The autumn wind whipping off Puget Sound was merciless, but it had nothing on the woman standing directly in front of me.

Cafe Flora in Madison Valley was an upscale, bright greenhouse-style restaurant where Julian and I had celebrated our third anniversary. Back then, he had complained about the price of the artisan entrees and scolded me for ordering an extra dessert.

When I walked through the glass doors at two that afternoon, Julian was sitting in the corner booth, looking like a ghost of the man who had strutted out of King County Court twenty-four hours earlier.

His hair was unwashed, his designer shirt was crumpled, and dark purple hollows bruised the skin beneath his eyes. When he saw me—dressed in a tailored cream Saint Laurent pantsuit with my hair falling in glossy waves—he scrambled to his feet so fast he knocked his water glass over.

"Nora!" he gasped, rushing around the table. He reached out to grab my hands, but the subtle shift in my posture and the hulking presence of my personal security guard, David, who stepped quietly behind me, made him freeze in his tracks.

"Sit down, Julian," I said, my voice smooth and indifferent.

Julian swallowed hard and slid back into the booth. I took the seat opposite him, folding my hands neatly across the marble table.

"Nora... look at you," Julian stammered, his eyes darting frantically over my clothes, the gold Cartier bracelet on my wrist, the calm authority radiating from my face. "Where are you staying? Where did you get the money for that gown last night? Nora, what is going on?"

"That isn't your concern anymore," I replied. "We are legally divorced. You have your separate property; I have mine. You asked for twenty minutes of my time. You have eighteen left."

Julian leaned forward, his hands trembling as he clasped them together on the table. "Nora, I know I was an idiot. I know what I did with Charlotte—with Paige—was unforgivable. But you have to understand! My mother was in my ear every single day! She was pressuring me about having a son! She told me you were holding me back, that my career was stagnating because I didn't have the right connections!"

"And you believed her," I said, tilting my head. "You threw five years of marriage into the gutter because an actress in a rental car promised you a promotion."

"I was weak!" Julian cried, completely ignoring the curious stares from neighboring tables. "I admit it! I was stupid and ambitious and blind! But Nora, we were good together! Remember our trip to Cannon Beach? Remember how we promised we’d make it through anything?"

"I remember cooking every meal for you while you stayed out late 'networking,'" I said, my voice dropping into an icy whisper. "I remember your mother inspecting my laundry to see if I folded your shirts correctly. I remember sitting in Dr. Albright’s clinic while he handed me your fertility analysis, and I remember looking at your crying face when you begged me never to tell your mother because it would 'kill her pride.'"

Julian flinched as if I had slapped him across the face.

"I protected you for three years, Julian," I continued, leaning in just enough that he could see the utter absence of pity in my eyes. "I bore her insults. I endured her venom. And the second you thought you found a woman who was richer and more fertile, you threw me onto the street with two suitcases and forced me to sleep on the couch."

"I'm sorry!" Julian pleaded, tears finally spilling over his lashes. "I will get on my knees right here, Nora! I will fire my mother from my life! Just... please help me. Crestview Capital is taking the San Diego house on Friday. They're going to seize my bank accounts! Westlake put me on suspension! I have nothing left!"

"You have one hundred thousand dollars," I reminded him sweetly. "The exact amount you offered me to go find a small apartment in Renton."

Julian choked on his own breath. "That was... I didn't mean it like that! Eight hundred thousand is impossible for me right now! Nora, where did you get the money for Paige? How did you pay for all of this?"

I didn't answer. I simply stood up, smoothing the front of my cream trousers.

"Your time is up, Julian."

"Nora, please!" Julian lunged across the table, grabbing the sleeve of my jacket.

Before he could pull, David’s massive hand clamped down onto Julian’s wrist with bone-crushing force. Julian cried out in pain, dropping back into the leather booth, cradling his bruised arm.

"If you ever touch me again," I said softly, looking down at him with the cool detachment one reserves for an insect, "my legal team will file an emergency protection order that will ensure you spend the next six months in a King County holding cell."

I turned and walked toward the exit.

"Nora!" Julian screamed from behind me, his voice cracking with desperation. "Nora, you can't leave me like this! You loved me! You loved me for five years!"

I pushed open the glass door into the afternoon sunlight.

He was right. I had loved him for five years.