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“Good luck, Miles.” He patted my shoulder and headed to the elevator.
Picking up my phone, I sent Stella another text.
“I have the annulment papers, which need to be signed as soon as possible. Tell me where you are, and I’ll bring them to you.”
My heart started racing when I saw the three dots appear on the screen.
“We can meet at the Sculptural Garden at the Museum of Modern Art in thirty minutes.”
“I’m on my way.”
I called Sean and told him to meet me downstairs. He dropped me off at the museum, and I went to find Stella. I saw her sitting on a bench in the Sculptural Gardens and inhaled a deep breath before approaching her.
“Hi,” I said, sitting down beside her.
“Give me the papers so I can sign them and get this over with,” she spoke sternly.
I pulled the papers from the manila envelope and handed her a pen.
“Where are you staying?” I asked.
“None of your business.” She quickly signed the papers and handed them to me.
“Stella, I?—”
“Save it, Miles.” She stared straight ahead.
“We have to go to court in front of a judge after Nolan files the papers. We need to get our stories straight about why we want the marriage annulled. The judge won’t grant it if he or she knows the real reason why we got married.”
“Don’t worry.” She stood up and looked at me. “I’ll tell the judge the truth—that you’re not the man I thought you were, and I made a mistake.”
“You knew exactly who I was when you agreed to this marriage,” I said.
“Did I really?” She cocked her head. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I’m moving on with my life, and you’ll do the same. You got what you wanted, Miles. I’m just happy it happened quickly so I could get out of this marriage.”
I stared into her beautiful, sad eyes. “What about the baby?”
“What about it? As I said last night, you don’t have to worry about us. The two of us will be just fine, and there will be no baby drama in your life. I’ll see you in court.” She hooked her purse over her shoulder and walked away.
At that moment, it felt like a piece of me had died.
* * *
Stella
“Fuck him. Fuck him. Fuck him,” I mumbled, walking out of the Sculptural Garden.
Tears streamed down my face as I returned to the hotel. I started the bath water, twisted up my hair, and inhaled the lavender-scented bubbles I needed to relax and calm my nerves. Placing my hand on my belly, I held it in place and closed my eyes. The dinging sound of my phone startled me. Reaching over the tub and picking it up, I saw a text from Miles. Shaking my head, I read it.
“Stella, I’m so sorry.”
How I wish I could block him and be done with all of this. But we still needed to go to court. The second the judge granted the annulment, and I walked out of that courthouse, he’d never be able to contact me again. As my phone was in my hand, it rang with an unfamiliar number. I answered it.
“Hello.”
“Hello, is this Stella?” a woman’s voice asked.
“Yes. This is she.”
