Jaxon’s POV
Chapter 100
מור
Two days before anything of this happened, Mellan moved in like she was born here.”
She danced through my penthouse like it was already hers. She called it our “fresh start,” and posted matching wine glasses on her story with #powercouple typed underneath.”
But behind the filters?!
It was a nightmare.
She demanded breakfast at 9, even if I had calls at 8. She sent my assistant home crying because she “breathed too loud.” She talked about Megan more than she talked about us.
And the worst part?
I let her.
At first, it felt like I was just trying to fix the mess. Like if I doubled down on this relationship, it might somehow make the
fallout worth it.
But now?
Now I couldn’t ignore it.”
“You didn’t respond to the article I sent you,” she said that morning, walking out of the bathroom in a silk robe, holding her phone like it was sacred. “The one where we’re on that list of rising couples?“|
“I didn’t see it,” I lied.
She scoffed. “You used to care about appearances.“}
“Maybe I’m tired of appearances.”
She paused. Her eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I’m starting to see how fake all this is.“}
“You mean me?” she asked, smiling with too many teeth.
I didn’t answer.
Mellan didn’t like that.
She stormed off. I stayed behind.[
And for the first time since the wedding, I realized I’d been wrong about everything.”
Now Mellan hadn’t spoken to me since the car ride back from that damned gala.
She slammed doors, threw her heels acros
the
I poured a drink of bourbon and stood at the room, and cried in the shower just loud enough for me to hear.”
floor–to–ceiling window of the penthouse I used to love. Now, it felt like a cage.”
“Are you just going to sulk all night?” Mellan snapped from across the room.
I didn’t turn around. “Do you want me to lie and savo
I’m proud of how tonight went?”
Mellan stormed toward me, still in the ruined dress with a coat draped over it. “You just stood there! You didn’t even help me!” “There wasn’t anything to help,” he said. “You did that to yourself.“}
Her face twisted. “Oh, so now you’re on her side?”
“I’m not on anyone’s side,” I muttered. “I’m just… tired.”
She scoffed. “You were glowing when she walked in. Don’t think I didn’t see it.”
“She wasn’t trying to steal the spotlight,” I whispered. “She was the spotlight. You tried to compete. And lost.“N
That did it.
Mellan threw the glass she’d been holding. It missed me, the glass shattered against the wall.
“Don’t you dare compare me to her!” she screamed. “You think she’s better than me?”
“No,” I said quietly. “I think she’s not pretending anymore. And you… you don’t even know who you are without the performance.“[
She froze.
I stepped back. “Maybe I never did either.”
40
Megan’s POV
The next day came and having dinner with Elijah wasn’t a date.
We ordered in from a place that didn’t even have a printed menu, ate in his kitchen while his dog begged at our feet, and spent
half the meal going over the final divorce draft.<
Still, there was a calmness to it. Something soft in the quiet spaces between our conversations. Something not quite spoken out loud.
I told him about what happened at the gala, the articles. About Mellan. About the fight at the house.
He didn’t interrupt. He didn’t look uncomfortable.
He just listened.
“I bet you didn’t flinch that night.” he finally said.}
“I didn’t need to,” I said. “For the first time in years, I wasn’t the one being looked down on.”
“You had the room,” he said, glancing over at me. “Even the silence bent toward you.”
I smiled faintly. “Is that your way of complimenting me?”
“Interpret it whatever you want.” he smiled knowingly.”
I looked at him for a moment longer than I meant to.”
He didn’t look away.
And that silence, it wasn’t tense. It wasn’t awkward.
It was… steady.
Safe.
“I’m not used to this,” I admitted, twirling a fork through untouched pasta.
“To what?”
“Being heard. Having space to be angry. To not perform.”
“You don’t owe anyone a performance,” Elijah said. “Least of all me.”
I looked up. “Then what do I owe you?”
“Nothing,” he said simply. “But you can trust me. That’s not a contract.“”
There was a long pause.
I cleared my voice as I changed the subject. “Where do we stand on the divorce filings?”
He reached over, grabbed a slim folder. “Final review tomorrow. After that, we just wait for the court to stamp it.”
I nodded. “Good.“[
Later, I returned home. Quietly. Alone.[
I stepped out of the elevator, half ready to drop everything and crash.
And there he was.
Jaxon.
Standing outside my door.”
Hands in his pockets. Tie loose. Expression unreadable.
He looked up as I approached.
“Megan,” he said.”
I didn’t stop walking.
He stepped in front of the door.
“Please…” His voice cracked. “Don’t file for a divorce yet.”
Megan’s POV
