Chapter 150
She hadn’t said a word since we left Megan’s building.
Mellan walked a step behind me, arms crossed, chin up like she was the one who’d been betrayed.
The sidewalk stretched ahead of us, but I stopped halfway down the block. I couldn’t hold it in anymore.”
I turned to her.”
“What the hell were you doing?”
She rolled her eyes like I was being dramatic. “It wasn’t a big deal.“”
“Not a big deal?” I repeated. “You kissed him.“&
“So?” she shot back.
“So, he’s with Megan.”
“That didn’t seem to bother him,” she muttered, like that made it okay.
I stared at her. My jaw locked. “You don’t care about him. You never did.“”
“You’re right,” she snapped. “I didn’t.”
She said it so fast I almost missed it. I blinked, stunned.
“What?”
She stepped closer. Her tone changed with something quieter, sharper. “I never wanted Elijah. I just couldn’t stand watching him look at her like that. Like she was the one who mattered.”
I felt the breath leave my lungs. “And I did? Did I ever matter to you?”
She paused. Too long.
And in that silence, I had my answer.
“You were safe,” she said eventually. “You were the one she was supposed to end up with. That made you mine.“} Safe.
Not loved. Not chosen. Just claimed.
I took a step back like she’d slapped me.
“All this time…” My voice cracked. “You let me think you loved me.“”
“I tried,” she said, shrugging like this was just inconvenient honesty. “I really did. I thought maybe if I could just get her out of the way, I’d feel something real for you.“!
“You stole my life from me,” I said, heat rising in my chest.”
“I didn’t steal anything,” she hissed. “You offered it to me.”
My heart was thudding in my ears. I felt like I was looking at a stranger in her skin.
“I never saw you like this,” I whispered.[
She tilted her chin. “No. You saw what you wanted.”
“And now I see what I needed to see a long time ago.”
She looked away, jaw tight. Like if she didn’t meet my eyes, none of this would be real.
I wasn’t done./
“You know what the worst part is?” I added, my voice low. “You And she still never stooped to your level.”
t just use me. You broke Megan, your twin. Over and over.
Mellan didn’t answer. She just walked ahead, fast, as if putting space between us would erase what she’d said.
But it wouldn’t.”
Not this time.”
Megan’s POV
The press office was quiet.
No cameras. No buzz. Just the sound of a heater kicking on and Elijah tapping the table with his pen. The rhythm of someone trying to stay calm in stillness.
I had already approved the statement. The press release. The video clip.M
But now?”
“You ready?” Elijah asked gently.”
112 72.58
He hadn’t said much since the kiss. Not about Mellan. Not about anything.” He’d backed off like I needed space, which I did.”
But he showed up today. Quiet. Steady. Unarmed.
I looked over at him. “You think it’ll help?”
He nodded once. “It’s your voice. They need to hear you speak for yourself.”
Then he handed me a fresh folder.
“Your final divorce filing. It’s complete on our side. Signed, sealed. Just waiting on Jaxon.“/
I flipped through the papers. My name, printed and clear. The old one.”
No more Cross.
I traced it with my finger.
“You’re sure this can’t be reversed?” I asked, not because I had doubts, but because I wanted to feel the finality of it out loud. “Not unless you request it,” he said. “And I don’t think you will.”
I signed.
Right there in black ink.
It didn’t feel emotional.
It felt clean.
Overdue.
And finally, mine.
4
I set the pen down and pulled the statement back toward me. Read it one more time, every word.”
“I have never had a romantic relationship with my legal representative during my marriage. I left that marriage with nothing, by choice, because I refused to stay where I wasn’t respected. Everything I have now, I earned.“”
That last line? Mine. Not the lawyer’s. Not the PR team. Mine.
Elijah looked at me, his expression somewhere between pride and caution. Waiting for my signal.
i.gave a small nod. “Yeah,”
He handed me the mouse. “Then press send.”
I clicked.[
The statement went live.
Within minutes, my phone lit up.
Retweets. Headlines. DMs.
“Megan Sage speaks out: ‘Everything I have now, I earned.”
.
I put the phone down and looked out the window. Not to avoid the noise but to let it pass.
Let them spin it.
Let them try.
I wasn’t hiding anymore.
Minutes later, my phone rang.
It was my lawyer again.
–
“Megan, we just got something. The Cross family accessed your trust account last year without your authorization.”
I sat up. “What do you mean acces
“They didn’t just forge your name. They’ve been using your inheritance.“N
