Chapter 25
His voice hardened slightly.
"But this recognition stands."
Preston slowly sat down.
The applause that followed was louder than before.
I didn't smile at his humiliation.
Strangely, I no longer needed to.
For so long, I had imagined that proving him wrong would feel like striking back.
Instead, it felt like putting down something I had carried for years.
When I stepped off the stage, several colleagues approached me.
They congratulated me.
Asked about the strategy.
Wanted to discuss my methods.
Not one of them mentioned my back.
For nearly an hour, I talked about the work I loved.
And with every conversation, the invisible walls Preston had built around me seemed to weaken.
Later, I stepped onto a quiet balcony outside the ballroom.
The night air was cool against my shoulders.
Below, Manhattan glittered with countless lights.
I rested my hands on the railing.
My back ached faintly.
It always did after a long evening.
I had learned to live with the pain.
Now I was learning to live without the shame.
The balcony door opened.
I turned.
Cassidy stood in the doorway.
Her face was pale.
"Can we talk?"
I considered refusing.
Then I nodded.
She stepped outside.
For several seconds, we stood in uncomfortable silence.
Finally, she spoke.
"I didn't expect you to come."
"I know."
She looked down.
"I didn't think you'd wear something like that."
"I know that too."
Her hands tightened around her small purse.
"I wasn't trying to ruin your entire life."
I turned toward her.
"You approved a dress code specifically because you thought my scars would humiliate me."
She looked away.
"It was stupid."
"It was cruel."
Her eyes filled with angry tears.
"You don't understand what it's like being in my position."
I stared at her.
"Then explain it."
She drew a shaky breath.
"Preston kept promising that everything would change. That he'd divorce you. That once he had the equity, we'd be secure."
I said nothing.
"Then I got pregnant."
Her hand moved instinctively toward her stomach.
"I was scared."
For one moment, I could see something beneath her polished cruelty.
A frightened woman who had placed her future in Preston's hands.
It didn't excuse what she'd done.
But it explained why she had been so desperate to make me disappear.
"You wanted him to choose you," I said.
She nodded.
"And you thought humiliating me would make that happen."