Chapter 7

Serena sat alone in the empty penthouse until late at night when Carter finally called.

His voice was strained, and in the background, she could faintly hear hospital announcements. "Honey, I won't be home for a couple of days. The merger hit a major problem..."

Serena's eyelids fluttered.

He had lied so many times that he didn't even bother with a convincing excuse anymore.

Her silence made Carter uneasy. "When I get back, I'll arrange a private jet to take you to Orlando. I promise."

Serena was quiet for a long moment, then gave a soft laugh.

"Okay. Whatever you say. It's getting cold in New York. Make sure you dress warmly."

On the other end, Carter's relief was audible. His tone lightened.

"Okay, honey. You get some rest. I have to go."

Before Serena could respond, the line went dead.

The click echoed like a blow to Serena's chest, leaving a dull ache.

The penthouse blazed with light, illuminating every corner of her sorrow.

After a long while, another message came in from Carter.

"Honey, are you asleep? It's snowing out there!"

Snow?

Serena looked out the window and saw the flakes falling.

They weren't heavy, but they drifted down gently over the steel and glass of Manhattan.

Serena felt a pang of memory.

The year she and Carter had gotten together at Columbia, New York had its first snow of the season.

That day, Carter had made hot chocolate and walked with her through Central Park.

It was freezing, but he was full of energy, his eyes bright with dreams of the future.

"Serena, look. Snow in our hair. Doesn't that count as growing old together? Do you think I'm your future husband?"

The snow that had dusted Carter's hair that day merged with the snow outside her window, and Serena's nose began to sting.

And then Vivian sent a photo.

The glass door of a luxurious hospital VIP room reflected two figures holding each other tightly: her and Carter.

"Serena, the first snow in New York is so romantic."

Serena looked at Carter's smiling face in the photo and felt like snow was falling inside her chest, freezing her from the inside out.

She stared at the falling snow, standing in the vast, quiet living room, and whispered.

"Carter, you promised we'd be together forever. Why did you let go of my hand first..."

......

The next day, Serena got a call from Daniel.

"Ms. Hayes, the paperwork is ready. You can come to my office to sign."

Serena agreed. She didn't call for the family driver. Instead, she took a taxi into midtown against the pale New York sky.

Entering the law firm known for high-net-worth divorces, Serena could hear fragments of conversations through the soundproof glass.

"Legally, if he's transferring assets, we can freeze the accounts."

"Before the final ruling, I suggest you don't move out of the townhouse..."

"I'm sorry, but those loopholes in the prenup will be difficult to challenge. We'll try to maximize the alimony."

The clients sitting before the top lawyers all had the same look—exhausted, hollow, without a trace of a smile.

Serena's heart clenched.

Now, she was no different from them.

"Serena, over here."

Daniel stood from behind his large oak desk and waved her over.

Serena walked to him, and he handed her a thick stack of documents.

"I've organized the financial records and evidence of infidelity into the draft filing. Just sign the retainer and the petition, and we'll submit them to the court today. A summons will be served to Mr. Sterling shortly."

Serena picked up the pen and looked at the legal jargon on the page: "the marriage is irretrievably broken."

Her heart ached.

She thought of their wedding in a church on Long Island, where they had stood before a priest and vowed.

"I take you to be my lawfully wedded spouse, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."

Her eyes burned.

Serena gripped the pen and signed her name on the plaintiff line.

'Plaintiff: Serena Hayes.'