Chapter 17

ADRIAN (POV)

Four years. Four long, torturous years, and somehow, I was still there, sitting behind the same desk in the same office where it all began.

The polished mahogany desk remained as pristine as ever, the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows just as breathtaking, but the man sitting there?

He was barely a shadow of who he once was.

My fingers absently traced the cool, smooth band of the wedding ring on my finger.

A symbol of love and commitment, so it was supposed to be.

For me, it was nothing but a shackle, binding me to a fate I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.

It had been four years since the day I said, “I do,” to Ivy Grant.

Four years since I honored my grandfather’s dying wish and secured my inheritance by marrying the daughter of his late friend.

Back then, I convinced myself that this was just a necessary step. With Maxwell and the police’s help, I maneuvered through the labyrinth of legal and personal hurdles, securing my position in the company and claiming