Anthony deleted the recording, then shoved me backward.
"Don't push your luck, Vivienne."
"She's not wrong. You're nothing but dead weight I've been feeding out of charity. The fact that I was willing to marry you at all should've had your ancestors weeping with gratitude."
"Bianca has real potential. Going public with her means shared resources, mutual growth. You? All you've ever done is fetch coffee and run errands like hired help. What else are you good for?"
"You kept pressuring me to go public, and for what? To feed that pathetic little ego of yours?"
He looked down at me, contempt etched into every line of his face.
"I don't even need to check. That post you deleted was you bragging to your friends about landing a celebrity boyfriend, wasn't it?"
"What's the matter, got a sudden attack of shame?"
"Vivienne, know when to quit. I'll buy you another ring. But if you keep making a scene, don't blame me when I call off the wedding for good."
A dull ache spread through my chest.
Four years. Four years of giving him everything I had.
And in his eyes, I was nothing more than a vain, useless hanger-on.
But Anthony was wrong.
What I'd deleted wasn't some lovesick social media post. It was a list of top-tier projects and resources, the kind people in this industry would kill for. Over a dozen of them. I'd been saving them as a gift for after we went public.
He never deserved a single one.
"Then I suppose I should thank you for not marrying me. Goodbye."
I said it without emotion, then walked out onto the deck alone, looking for a crew member who could get me a dinghy to shore.
A familiar voice cut through the wind behind me.
"Hold on."
Anthony followed me out with Bianca draped on his arm. He traced a lazy circle in the air with one finger, half-smiling.
"Don't forget, Vivienne. This entire yacht is mine tonight. Every boat, every amenity, every inch of it is for my friends and my women."
"Now that we've broken up, exactly what gives you the right to ask for a boat? Trying to freeload one last time?"
"Tell you what. A million dollars and you can rent one. Can't afford it? Swim. Oh, and don't bother reaching for my credit cards. I already had them frozen."
The night wind howled across the open water.
It tore straight through me, carving a hollow space where my heart used to be.