7: Tables Turned

It was still morning.

Not more than two hours since she had walked out of Edwards’ company, but now she was on her way back.

Maria sat in the back seat of the car, her body tensed as the other vehicle followed closely behind in the steady rhythm of traffic. The ride was smooth, the city moving at its usual pace, but she barely noticed any of it. Her thoughts were tangled in the heat sitting low in her stomach, the lingering sensation between her thighs that refused to fade.

She clenched her legs tighter, willing herself to ignore it.

"Why did I let that happen?"

Her fingers curled into the fabric of her dress as memories of Luca’s touch played in her mind.

The rough drag of his calloused fingers up her thigh.

The firm press of his lips against hers.

The teasing way he had adjusted her underwear, like he had every right to.

A shiver ran down her spine, her nails digging into her palm.

Luca Avancii was dangerous.

And the worst part? She had let him. She had leaned into it, craved it, let him ruin her in ways she couldn’t even begin to explain.

Maria exhaled sharply, shaking her head.

No.

She wasn’t going to think about Luca right now.

Right now, she had a job to do.

She was going to march into that office, put those signed divorce papers in Edwards' hands, and end this chapter of her life for good.

The car pulled up in front of Edwards' company.

Maria stepped out, her heels clicking against the pavement as she walked toward the building. Her driver and bodyguards stayed close, but she didn’t acknowledge them.

She didn’t need backup for this.

She had spent years in this place, pleading, compromising, waiting.

Now, she was simply here to end it.

She didn’t bother with pleasantries as she made her way through the lobby, ignoring the wide-eyed stares from employees who had watched her beg before.

This time, she wasn’t begging.

Maria reached Edwards’ office, gripping the handle with steady fingers before pushing the door open.

Then she stopped.

A woman was bent over his desk.

Edwards was behind her.

Maria froze, her stomach turning cold as the scene unfolded in slow motion.

The woman jerked up at the sound of the door opening, her head snapping toward Maria. Edwards, caught off guard, stumbled back, his hands flying to buckle his belt.

The woman’s face came into full view.

Grace.

Edwards’ so-called best friend.

The one who barely spoke to Maria. The one who had never seemed to like her, always distant, always watching with a strange look in her eyes.

Maria’s gaze flickered between them.

Edwards looked guilty.

Grace looked indifferent.

Maria?

She felt nothing.

No heartbreak.

No devastation.

No pain.

Just… confirmation.

This had always been her place in his life.

Not a partner. Not a wife.

A placeholder.

Without a word, Maria stepped forward, pulling the divorce papers from her bag. She tossed them onto the desk, the crisp stack sliding across the polished wood.

"Sign them."

Edwards was still adjusting his pants, eyes flickering between her and the papers.

"Maria, wait—"

"No." Her voice was sharp, unwavering. "Just sign them, Edwards."

He didn’t move.

Grace slowly straightened, her expression unreadable, but Maria didn’t care enough to decipher it.

This wasn’t about Grace.

It wasn’t even about the fact that Edwards had been screwing someone else in their old office.

This was about closure.

Edwards' hands curled into fists as he looked at her. His jaw clenched. His chest rose and fell, something dark shifting in his expression.

Then, he snapped.

He grabbed the divorce papers and threw them across the room.

Maria didn’t flinch as the pages scattered like fallen leaves.

"You think you can just waltz in here and demand a divorce?" Edwards spat, his face twisting with fury. "You think you get to end things?"

Maria raised a brow.

"It shouldn't be a problem since it's what you want."

He let out a bitter laugh, stepping toward her, but one of her bodyguards moved instantly, blocking his path.

Edwards halted, his eyes narrowing.

"Oh, so now you need protection?" he sneered. "Is that what your new boy toy gave you? Hired muscle?"

Maria smirked.

"No, that’s what my fiancé gave me."

Edwards’ face darkened.

"Fiancé?" His voice dropped into something almost unrecognizable. "You’re already engaged?"

Maria tilted her head, watching as the anger in his eyes turned into something worse—disbelief.

He had expected her to grovel.

To beg.

To linger.

And instead, she was walking away like their marriage had been nothing more than a bad investment.

Maria held his gaze, unbothered.

"Yes."

Edwards’ expression twisted, veins visible at his temple.

"You’re lying."

Maria shrugged.

"Believe what you want. Just sign the damn papers."

Edwards let out a sharp breath, his shoulders rising and falling.

Then, in a move that would have once terrified her, he grabbed a glass paperweight from his desk and threw it against the wall.

The sharp shatter echoed through the office.

Maria remained still.

Grace, on the other hand, flinched.

Edwards turned back to Maria, his chest heaving.

His face twisted in rage, but she didn’t care.

She turned on her heel, already heading for the door.

"Email me my copy once you’ve signed," she threw over her shoulder.

And with that, she walked out.

Maria barely blinked as she arrived at Edwards' house—the place she had once called home.

It felt foreign now.

Like a museum of someone else's life.

She moved through the house with quiet efficiency, her bodyguards helping her pack up the things she cared about—which, it turned out, wasn’t much.

A few clothes. Some books.

Nothing sentimental.

Nothing that tied her to this place anymore.

She was done.

Completely and utterly done.

By the time she was back in the car, watching Edwards’ house shrink in the distance, Maria felt something unexpected.

Relief.

For the first time in a long time, she was free.

And for the first time in years, she wasn’t afraid of what came next.

She leaned back against the seat, her mind already drifting to where she was going.

To SpitFire Autos.

To Luca.

And for some reason…

The thought didn’t scare her at all.