My husband introduced another woman as his wife in front of our son, but he had no idea the woman he humiliated was the last person he should have betrayed.

In the ruthless arena of Chicago finance, my father’s whisper carried more weight than a federal indictment. He walked slowly toward the table, unbuttoning his overcoat and tossing it over the back of an empty chair.

Andrew shrank back, his bravado evaporating like morning mist.

"H-Harrison," Andrew stammered, his voice trembling. "Sir... I can explain. It was a lapse in judgment—"

"A lapse in judgment," my father repeated, his tone deadpan. He reached out, picked up the divorce papers resting on the table, and flipped through the first few pages. "Collins, do you know why I let you marry my daughter six years ago?"

Andrew swallowed hard, staying silent.

"Because I thought you were hungry," my father continued, his grey eyes piercing straight through Andrew’s soul. "I thought a hungry man would work twice as hard to protect what was given to him. I gave you a desk, I gave you a title, I gave you a seat at the board meetings, and most importantly, I gave you my daughter."

Father paused, looking up from the papers.

"And what did you do? You let your arrogance blind you. You thought because you climbed the corporate ladder, you owned the building. You thought you could humiliate my bloodline in front of the entire city and walk away unscathed."

"Sir, please—give me another chance—" Andrew pleaded, his knees nearly buckling as he took a half-step toward my father.

Harrison Vance raised a single hand, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Your corporate card has been cancelled. Your company apartment in the Loop is being cleared out by movers as we speak. Every stock option, every bonus structure, and every equity share granted to you by Blackstone Energy has been frozen under suspicion of corporate asset misappropriation."

Father tossed the papers back onto the table.

"You are finished, Andrew. Not just in Chicago. Not just in energy. In business, period. No firm in this country will touch a man who committed fraud against his own employer and humiliated his family on live television."

Andrew stared at him in horror. The reality was finally sinking in—not just the loss of his wife, his son, and his wealth, but the total annihilation of his entire existence.

He looked at me, a desperate, pathetic pleading in his eyes.

"Elena... please," he choked out, tears finally spilling over his eyelashes. "Don't do this to me. We have history. Think of the good years—"

"The good years were a lie, Andrew," I said, my voice completely devoid of emotion. "Just like you."