The room fell completely silent.
I could actually hear the faint ticking of the antique clock near the fireplace.
“Six years,” I repeated quietly. “Long enough to stabilize the foundation publicly, protect the company assets, and avoid turning William’s childhood into a media spectacle.”
Wendy looked like she couldn’t fully process what she was hearing.
“We’ve already been married for five years,” I told her. “Which means there’s only one year remaining.”
A tear slipped down her cheek.
Then another.
I watched her struggle to understand me, to search for the manipulation hidden underneath the confession.
But there wasn’t one.
There was only surrender.
“I won’t keep you in a cage, Wendy,” I said carefully, even though every instinct in my body rebelled against the words. “If this l
