---- Chapter 6 Eliza Todd POV: | was too tired to argue. It was clear he would never see his actions as wrong. In his mind, he had provided a luxurious life for me, and my emotional needs were just inconvenient static. "Dante, | am divorcing you," | stated, my voice leaving no room for negotiation. "You can make this easy, or you can make this hard. The outcome will be the same." He shot up from the couch, pacing the length of our living room like a caged animal. He was agitated, cornered, and for the first time, | realized he was afraid. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice strained. "More money? I'll transfer the title of the house to your name. The cars. All of it. Just... don't leave." | sighed. He still thought this was about money. He couldn't comprehend that the damage was to my soul, a place his checkbook couldn't reach. How could | explain that the thought of watching him raise a child with another woman, a child that should have been ours, would be a special kind of hell | wasn't willing to endure? "| don't want your money, Dante," | said quietly. "| want my life back." ---- | watched the man | had loved for nearly a decade, the man | had built a life with, and felt nothing. The love had been eroded away, grain by grain, by years of neglect and a final, catastrophic betrayal. There was nothing left but a hollow space where my heart used to be. "This isn't working," | said, my tone calm and rational, as if discussing a business merger. "It's time to cut our losses and move on." He stopped pacing and stared at me, a flicker of genuine confusion in his eyes. He was seeing this new version of me for the first time-the woman who wasn't crying, wasn't screaming, wasn't pleading for his affection. And it unnerved him. "| have a meeting," he mumbled, grabbing his keys and briefcase, making a hasty retreat. He couldn't handle this conversation, so he ran, just like he always did. | didn't understand why he was so resistant. He had Kamala. He had the baby he always wanted. Why cling to the wreckage of our marriage? Was it just for show? Did he enjoy having us both, one for public image and one for private ambition? The thought was nauseating. | went into our bedroom and pulled out a suitcase. | packed methodically, not with the frantic energy of an escape, but with the calm purpose of a planned departure. | left a fresh copy of the divorce agreement on his pillow with a simple note: ---- Sign it. Standing on the curb with my suitcase, | felt a sudden, overwhelming sense of displacement. | had nowhere to go. In my devotion to Dante's career, | had let my own friendships wither. Just as a wave of panic began to set in, Jace' s car pulled up beside me. "Moving out?" he asked gently, getting out of the car. Tears | didn't know | had left began to stream down my face. | told him everything-the divorce, Dante's refusal, my utter lack of a plan He listened patiently, his expression kind. "| have an apartment downtown that's sitting empty," he said when | was finished. "My company keeps it for visiting artists. You can stay there as long as you need." "| can't accept that," | stammered. "I can pay you rent. As soon as the divorce is finalized and | get a job..." "Don't worry about it," he said, taking my suitcase and putting it in his trunk. He turned back to me. "Speaking of a job, have you thought about what you want to do?" | shook my head. "l haven't worked in five years. My degree is in political strategy. | don't even know where to start." "My firm just launched a modern art investment division," he ---- said. "We need data analysts who can spot trends and identify promising talent. You have a good eye and a sharp mind. You'd be perfect." He gave me a small, encouraging smile. "| can get you an interview." "Jace, |.." The words caught in my throat. This man, a relative stranger, had shown me more kindness in a week than my husband had in years. "Thank you. When | get my first paycheck, I'm taking you to the most expensive restaurant in the city." He laughed. "It's a date." The interview went well. | was hired on the spot. Life began to fall into a new rhythm. | threw myself into my work, grateful for the distraction. Dante, however, did not make it easy. After finding out where | worked, he launched a campaign of romantic harassment. Flowers arrived at my desk daily, gifts | didn't want, lunch deliveries | sent back. He would wait for me in the lobby at the end of the day, forcing me to sneak out the back entrance where Jace would be waiting to give mea ride home. "You should just take the flowers," a colleague named Sarah said one afternoon, watching me hand a massive bouquet of roses to the cleaning lady. "Whoever this guy is, he's persistent. And rich." | just shrugged, not wanting to get into it. "| mean, who sends a dozen Baccarat crystal butterflies just as an apology?" she went on, eyes wide. "That's way more ---- impressive than the stuff Jace Ware gets for his flavor of the month." | froze. "What did you say?" "Jace Ware," she repeated, pointing a pen towards the corner office. "Our boss. The guy you have lunch with every day. Don't tell me you didn't know who he was?" Sarah' s eyes widened in realization. "Oh my God. You really didn't know. Eliza, Jace Ware isn't just our boss. He's Jace Ware of the Ware Corporation. His family basically owns half the city." In "A Relationship Kept in The Dark" by CrushReel, the storyline unfolds as renowned photographer Jane finds herself drawn to the charismatic rookie model, Hector. Little does she know that Hector harbors a secret—he is actually the heir to a powerful business empire. 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