Divorce Before Love

DIVORCE BEFORE LOVE Chapter 1 — The Woman He Divorced The office door opened. Roman Calloway looked up from the contract in his hand. And everything inside him went still. Eva. She was walking toward his desk as if she had every right to be there. A black dress fell elegantly around her, stopping just above her knees. Her dark hair rested over her shoulders, and a slim file was held firmly against her chest. She looked calm. Professional. Almost indifferent. Roman's fingers tightened around the pen. One week. It had been exactly seven days since he had signed the divorce papers that ended their marriage. And now she was standing in his office. His office. As if the past week had never happened. Roman slowly placed the pen on the desk. "What are you doing here?" Eva stopped in front of him. She didn't look away. "Good morning, Mr. Calloway." His jaw tightened. Mr. Calloway. She had never called him that before. Not when they were married. Not when they had shared the same home. Not when she had once looked at him as though he were the only man in the world. Now she sounded like a stranger. "Answer me." Eva placed the file on his desk. "I've been appointed to work here." Roman stared at her. "Here?" "Yes." "Who appointed you?" "The trustees." His expression changed instantly. "The trustees?" She nodded. Roman picked up the file and opened it. His eyes moved over the documents. Her appointment was legitimate. Her position was legitimate. Everything was signed. Everything was approved. And, most irritatingly, there was nothing he could object to. "You can't work here." Eva's expression remained calm. "Why not?" "Because I said so." A faint silence followed. Then Eva looked at him. "That's not a professional reason." Roman's eyes narrowed. "You've changed." Her fingers curled slightly around the edge of the file. "So have you." The words were quiet. But they landed harder than he expected. Roman stepped away from his desk. "Eva." Her name sounded strange on his lips now. Too familiar. Too painful. She looked at him. For a moment, Roman saw something in her eyes. Something he couldn't identify. Then it disappeared. "I'm here because the trustees hired me," she said. "Not because of you." "I never said it was because of me." "You didn't have to." Roman stared at her. He hated how composed she was. He hated that she wasn't crying. He hated that she wasn't angry. Most of all, he hated that he couldn't read her anymore. A week ago, he had thought he knew exactly how this story would end. He had been wrong. "What's your position?" he asked. "Executive strategy." Roman's eyebrows lifted. "Under whose division?" Eva didn't answer immediately. She didn't need to. He already knew. His expression darkened. "Mine?" "Yes." A humorless laugh escaped him. "Of course." Eva opened her file. "I was told to report directly to you." "Who told you?" "The board." Roman looked toward the ceiling for a second. The trustees had always interfered in his business. But this was different. They had placed Eva directly in his path. The one person he had just removed from his personal life. Now she was entering his professional one. "You'll be transferred." Eva shook her head. "I don't think that's possible." "You don't think?" "The appointment has already been approved." Roman stepped closer. "Everything has a price." Eva looked up at him. "And what exactly are you asking me to pay?" His eyes locked with hers. For one second, neither moved. The question carried something neither of them wanted to name. Roman looked away first. "Forget it." Eva closed the file. "I'll take my desk." She turned toward the door. "Eva." She stopped. Roman didn't know why he had called her. Maybe because watching her walk away again felt strangely familiar. Maybe because seven days hadn't been enough to erase a year. Maybe because, despite everything, he still wanted to know what she was thinking. But when she turned around, he couldn't find the right words. Finally, he said, "Don't make this difficult." Eva's eyes held his for a long moment. "I think you've already made it difficult enough." Then she walked out. The door closed. Roman remained standing behind his desk. His gaze stayed fixed on it. He told himself he was angry. That was all. Anger was easier than remembering. Easier than remembering the woman she had once been. Easier than remembering the day he had chosen a different future. Easier than remembering the signature that had ended their marriage. He forced his attention back to the documents. But the words blurred. A knock sounded on the door. His assistant entered. "Mr. Calloway?" Roman didn't look up. "What?" "The trustees sent another message regarding Ms. Eva." His head lifted immediately. "What about her?" "They've made it clear that her position cannot be terminated without their approval." Roman's expression hardened. "Anything else?" The assistant hesitated. "Yes." "What?" "They've assigned her to the Calloway International expansion project." Roman went completely still. "Who is leading that project?" The assistant looked uncomfortable. "You are, sir." Silence. Roman slowly leaned back in his chair. Eva had walked back into his life. Not as his wife. Not even as the woman he once knew. But as his employee. And now he would have to see her every day. Work with her. Speak to her. Pretend that nothing had happened. Pretend that he didn't remember. Pretend that she didn't matter. Roman looked toward the closed office door. He didn't know what the trustees were trying to accomplish. He didn't know why Eva had accepted the position. And he certainly didn't know what she was hiding behind that calm expression. But one thing was becoming painfully clear. The divorce had ended their marriage. It hadn't ended their story. In fact, it might have been the moment their real story began.