“Now, give me my father’s patents,” I said.

The silence between us was heavy, broken only by the sound of the wind howling against the glass.

Elias looked at the document, his eyes scanning the lines of text.

For the first time in our marriage, I saw a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.

He wasn’t looking at a wife he could ignore or a business partner he could manipulate.

He was looking at someone who had completely outmaneuvered him.

“You planned this from the start,” he said quietly.

“I learned from the best,” I replied.

“I want the patents, Elias. Tonight. Or I walk out of here, call Daniel, and tell him exactly what I have.”

He leaned back in his chair, his dark eyes fixed on mine.

“You’d destroy the company just to hurt me?” he asked.

“I would destroy it to get back what you stole from my family,” I said.

“It was business, Ava,” he said, his voice flat but lacking its usual conviction.

“It was my father’s life,” I corrected him.

The rain seemed to grow louder, lashing at the glass behind him.