'lure.'" Daniel let out a bitter laugh. "Right. We're not even divorced yet, and you're already defending him. Should I be expecting a wedding invitation soon?" I looked at him, expressionless. "We're colleagues. Nothing more. You don't get to slander that." "Slander?" He said it like he'd heard a joke. "You two share a spa pool, you share a couples suite, and you still won't admit it. Do I need to catch you in bed together before you'll confess you've been cheating on me?" I held his gaze and took one step closer. Then another. "Daniel, between the two of us, who cheated on whom first? You know the answer better than I do." His pupils contracted sharply. He licked his dry lips, an involuntary reflex. I kept going. "There were colleagues with us at the spa. The hotel suite was booked for a meeting. You saw that with your own eyes just now. Unless you're deliberately twisting the facts so you can keep controlling me." "In which case, I have nothing left to say." I turned to leave. He rushed after me, his bluster already half deflated. "Emma, that's not what I meant. I just saw you with Adam and I lost it. He's had his eye on you for years. I'm worried he'll take advantage of you." "You're overthinking it." I kept a careful distance between us. "Who I'm with is none of your concern. Sign the papers, we'll get a lawyer, we'll finalize the process. Let's stop wasting each other's time." "Emma." Daniel stopped walking and looked at me, dead serious. "You really want to divorce me?" I turned the question back on him. "You already have a child with someone else. I'm setting you free. Isn't that what you want?" "No." He shook his head emphatically. "I'll end things with Lily completely. I'll pay child support every month. Just don't divorce me. Please." I thought I had already stopped loving him. But hearing those words, my eyes stung for just a second. Because the vows we once made had been real. And so was every wound that came after. "Daniel, even if I were willing to give you another chance, what about our child? Who's going to give our child a chance?" "You had a report forged. You had a doctor take our baby out of my body. That was a living, breathing life. And it's never coming back." I thought of the nursery we had decorated together for that baby, the one that ended up being given away to Lily's son because of a single word from her, and my heart felt like it was being pricked by needles. Daniel lowered his head. A flash of shame crossed his eyes. "I'm sorry. That was my child too. It hasn't been easy for me either." "But you have to believe me. I still love you."