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It is. That's the problem… She should have it. And more than that—she should go. She's too good not to. I know that. I love her too much to let her dream die. To hold her back because I’m the one who will never move on from her.

I also know there's no chance in hell I'm driving to the estate to hand it to her myself. Not now. Not after the look on her face in that foyer. Not when I barely got out once. I won’t be able to leave a second time. I’ll end up begging her to take me back. Carrying her back to the shower… the drawing table—anywhere that I can remind her how to fit together. Pleading with her not to run into Gabriel’s arms, but I can’t do that.

I made the deal with the trust to cut ties to protect her and my siblings. Her life and who she falls in love with isn’t any of my business anymore.

I tuck the envelope into my briefcase before I can think too hard about what I'm doing. I'll get it to Everly. Everly can take it out to the estate. No reason for me to go back there. It’ll only gut me further than I already am.

Levi's eyes narrow slightly.

"You're going to give her that, right?"

"Yes."

"When?"

I pick up another stack of mail. "When I can do it without being stupid."

Damien leans against the counter. "That window may have closed."

I ignore him.

Archer comes back into the room carrying the last sealed box and sets it by the door.

"That's it."

I look around. The penthouse is stripped now of anything that resembles that I lived here. Not that I ever really lived anywhere.

It was a place to work. A place to sleep. To disappear after a long day, just long enough to shut my eyes for a few hours, eat something, and get back to work like the good little CEO robot my mother trained me to be. Incapable of seeing the woman right in front of me.

Maybe all of this could have been avoided if I would have just asked Aria out the first day we met… when I knew that she wasn’t a woman I was going to forget.

I could have taken her on a date, I could have made her fall in love with me like I was already falling for her. It wouldn’t have even taken me those six months to propose. I know that now. I would have had to pace myself to wait to propose with more time to not scare her away.

I could have done this all the right way. There never would have been a secret deal between us that someone ratted out to the trust. She’d still be my wife and we’d be building a life together right now.

Levi grabs the keys from the counter and jingles them once. "You ready?"

"Yeah," I say, because there’s nothing left in this penthouse for me anyway. The only thing I want is miles away in an estate I gave her to keep her painting.

That’s where I want to be. Not here.

We start moving the last boxes out.

Damien takes the lighter ones, probably on purpose. Archer grabs the two heaviest without comment. Levi carries my briefcase and garment bag like he doesn't trust me not to leave one of them behind on principle.

By the time we get downstairs to the loading bay, my phone buzzes.

I hand Archer the box in my arms and check the screen.

Sienna.

My grip tightens.

Thank you for agreeing to meet tomorrow. There are a few things I'd rather say in person.

I stare at the text.

Damien notices first. "That good?"