Jeremy's POV
What have I done?
Last night pulled the rug out from under me. Audrey — the girl I thought I knew — isn't some penniless orphan who climbed into my life by accident. Her mother is Stefania Shepherd, a legend. Her father is Ethan Anderson. Her brother is Andrew Shepherd-Anderson. Powerful. Untouchable. People I never thought I'd meet, much less be connected to.
I felt stupid, exposed. How could I have taken her for granted all these years? How could I have let myself be so blind? I don't know which bites worse — that I accused her, humiliated her, or that she walked away without a backward glance.
I have to fix this. Audrey is mine. I will make her come back. I'll win her back. That's what I kept telling myself as I drove home, the city sliding by in a blur.
"Jeremy," Rosemary piped up from the back seat, voice sharp as ever, "she went too far. How dare she speak to us like that? Don't forgive her."
"She's an heiress now — so what?" she added, venom in her tone. "She's obsessed with you. Once you get her back, make her pay for this humiliation."
I almost laughed at her cruelty. "Rosemary, shut up," I said, harder than I meant. "You don't get to talk to my wife like that."
Dad cleared his throat. "Just do as your brother says," he murmured to Rosemary, then turned to me.
I met his eyes. "Audrey said you're divorced."
"No," I snapped, confidence returning in a rush. "I never signed any papers."
Dad considered that, the lawyer in him already calculating. "She can file without you if she chooses," he said slowly. "If she didn't appear in court and you haven't received any official notice, then she may have only staged this to get your attention."
A surge of something like hope—foolish or not—pumped through me. "I know what I have to do," I said. "I'll bring her back. I'll make her see she belongs with me. I won't lose her to Simon."
Dad's voice softened but was firm. "You must not lose her to Simon. Understand?"
"I understand," I said, jaw set. In the backseat the ride fell into tense silence. My head buzzed with plans: calls to make, people to manipulate, apologies to script that would sound honest. I would do whatever it took.
Because the thought of Audrey choosing anyone else — especially him — was unbearable.
And I'd proved last night I'd been an idiot. No more. This war was mine to win.
I arrived at the hotel past midnight, exhaustion and fury burning under my skin. The lobby lights felt too bright, the silence too sharp. And there she was — Adel, waiting by the elevator in a red dress that looked more like a provocation than an apology.
"Jeremy, please, can we talk?" she said the moment I stepped out.
"Good," I muttered, slipping my phone from my ear and ending the call with Jason. "We do need to talk."
Jason had already handled most of what I'd asked — booking flights for my parents and Rosemary to return to Andoria, and looking for a new apartment for me here in El Salvador. I wanted distance. From all of them.
Adel followed me to the suite, heels clicking behind me like an echo I couldn't shake. Once the door shut, she tried to reach for my hand.
"Jeremy, you've been avoiding me for days—"
"Because I finally see what you are," I cut in, voice low. "Everything started the day that scandal broke — me and Audrey, splashed all over the press. You expect me to believe that just happened? That wasn't bad luck, Adel. That was you."
Her eyes widened, guilt flashing for just a second. "No! I would never—"
"Save it." I took a step closer, enough to make her retreat until her back brushed the wall. "You wanted Audrey humiliated. You wanted her gone. Well, congratulations, it worked. And now you're going to deal with the same humiliation you gave her."
She shook her head, tears forming. "Jeremy, please. You know I love you."
Adel's voice trembled as she wrapped her arms around my neck, searching for the man who used to want her. I looked down at her — all curves, perfume, and desperation. Once, maybe, that would've meant something. But not anymore.
I pried her arms off gently, almost pitying her. "You don't get it," I said, a bitter smile on my lips. "You can't love someone and destroy them at the same time."
Her tears fell silently as I stepped back, reaching for my phone again. "Jason," I said when he picked up, my tone flat, businesslike. "Handle everything that needs signing. Don't call me again tonight."
I hung up before he could respond.
Turning back to Adel, I said quietly, "You wanted my attention. Now you have it — just not the kind you hoped for."
Then I walked past her toward the balcony, leaving her standing in the soft glow of the city lights — a ghost of a mistake I refused to make twice.