Chapter 2
The heavy, black-framed glass entrance doors swung open violently. Ethan stormed down the wide marble steps, his deep-burgundy dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar, his face flushed with arrogant fury. Right behind him was Judith, his mother, her lips pressed into a thin, triumphant line, her dark-red designer dress immaculate.
"What is the meaning of this spectacle, Ethan?" Meredith asked, her voice dropping to a dangerous calm.
Ethan didn't hesitate. He pointed a long, accusatory finger directly at her chest. "Leave the keys! Get out!"
"Excuse me?" Meredith didn't flinch. She maintained her ground, her eyes locking onto his. "You're throwing me out of my own home?"
"It was never your home, Meredith," Judith interjected, stepping out from behind her son. She folded her arms, the pearls at her ears catching the light. "You were a temporary fixture. A mistake Ethan is finally correcting."
"I am his wife, Judith. And I am half of Rowe Enterprises," Meredith stated, holding her phone up as if it were a shield.
"You are nothing," Ethan spat, stepping closer. The light stubble on his jaw bristled. "You signed the prenup. You get what I decide to give you, which right now is the trash on this driveway. Now leave the keys and get off my property before I have security throw you out."
Up on the balcony, Vanessa giggled. "Should I throw the rest of the shoes, Ethan? They don't match the new decor anyway."
May you like
"Do whatever you want, Vanessa," Ethan called back without breaking eye contact with Meredith. "She won't be needing them."
Meredith’s heart hammered against her ribs, but her face remained a mask of flawless stone. She looked at the man she had loved, the man she had built a life with, and saw nothing but a greedy, controlling stranger.
