---- Chapter 11 Connor Tate POV: The limousine disappeared around the corner, taking my entire world with it. The finality of it was a physical blow, knocking the air from my lungs. "It can't be," | mumbled, my legs giving way. | sank to my knees on the unforgiving pavement. "She loves me. She's my wife." "She's not your wife anymore, Connor," Katerina said, her voice sharp and brittle. "She's Mrs. Killian Copeland. And we need to leave before we're arrested for trespassing." | barely heard her. My mind was a whirlwind of memories: Harley's smile when | first played her my music, the pride in her eyes when Tate Media launched, the way she felt in my arms. How could | have thrown all that away? For what? For Katerina? For a child that | had been ready to discard like trash? The weight of my stupidity was crushing. | had underestimated her. | thought she was a simple, dependent woman | had lifted from obscurity. | never imagined she had the power to destroy me. | had been the king of my own little world, a world she had ---- secretly built for me. And like a spoiled child, | had smashed it to pieces. The hotel doors opened again, and a phalanx of security guards marched towards us. "You need to leave the premises now," the head guard said, his voice devoid of sympathy. | didn't move. | couldn't. They grabbed me, hauling me to my feet. | didn't resist. | was a puppet with its strings cut. They dragged me to the street and dumped me on the curb like a bag of garbage. Katerina trailed behind, shouting insults at them. | sat there on the cold curb, the city lights blurring through my unshed tears. My phone rang. It was Leo. "Sir," he said, his voice strained with panic. "You need to get to the office. Now. The stock is in freefall. Our servers have been hacked. Everything is collapsing." It was her. Harley. This was her doing. This was her revenge. A cold, terrifying clarity washed over me. | had lost more than my wife. | had lost everything. 2