In front of my husband’s family, my mother-in-law said that by getting married I had “moved up in life.” I filed for divorce right then and there… But the next day, in front of the judge, they discovered who I really was.

I grabbed my purse from the velvet chair and looked directly at the man I once loved.

“Then let’s get a divorce.”

Brielle’s crystal glass hit the table with a loud thud, and Tyler’s head snapped up as if he had been slapped.

“What did you just say?” Cordelia asked, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning at the county clerk’s office to file the papers.”

Brielle burst into a fit of cruel, high-pitched laughter.

“And do what? Go back to your mother’s cramped apartment and beg for a bed, or go hunting for another rich man to leech off of?”

I didn’t even give her the satisfaction of a glance.

“Don’t worry, Cordelia,” I said, locking eyes with my mother-in-law. “I won’t be taking a single cent of your precious family fortune.”

She slammed her hand against the polished mahogany table with a loud bang.

“Marrying into this family was a promotion for a girl like you, so don’t you dare act like you have any dignity left to stand on.”

The word “promotion” hung in the air like a foul odor.

She spoke as if entering the Harrison family had been my only salvation from a life of misery.

She acted as if I had walked into their home barefoot and starving, rather than a woman who had worked for every inch of her life.

I looked at Tyler one last time, hoping to see a spark of the man I thought I knew.

“When you asked me to marry you, you promised to protect me, so tell me just one time you actually did.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, and he eventually looked back down at his plate.

“Tomorrow, Tyler. Ten o’clock sharp.”

As I walked toward the front door, the screams of Cordelia echoed through the hallway.

“Let’s see how long she lasts without the Harrison name to protect her!”

“She has no idea who she’s messing with, and she’ll be back on her knees within a week!”

I didn’t look back, and once I was outside, the crisp air of the Connecticut suburbs felt like the first breath of freedom I’d had in years.

I pulled out my phone to turn off the notifications, but a priority alert stopped me in my tracks.

“CEO Jordan Miller, the Nasdaq has confirmed the opening for tomorrow morning, and everything is set for the launch.”

I stood still for a moment, staring at the screen while the weight of my secret life finally began to merge with my reality.