Chapter 2 - The Empty Penthouse
Julian returned to the glass penthouse overlooking Manhattan at three in the morning. For the first time in his life, the silence was deafening. The minimalist design, once a symbol of his discipline and achievement, felt like an abandoned museum.
In the nursery down the hall, the crib sat assembled beneath soft recessed lights. Small stuffed animals rested in symmetrical precision on mahogany shelves. Everything had been bought with platinum cards, yet not a single toy bore the warmth of a mother’s touch.
Julian pulled a whiskey glass from the bar, but set it down without pouring. He sat on the imported rug in the nursery, clutching the divorce draft Victoria had handed him. Bella wasn't demanding half his fortune. She wasn't fighting for his corporate shares or the sprawling estates.
May you like
Her demands were stark and minimal: primary physical custody, child support calculated strictly by statutory minimums, and the deed to her late grandmother’s coastal cottage in Maine.
She wanted nothing that belonged to his world. She only wanted her freedom. The realization hit Julian harder than any hostile takeover ever could: Bella had stopped bargaining because she no longer valued anything he had to offer.
