Amanda pauses for a moment, staring at her phone. Finally, she begins to respond to Riley’s messages, one by one.
“I’m fine, thanks for asking. Mr. Griffin.”
“No need. I won’t be coming back.”
“I’ve already taken my belongings from the villa. Don’t worry about the rest—it’s just trash. The cleaners will handle it.”
“If you have any additional requests regarding the divorce, feel free to contact me. I’ll cooperate. If you need us to consult a lawyer together, let me know. I hope we can settle this quickly and avoid wasting time.”
She pauses again, her fingers hovering over the screen. After a second thought, Amanda retracts the second-to-last message.
There’s no point in spending energy on matters Riley never cared about.
With the messages sent, she sets the phone down, gathers herself, and begins preparing for her day.
After re
Riley turns his glass slowly in his hand. And yeah. Maybe that’s why Rex liked Amanda too. That quiet way she carried herself. The calm. The ease. She didn’t need the room to love her. She didn’t chase approval. She had it all built in—like her kindness and confidence grew naturally, without being forced. A good home. Loving parents. The kind of emotional foundation none of them had.Amanda never had to pretend. But they did. Riley and Rex both.They wore their calm like a mask. Showed up in boardrooms with sharp eyes and clean suits. But underneath—just noise. People like them are always drawn to someone like Amanda. Because she is a icon who can empower others, especially people like Riley and Rex.Riley lifts his glass again but doesn’t drink this time. “No kidding. You really sticking around?” he asks.Rex raises both hands. “Is this my annual
The wine swirls lazily in his glass. Riley stares at it but doesn’t drink. He sits in the living room of the old estate, the one his mother left him, with its tall ceilings and pale stone floors. The fire crackles, but not loud enough to fill the silence between words.Rex stretches out on the couch, legs crossed, socked feet half-hanging off the edge. He’s holding a beer he hasn’t sipped in a while. Shawn is near the window, arms folded, looking out at the bare garden beyond the glass. Riley shifts in his chair, leaning his elbow on the armrest, fingers rubbing his temple slowly.It’s strange how often they meet now. Since Amanda left—really left—and there’s no more pretending the marriage can be saved, the three of them somehow see each other more.Before, everyone was too busy.Shawn was abroad, neck-deep in some startup deal or digital banking merger or w
Amanda lies on the rug, her back flat against the floor, legs bent, one foot resting lazily over the other. The late afternoon sun filters in through the sheer curtains, laying soft stripes of gold across her face, her arms, the open laptop by her side. Her phone is face-down near her head, and a sketchpad is somewhere beneath her left hip.The cats are curled up by the window—Juniper snoring, Pudding twitching in a dream. The scent in the air today is warm vanilla and fig. One of her new blends. Grace said it smells like summer in the countryside. Amanda liked that.She lifts her hand, letting it hover in the sunlight, then slowly drops it back on her stomach. Something shifts in her chest. Restless. She pulls the laptop onto her stomach and types something into the search bar.“Italy painting residency.”Then deletes it.Types: “Italy work visa for artis
The idea sends a jolt through him. He straightens abruptly, the chair rolling back with a screech. Before logic can intervene, he fires off a message to his assistant:“Monitor Amanda’s apartment. If it goes on the market, buy it immediately. No questions. No delays.”Riley stares at the sent text, thumb hovering over the screen. The weight of the request settles over him—equal parts possessive and pathetic. But the alternative—letting some stranger walk through HER rooms, touch HER walls—is unthinkable. If she is gone, he’ll at least keep the ghost of her close.---Grace kicks off her heels by the front door and drops her keys into the ceramic bowl on the shelf. The familiar clink echoes in the quiet hallway, but tonight it feels warmer than usual. The scent hits her first. Cedarwood. A soft, smoky note wrapped in something light&mda
Riley exhales, slow and heavy. The kind of breath that makes his chest feel hollow. His fingers tap against the folder, slow and steady, like a clock ticking down.Even though the others are capable, he always feels something is off. It’s the little things. Yesterday, someone scheduled a lunch meeting at the sushi place downtown. Amanda knew he only went there with clients he disliked. It was his way of keeping those meetings short. He ended up sitting across from a board member he actually respected, eating half-stale salmon, trying not to look pissed.It’s stupid. Small stuff. But it piles up. Now, everything feels out of place. His day-to-day rhythm is off. Meetings go longer. Emails pile up. He forgets things he never used to.He used to think it was just stress. Or maybe grief. But now he knows. Amanda’s leaving didn’t just take her away—it took a part of him with her.He rubs a hand over his face. His palm feels rough against his skin. Like he’s been tired for weeks, maybe month
Looking back now, I must have fallen for Amanda long before throwing away that brooch. How could I have been so blind? All the signs were there—the way Riley’s pulse quickened when Amanda laughed, the hours he spent replaying our conversations in his head, the irrational jealousy that simmered beneath his skin whenever someone else caught her attention. Yet he’d dismissed it all, stubbornly oblivious to what now seemed painfully obvious. God, what a fool I’ve been. Which of us endures the crueler marriage—Mother or me? Riley has lost someone who loved him—not for his status, his wealth, or any of the trappings that came with them, but for the man beneath it all. His mother, however, had fallen for a man with nothing to offer but a handsome face—a hollow charmer devoid of talent, dripping with false sincerity, who married her solely for her name and social standing.H