My name is Emily Parker. For most of my marriage, I thought I knew who I was waking up next to.

By noon the following day, the Vance estate was eerily quiet.

The moving trucks had already arrived—not to unload luxury furniture, but to haul away Eleanor’s designer wardrobes and Mia’s countless boxes of shopping bags. Elijah Vance, having suffered a severe drop in blood pressure upon learning that his entire business empire had been frozen by federal regulators, was currently resting in a local medical clinic under the watchful eye of a court-appointed nurse.

Kevin had signed the divorce papers before dawn. Stripped of his corporate title, his company car, his apartment lease, and his social standing, he had packed a single duffel bag and retreated to a cramped, dingy motel on the industrial side of town, waiting for his first meeting with a public defender.

I stood on the expansive stone balcony of the coastal estate, wrapping a soft cashmere shawl tighter around my shoulders. The ocean breeze was cool and crisp, carrying the clean scent of salt water and new beginnings.

My father had flown in from the Midwest that morning, walking up the grand staircase with tears in his eyes to pull me into a fierce, protective embrace.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" he had asked, holding me at arm's length to inspect my face.

"I'm better than alright, Dad," I had smiled. "I'm home."

Now, as I watched the waves roll endlessly against the cliffside, Arthur Sterling walked out onto the balcony, holding two steaming mugs of tea. He handed one to me with a warm, grandfatherly smile.

"The board accepted Kevin’s termination unanimously this morning," Arthur said, leaning against the stone balustrade beside me. "Victoria Sterling has already tendered her resignation and booked a flight to Europe to escape the scandal. Turns out she wasn't quite as thrilled about marrying a disgraced, penniless former associate as she thought she’d be."

I couldn't help a small, amused smile. Karma truly was an exquisite architect.

"Thank you, Arthur," I said, turning to look at him sincerely. "If you hadn't intercepted my investigator’s report, I might still be riding that train across the country."

"My mentor entrusted me with protecting his family's legacy, Emily," Arthur replied gently, placing his hand over mine. "And more importantly, protecting his great-grandchild. This estate, and everything attached to it, belongs to you and your baby now. You don't ever have to worry about being sidelined again."