Chapter 18
“What if we don’t? What if Marcus finds a way to —”
“He won’t. Because we’re not playing his game anymore. We’re playing ours.”
Rebecca’s phone buzzed again. She frowned at the screen.
“Your father’s trying to reach you through my office.”
Elena’s heart sank.
“What does he want?”
“To talk sense into you, I imagine. Should I connect him?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know.” Elena pressed her hands to her face. “He’ll take Marcus’s side. He always does.”
“Then tell him that. Tell him exactly how it feels to have your own father choose money over you.” Rebecca’s voice was hard. “Or don’t take the call at all. But if you do, I’m recording it. Everything from now on gets documented.”
Elena took a shaky breath.
“Put him through.”
CHAPTER 7
Her father’s voice filled the office — gruff, familiar, disappointed.
“Elena Marie Davis, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Not Elena Martinez. He’d never once called her by her married name. Like he’d been waiting for this marriage to fail from the beginning.
“Hello, Dad.”
“Don’t hello Dad me. Marcus called me this morning. Said you’ve lost your mind. Run off with some lawyer. Said you’re trying to destroy him.”
“I’m divorcing him. There’s a difference.”
“Over what? A little argument at a party?” She could hear him shifting in his chair, that impatient sound he made. “You’re throwing away a marriage over pride.”
“He called me a placeholder, Dad. To my face. He’s been cheating on me for years. He controls every dollar I spend, every friend I see, every choice I make. That’s not a marriage. That’s a prison.”
Silence on the line. Then: “Marriage is hard, Elena. You think your mother and I never fought? Never had rough patches?”
“Did Mom ever feel like she was disappearing? Like she didn’t exist except as an extension of you?”
More silence.
“I didn’t think so.” Elena’s voice cracked. “Marcus is not a good man, Dad. And I’m not coming back to him.”
“He’ll bury you in legal fees. Drag this out for years. Destroy your reputation.” Her father’s voice hardened. “Is that what you want?”
“I have a good lawyer. And people helping me who aren’t afraid of Marcus.”
“What people? That man Marcus mentioned — what did you call him —”
“Dominic.”
“Elena.” Her father’s voice dropped to a hiss. “Do you have any idea who that man is? What he’s involved in? He’s connected to organized crime. He runs half the construction rackets in Chicago. Marcus says he’s dangerous.”