Audrey's POV
I froze mid-step, the sound of his voice cutting through the crowd like a blade. My grip on my suitcase tightened. I should've kept walking. I should've ignored him. But my body betrayed me, turning before my mind could stop it.
There he was—Jeremy Gillian. Tall, furious, storming toward me with the kind of authority that made strangers part like the Red Sea. His eyes burned, not with love, not with regret, but with rage that I dared to leave.
"Audrey," he ground out, his jaw tight. "Where do you think you're going?"
I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze head-on. "Home."
"This is your home." He pointed back as if the entire country belonged to him. "You think you can walk away just because you're throwing a tantrum? Block me? File divorce papers? You think you can humiliate me like this?"
Humiliate him? My laugh came out cold. "You're the one parading your mistress in front of me and your family. You humiliated yourself, Jeremy."
He stepped closer, close enough that I could feel his anger radiating off him. "You're not leaving. Not until I say so. Don't forget who controls the contracts, the money, the doors you think you can walk through using my uncle, whatever name you're clinging to—none of it matters here."
I swallowed, my heart hammering, but I refused to look away. "Three years, Jeremy. That was our contract. And it's over. You can threaten me, blacklist me, even chain the entire airport if you want—but I'm done."
For a second, his mask slipped. His jaw clenched so hard I thought it might crack. His hand twitched at his side, as if he had to stop himself from grabbing me.
"You think you can win against me?" he hissed.
"No," I said, my voice steady. "I think I can finally walk away from you."
The PA system above us announced final boarding for my flight. My pulse leapt. This was it—my chance.
Jeremy's eyes narrowed, dark and dangerous. "If you step on that plane, Audrey, don't you dare think you can ever come back."
"Good," I whispered, brushing past him without another glance. "Because I won't want to."
---
He caught my wrist before I could take another step, his grip firm but gentle. "Why didn't you come to me?" Simon's voice was low, urgent. "Are you still up in your high heels that you can't ask me for help? What are you going to do—beg them to let you leave? You know that's not possible."
I blinked at him, stunned. It wasn't Jeremy's cold eyes staring back at me this time—it was Simon's, the same Simon who once stood in front of me in schoolyards, who shielded me from trouble like an older brother. And now he was here, looking at me like that again, but it was too late.
"Simon… I need to leave." My voice cracked, but I pulled my hand from his.
He stepped closer, his brows drawn tight. "Seriously, Audrey, where are you going to go? Come with me. I'll fix this. Just give me a few hours, and I'll have my company jet ready to take you anywhere you want. You're the wife—you don't have to run away like you've committed a crime."
"I'm not running," I whispered, fighting the sting in my throat. "I've already filed for divorce. It's not finalized yet, but I just want to leave. I want to put all of this behind me."
Something flickered in his eyes—hurt, disbelief, maybe even guilt. "And what about me?" Simon asked quietly. "You want to put me behind too?"
I stared at him, stunned by his words. "You were the one who stopped caring about me, Simon. You went to jail, you shut me out, you judged me without even asking for the truth. I don't know anymore. I just… I just want to say goodbye to Mrs. Gillian and walk away. There's nothing left for me here."
He inhaled sharply, like my words had struck him. Then, out of nowhere, he said, "Marry me."
The words hung between us like a gunshot. He looked like he meant it—eyes steady, jaw set. But I could still see the storm behind him, the unfinished battles, the things he hadn't cleaned up.
"I just want to forget everything, Simon." My voice trembled, but I stayed firm. "Goodbye."
His grip slipped from my wrist. For a moment, he looked like a boy again—stunned, lost, stumbling back as if my rejection had knocked the wind out of him.
And just like that, I turned away, leaving Simon Gillian behind with the rest of them.