CHAPTER ONE : The Not-So-Lucky Day
Rain hammered against the floor-to-ceiling windows of Vann Tower, turning the entire city below into a blur of silver lights and restless shadows.
Forty-eight floors above the streets, inside the largest office in the building, silence stretched like tension pulled too tight.
James Vann sat behind his black marble desk with both hands clasped together, staring at the woman across from him as though she were both the greatest mistake of his life and the hardest addiction to quit.
Selena Vale.
His wife.
For now.
She sat comfortably in one of the leather chairs directly opposite him, crossing her legs slowly like she didn’t have a single concern in the world. The tight black dress hugging her body looked almost criminal beneath the office lighting. Soft fabric clung to every curve, elegant yet dangerously distracting, while the thin material revealed just enough skin to destroy a man’s concentration.
Especially his.
James exhaled sharply before loosening the collar of his tie.
Three years.
Three years of chaos.
Three years of scandals, arguments, temptation, laughter, embarrassment, and sleepless nights.
And somehow, despite everything, one look at her still ruined him.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he finally said quietly.
Selena tilted her head.
“Interesting way to greet your wife.”
“You stopped acting like my wife a long time ago.”
A small smile touched her lips.
There it was again.
That smile.
The exact smile that had destroyed four men before him.
James leaned back in his chair, forcing himself to stay calm even while memories flashed through his mind like punishment.
Selena dancing barefoot on his conference table during a company party.
Selena hugging one of his investors because she thought he “looked lonely.”
Selena accidentally livestreaming from his penthouse while wearing his shirt and revealing confidential documents in the background.
Every week it was something new.
Every week his executives complained.
Every week he promised himself he would end this marriage.
Yet every night ended the same way.
Her in his bed.
Her in his arms.
Her laughing against his chest like she had never broken anything in her life.
James swallowed hard.
“I’m done, Selena.”
For the first time since entering the office, she stopped smiling.
Outside, thunder rolled across the dark sky.
“I already sent my lawyer,” he continued. “The divorce papers should arrive any minute.”
Silence.
Then—
She laughed.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just softly enough to make his jaw tighten.
“You know what people say about me?” she asked.
James remained silent.
Selena rose slowly from the chair, heels clicking softly against the marble floor.
“They say I break hearts…” she murmured.
She walked around the desk.
“…and beds.”
James looked away immediately.
Big mistake.
Because when he looked back, she was already standing beside him.
Close enough for him to smell vanilla perfume mixed with rain.
Close enough for him to notice the tiny beauty mark beneath her collarbone.
Close enough to remember every reason divorcing her felt impossible.
“You see,” Selena whispered, placing both hands on the armrests of his chair, trapping him there, “if you let me go…”
Her eyes locked onto his.
“…you’ll never find another woman who understands you the way I do.”
James laughed bitterly.
“Understanding me?” he repeated. “Selena, you flirt with my employees.”
“They flirt back.”
“You hugged a senator during my charity dinner.”
“He looked nervous.”
“You called my board members boring to their faces.”
“They are boring.”
James shut his eyes briefly.
God.
This woman would kill him someday.
“You’re impossible,” he muttered.
“And yet,” she whispered with a slow smile, “you still want me.”
His heartbeat betrayed him instantly.
Selena noticed.
Of course she did.
She always noticed.
The room grew quieter.
The rain outside became heavier.
James stood abruptly from the chair, creating distance between them before his self-control completely disappeared.
“You behave like a child,” he said, voice lower now. “Do you understand what people say about you?”
“Mm. Most of it is true.”
“This isn’t funny anymore.”
“I know.”
“Then why do you keep doing these things?”
For the first time, her expression softened.
Not seductive.
Not playful.
Just…sad.
“Because when people expect perfection from you,” she said quietly, “sometimes being ridiculous feels easier than disappointing them.”
James frowned slightly.
That answer caught him off guard.
Selena quickly smiled again before he could think too deeply about it.
“But let’s be honest,” she added, moving closer once more, “you’re not divorcing me because I embarrass you.”
His jaw tightened.
“You’re divorcing me because you’re scared of how much you love me.”
The words hit harder than they should have.
James looked away toward the massive city skyline.
“I can’t keep cleaning up your messes.”
“And I can’t keep pretending I’m someone boring enough for billionaires.”
“Selena—”
“No.” Her voice sharpened slightly. “You married me knowing exactly who I was.”
James said nothing.
Because she was right.
Back then, Selena had felt like freedom.
Wild.
Fearless.
Alive.
She made him laugh during the darkest period of his career.
She turned his carefully controlled world upside down.
And somewhere along the line, chaos became addiction.
But addictions destroyed people.
That was the problem.
A knock suddenly echoed through the office.
James froze.
Selena slowly looked toward the door.
“The lawyer,” James said quietly.
The air changed instantly.
The reality of the moment finally settled between them.
This was real.
Selena stared at the door for several seconds before walking toward it.
James watched silently.
Part of him expected screaming.
Crying.
Begging.
Instead, she simply reached for the lock.
Click.
Then calmly removed the office keycard attached beside the handle.
James frowned.
“Selena…”
Without saying a word, she walked toward the massive open section of the window overlooking the stormy city.
And threw the keycard out into the rain.
James stared at her in disbelief.
She turned slowly.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
Completely insane.
“You just threw my office key off a forty-eight-floor building.”
She shrugged lightly.
“Probably.”
“Why?”
Selena walked toward him again.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Like a storm approaching.
“Because,” she said softly, “I’m not leaving until we finish this properly.”
James’s heartbeat became uneven again.
“Selena—”
“No lawyers.”
She stopped directly in front of him.
“No assistants.”
Another step.
“No pretending.”
Her fingers curled gently around his tie before pulling him slightly closer.
“Tell me the truth, James.”
His breathing slowed.
Her eyes searched his carefully controlled expression.
“If I walk out that door tonight…” she whispered, “…will you really survive it?”
For the first time all evening—
The billionaire CEO had no answer.
And that terrified him more than anything else.
Because deep down…
He already knew the truth.
He didn’t want freedom from Selena Vale.
He wanted survival.
And unfortunately for him—
Those were not the same thing.
Authors note:
Thank you for stepping into this story. If it made you feel something, don’t leave quietly—leave a comment. Stories live longer when readers speak.
