Before Mom's surgery, Mason—yeah, the Mason Leonhart from one of Brighton's big-name families—suddenly "had" to go on a business trip and couldn't be at the hospital.

A few hours later, Judy Yeager blasted a video on social.

There was Mason, Mr. Born-With-A-Silver-Spoon, recycling bottles with her.

Caption: [If we work hard together, no hardship can scare us.]

I couldn't resist.

[Future Leonhart heir, worth ten billion, still helping his girl recycle bottles to trade in for cash—heartwarming.]

It vanished in seconds.

My phone lit up. Mason's voice? Ice cold.

"Shiloh Harrington, what was that? Call Judy. Tell her you were joking."

I laughed. "Keep playing your little poor-boy cosplay without me."

Hung up.

Three days till the divorce cooling-off ended. Then Mason could be the broke man he was pretending to be.

Mason kept spamming my phone, but I killed the call every time before it even hit a second.

Mom pushed herself up in bed, voice weak. "You used to be crazy about him. That's the only reason his grandpa even thought about making him heir. You think a guy like him could've scored all this on his own?"

I wrapped my hand around her frail arm, chest tight. "Not anymore. I'm divorcing him. Everything he's got came from me, and I'm taking it back."

The phone lit up again. He just wouldn't quit.

I answered.

His breathing was slow, like he was forcing down rage. "I already paid for Judy's mom's treatment. Told her it was from you. If she asks, you know the script. Can't handle that? We're done."

"Play poor without me. I've been done for a long time."

"Say that again." His voice was all teeth and fury.

Bitterness burned my throat, but I kept it even. "I said I'm done. We're getting a divorce."

He snapped. "Divorce? You think that scares me? If you hadn't clung to me, I wouldn't have married you. Go explain everything to Judy. We'll talk when I'm back."

He roared it, then hung up.

I bit down hard. Years wasted, and all I was to him was "clingy." Being with him had been a mistake from day one.

My fingers brushed over the Leonhart banquet invite. Five days till they announced the heir. Plenty of time to change the ending.

On my way to grab Mom's lunch, I spotted Judy—smug, glowing like she'd just scored big. I tried to breeze past, but her high-pitched, fake-sweet voice cut through the hall.

"Shiloh! Money comes in slow when you've got a real job. Good thing you lent me some!"

I smirked. "Yeah, but you rake it in faster doing nothing. Just open your mouth and take it from our family. The future Leonhart heir spends more on a pet than that."

"Shut up! Shiloh, what nonsense are you spouting? Explain it to Judy."

I folded my arms, laughing. "Explain what? That we're getting a divorce so you two can play house? Or that you're not broke—yet—but give it a little time and you'll be out here recycling bottles for spare change?"

"Shut up!"

The veins in Mason's neck popped, eyes icy.

I gave a short, bitter laugh and turned to go.

Two steps—then his hand was crushing my throat. My vision blurred, skin burning for air.

"Did I say you could leave?" His voice could've frozen blood.

I forced out a ragged taunt. "What? Flexing your power while you still can?"

His grip tightened till the edges of my vision went dark—then he finally let go.

I hit my knees, coughing hard, head spinning.

Judy just stared, confused. I looked right at her. "He's never going to marry you. Because—"

Mason's kick slammed into my stomach, cutting me off. "If I'm not mistaken, your mom's surgery's tomorrow, right?"

A cold tremor ripped through me. He was threatening my mom.

I swallowed the bitterness. Two more days and the divorce would be final. After that, he'd never touch us again.

Another kick slammed into my stomach, curling me on the floor.

Through the blur, I saw him turn gentle with Judy, voice soft. "Judy, don't listen to her. She keeps bringing up that Leonhart heir nonsense just to stir things up. People like that can't get away with it."

Then he looked down at me. "Shiloh, Judy's mom needs someone to look after her. Go do it now."

Tears streaked my face, but I swallowed the ache. "My mom's in the ICU, and you want me to take care of someone else? Do you even have a heart?"

"I don't care about your mom," he snapped, all impatience. "Judy's mom has a bad heart. Watch your tone."

The bitterness spread through me like ice.

I used to think if I loved him enough, he'd finally see me. Turns out, I'd been blind.

Mom's heart transplant was tomorrow. I didn't have the strength to fight.

He took my silence for the same old submission, shot me a glare, and walked out with Judy.

I hauled myself up and went straight to the airport to meet the transplant specialist and collect the donor heart. Only then did I finally breathe easier.

But the next day, I stepped into Mom's ward to find her still lying there—alone.

Her doctor told me Mason had handed the heart over to Judy's mom instead.

The words hit like lightning. Tears blurred my vision, my whole body shaking with rage. He'd put my mom's life on the line without a second thought.

I stormed toward him—only to find him outside the OR, holding Judy close, whispering to her like they were the perfect couple.

"Mason! That was my mom's heart! How dare you give it to someone else?"

A flicker of guilt crossed his face before it iced over. "The next donor heart will go to your mom. What's the rush? It's not like she's dying tomorrow. Besides, it's just a heart. So what if Judy's mom gets it first?"

Just a heart?

My eyes burned. "Mason Leonhart, you're scum! We're done. I want a divorce. From now on, we're nothing."

I ignored his shouted insults and ran, tears streaming.

Outside Mom's room, I gripped my phone, hesitated, then typed a short message: [I agree.]

Wiping my face, I forced a shaky smile and stepped into the ICU.

Holding her hand, I whispered, "Don't worry, Mom. I'll save you. We're transferring hospitals—you'll have surgery this afternoon. Mason will pay for this."

The staff wheeled her bed toward the entrance, ready to load her into the ambulance.

That's when Judy latched on to the bed. She smirked. "Your mom looks awful. Is she already dead? Oh—right. Mason gave my mom the heart, so I guess yours won't last the night."

My temper spiked. I wanted nothing more than to rip that smug smile right off Judy's face.

But Mom's surgery came first. I swallowed the rage. "Let go!"

I shoved her aside—only for someone to yank my arm hard from behind.

"Shiloh, don't be mad! Don't blame Mason. He picked up bottles for me, worked four part-time jobs, even knelt to the hospital director to beg him to give my mom the heart first. You're not jealous of how much he loves me, are you?"

She was stalling on purpose, eating up precious minutes of Mom's rescue. I yanked my arm free. "Love? You seriously have no clue, do you? Do you even know who he really is?"

A flicker of doubt crossed her smug face before she stumbled back, landing on the floor.

"Shiloh, stop talking nonsense! Shut up!"

At his voice, I turned to see Mason coming toward me, glare sharp as a blade. Then he turned to Judy, all concern, fussing over her.

I hopped into the ambulance and shot him a look. "You really don't know? Or just playing dumb?"

His eyes went red. "You shoved Judy for no reason—trying to wreck this marriage? Tell her you're sorry!"

I didn't bother answering. Just as I reached for the door, Mason yanked my ankle, dragging me out.

My head smacked the pavement, pain flashing hot as blood filled my mouth.

The ambulance sped off with Mom, straight to surgery.

I pushed myself up, every move stabbing with pain. Judy clung to Mason's arm, all doe-eyed. "Shiloh didn't mean it. I just asked her to help with my mom, and she called me a poor girl who couldn't even afford a caregiver..."

At the word 'caregiver,' Mason's grip on me tightened. He yanked me up by the wrist. "Judy's mom just had surgery—she needs someone. Go."

Blood and tears blurred together. "We're getting divorced. Whatever you and your side chick do is your business, not mine."

The world tilted, and I blacked out.

When I came to, it was already night. I ignored the throbbing and bolted for the hospital where Mom's surgery was happening.

It had gone well.

***

The next morning, I swung by home, grabbed everything that screamed Mason, and fed it to the flames.

Then I marched the month-old signed divorce papers to the law firm and finally snagged the divorce decree I'd been dying for.

That toxic, drawn-out mess of a marriage? Done.

On the way to work, I was already savoring the thought of Mason's face when he found out.

But the second I stepped out of the car, I ran smack into Judy—human garbage.

"Shiloh, you want to work at our company too? It's not easy. Mason had to beg a manager buddy to get me in. Why would he do all that for me—get me a job, help me earn extra cash, pull strings for my mom—but not lift a finger for you, his wife?"

I gave her my best 'you really are this dumb' smile.

"An intern like him has that kind of power? Doesn't that sound sketchy to you? Come on—let me show you something."