“Just sign the papers, and we can make this go away quietly.”

“You can keep your furniture workshop, and I will keep the Riverview funds and joint custody.”

I gripped the phone tightly.

“I will never let you near Maisie again,” I said.

“We will see what the judge says,” Nolan said.

“You have twelve hours.”

He hung up.

I stood in the center of the quiet room, the fire casting long, flickering shadows against the walls.

I felt the weight of the Hartwell heritage pressing down on me.

For years, I had run from it, wanting only a quiet life, a simple job, a husband who loved me for who I was.

But that quiet life was gone.

They had taken my trust, my money, and now they were trying to take my daughter.

I walked back to the desk and looked at the laptop screen.

A new email notification popped up from Marcus.

The subject line was: *Urgent – Apex Meridian.*

My hand shook slightly as I moved the cursor and clicked on the message.

The PDF attachment downloaded with a soft click.