Chapter 6 - The Visitor in the Lobby
Ten minutes later, the private elevator chimed.
The heavy doors slid open to reveal Dominic Vaughn. The immaculate groom from last night had vanished. In his place stood a man who looked like he had aged ten years overnight. His tuxedo shirt was wrinkled, his tie was gone, and his hair was wildly uncombed. Dark, hollow circles bruised the skin beneath his bloodshot eyes.
He stepped out of the elevator, his steps hesitant and heavy, as if the very floor beneath him might swallow him whole.
He walked into the penthouse office, his eyes wide and desperate, scanning the opulent space—the sweeping city views, the priceless artwork, the sheer scale of wealth that he had lived adjacent to for three years without ever truly seeing.
"Vivienne," he breathed, his voice cracking pathetically. He took a few steps forward and dropped to his knees right in front of my desk. "Vivienne, please. You have to listen to me."
I didn't invite him to stand. I didn't move an inch. I simply looked down at him, my expression completely neutral.
"You're making a scene, Dominic," I said, echoing the exact words he had used to dismiss me at the wedding reception. "You shouldn't stress yourself out."
Dominic flinched, the irony hitting him like a physical blow. He reached out, his trembling hands hovering just inches from my knees before dropping back to his sides.
"I was a coward," he sobbed, tears spilling over his lower eyelids. "I was terrified of my mother, I was terrified of losing my job, and I was completely blind to what Chloe was doing. But I love you, Vivienne. I've always loved you. We're going to have a baby together! You can't just throw our family away over a mistake!"
"A mistake, Dominic?" I raised an eyebrow. "Standing by while your mother rips my dress off in front of two hundred people isn't a mistake. It’s a character revelation. Telling your pregnant wife to apologize to the people who are publicly humiliating her isn't a lapse in judgment. It’s who you are."
"I'll change!" he cried, gripping the edge of my desk. "I'll cut off my mother. I'll never speak to Chloe again. We can move away—anywhere you want! Just... please don't leave me. Without you, I have nothing. I lost my job this morning. They fired me for corporate compliance violations. I'm blacklisted from every firm in the city."
I looked at the man who had once promised to protect me, the man who had let his family treat me like dirt because he was too spineless to stand up for his own wife.
"You didn't lose everything because of me, Dominic," I said softly. "You lost everything because you built your entire life on convenience, cowardice, and cruelty. You thought my quietness meant I was weak. You thought my modest clothes meant I was dependent on you."
I reached into the desk drawer, pulled out a single manila envelope, and tossed it onto the glass surface right in front of him.
"What's this?" he whispered, his voice trembling.
"The divorce papers," I replied evenly. "Already signed by my legal team. All you need to do is sign the bottom line, hand over your apartment keys, and walk out of my life."
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Dominic stared at the envelope as if it were a bomb. "No... no, Vivienne, please! Think of the baby! A child needs a father!"
"A child needs a father who has integrity, courage, and a spine," I said, standing up from my chair and looking down at him with absolute finality. "Not a man who watches his wife get assaulted and tells her to keep the peace. Sign the papers, Dominic. It’s the last useful thing you'll ever do."
