Chapter 4
The days passed slowly, each one peeling back another layer of Katherine’s pain. At Ivy’s place, there were no silent dinners, no cold glares, no footsteps that made her flinch. Just peace. Stillness. Healing.
But peace didn’t mean forgetting.
Each morning, she woke up with flashes of that night—the darkness, the helplessness, the ache. And each time she did, she clenched her fists tighter, as if holding herself together by force.
She wasn’t sure what her next step would be. Her life had revolved around Julian for so long that without him—without his cold routines and his silent demands—she didn’t know who she was anymore.
One afternoon, Ivy came into the living room holding a stack of documents.
“You haven’t opened your mail,” she said, placing the envelope on the table. “One of them’s from Nash Group.”
Katherine stared at it without touching it.
She already knew what was inside.
The divorce papers.
Signed.
Final.
She thought seeing them would bring her relief. Instead, it made her feel strangely empty.
She opened the envelope anyway. Julian’s signature stared back at her in bold ink. So clean. So effortless. As if she’d never mattered. As if she was just another deal he was wrapping up and sending off.
She didn’t cry. Not this time. Her tears had dried up.
Instead, she reached for a pen and signed her name next to his. Slowly. Deliberately.
It was done.
Ivy watched her with quiet support. “You don’t have to go back there ever again.”
“I know,” Katherine replied. Her voice was calm. Too calm.
But deep inside, something else was beginning to stir—something cold and sharp and clear.
This wasn’t just about walking away anymore.
It was about finding herself again.
Taking back everything that had been stolen from her.
That night, she couldn’t sleep.
She sat by the window, looking at the city lights, thinking about all the things she’d lost. But for the first time in a long time, she also thought about what she could still gain.
She’d survived hell.
Now it was time to build her own heaven.
Far away from Julian.
Far away from everything he’d used to break her.
The next morning, she got dressed in clothes that made her feel strong. Ivy raised an eyebrow. “Where are you going?”
Katherine smiled faintly. “To start over.”