Chapter 2

2.

Caleb and Autumn stood side by side. Caleb had the audacity to smirk at me.

Anger surged through my veins. I couldn't help but snap.

"Caleb, you really have thick skin. It's a waste you aren't in Hollywood. You'd win an Oscar for this performance."

As soon as I spoke, Caleb looked down. His voice was barely a whisper.

"Mr. Sterling, do you still hate me that much? I'll pay back my mother's medical bills..."

Before I could react, Autumn's voice cut through the air like a knife.

"Xander! I gave him that money as a gift. If you have a problem with it, keep it to yourself!"

She ended the conversation right there. I felt like I was suffocating.

I turned and walked out of the venue. Once outside, I ripped off my custom suit jacket and threw it into a trash can.

I had hoped she would be happy to see us in matching outfits. I thought she might finally go public with our marriage.

Looking back, my little plan was pathetic.

My friend, Quentin Brooks, followed me out. He offered me a cigarette.

I almost said, "Autumn doesn't like it when I smoke."

But I swallowed the words. I took the cigarette and lit it.

I inhaled the smoke and let it out slowly. "I looked pretty ridiculous today, didn't I?"

Quentin leaned against the wall, squinting at me. I expected comfort, but he was blunt.

"Yeah. You did."

I blinked, then laughed bitterly.

"Your custom pink Humvee arrived at the dealership," he added. "Are you still giving it to her?"

I leaned against a streetlamp. Autumn was beautiful, but she loved rugged, tough cars.

She usually rode in executive SUVs to maintain her CEO image. We had a few off-roaders in the garage, but she rarely touched them.

Six months ago, I took her car for service. She saw a modified pink Humvee and fell in love instantly.

The dealer said it belonged to a rich socialite who had it custom-built by a legendary designer.

I spent three months tracking that designer down. It took another three months to finish the build.

It was finally ready. I was going to take her to pick it up after the party.

I had imagined her excited face a thousand times. I was ready for her to finally praise me.

I smiled mockingly at myself. "It's yours, Quentin."

Quentin stared at me in shock. "You spent a fortune and months of effort on this. You're just giving it to me?"

"Yeah."

I took one last drag and headed for the parking garage. As I started the engine, Autumn appeared and pounded on the window.

I rolled it down slightly. "Is there something else?"

Autumn looked furious. "Xander, where do you think you're going? Because of what you said, Caleb almost got bullied. Get back there and apologize to him!"

I fought the urge to get out of the car. Instead, I sneered.

"You can try to drag me there, or you can stay here and scream at the wind.

"Oh, by the way, I'll email you the digital copy of the divorce papers. Sign them, or I'll see you in court."

I rolled up the window and floored it.

In the rearview mirror, I saw her chasing the car for a few steps. Her face was twisted with rage, her mouth moving as she screamed insults at me.