It was Claire.

The woman he’d labeled greedy, shallow, and obsessed with money.

Everything clicked into place all at once.

She’d put a price on her time and kept asking him for cash not out of vanity or petty spite. She’d needed funds to hire the best lawyer and free her father, who’d been wrongfully convicted.

He’d frozen all her accounts and left her with no other choice. She’d turned to this humiliating choice, one that wounded her own pride, to raise money for her family.

And what had he done?

He’d never trusted her, never lent a hand. He’d goaded her with Natalie, destroyed their daughter’s belongings, trampled her dignity, and pushed her to the edge.

“I’m such a fool.” Vincent slapped himself hard across the cheek. Red marks bloomed instantly on his skin, and his eyes swam with overwhelming regret and panic.

He couldn’t lose her. Not for anything.

“Now!” Vincent grabbed his advisor, his voice sharp and urgent. “Buy back every item from the auction at any cost. Redeem the Upper East Side Condo too, pay double the asking price. Grab the finest gift you can find. I’m going to make things right with Claire.”

The advisor did not hesitate and rushed off to carry out his orders.

Vincent’s hands shook as he pulled out his phone and dialed the estate’s landline.

The phone rang for a long time before the housekeeper finally answered.

“Where’s Donna? Put her on the line.” A faint note of pleading lingered in Vincent’s voice.

The housekeeper paused, speaking cautiously.

“Sir… Donna hasn’t come back since she left this afternoon.”

Vincent froze on the spot. His phone slipped from his grasp and crashed heavily onto the floor.

She hadn’t come home.

He stood motionless for half a minute before he managed to pull himself together.

Relief washed over him as he tried to comfort himself.

She was angry about him clearing out Lily’s things and tearing down her playground. She’d run off to their old house to pout.

That place held their sweetest memories. She always went there whenever she was upset.

Hope flared bright in Vincent’s eyes once more.

Earlier that day, he’d told her he wanted to have another child together, and she hadn’t refused him.

She still wanted a life with him. She still loved him. She was just waiting for him to apologize.

Just then, the advisor returned in a rush, clutching an urgent parcel with a panicked look on his face.

“Sir, a package arrived. It requires your signature in person.”

A heavy dread settled over Vincent the second he saw the parcel.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself, and tore open the wrapping with trembling fingers.

His blood ran cold the moment he spotted the glaring red document inside. Every last trace of color drained from his face, and he felt as if lightning had struck him down.

A marital dissolution agreement lay quietly inside the package.

The forged signature bearing his name stung his eyes sharply.

He clutched the paper so tightly his knuckles turned white. Veins bulged on his arms, which shook uncontrollably.

This wasn’t real.

It could never be real.

He had never signed a marital dissolution agreement. He had never wanted to end things with her.

He was certain Claire would never truly leave him, no matter how much she hated or resented him.

Their daughter was gone. He was all she had left. How could she bring herself to walk away?

Rage, confusion, doubt and terror churned wildly inside his chest, threatening to tear him apart completely.

“Claire… you really did it.”

Vincent ground out the words, his voice rough and hoarse.

He was going to find her. He would demand answers face to face.