I walked over and picked it up.

It was a text from Lydia.

“I have the footage,” the message read.

“We are filing for temporary sole custody first thing Monday morning.”

“This is exactly what we needed, Elena.”

“He walked right into the trap.”

I stared at the screen, a mixture of relief and exhaustion washing over me.

We had won this round, but I knew Julian wouldn’t stop.

He had too much pride, and too much money, to let me walk away.

I went to the window and looked out at the gray ocean.

The waves were crashing violently against the black rocks.

I knew the storm was just beginning.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

The screen showed an unknown New York number.

I hesitated, then swiped to answer.

“Elena,” a voice said.

It wasn’t Julian.

It was Martin Bell.

“Martin,” I said, keeping my voice neutral.

“I assume Julian has already called you.”

“He has,” Martin said, his voice sounding tired.

“And I have already seen the video footage your investigator sent to Lydia.”

“Julian made a mistake, Elena.”

“A very serious mistake.”