Jeremy's strides were sharp and deliberate, slicing through the crowd like a knife. His jaw was set, eyes stormy, and when he stopped in front of me the air snapped between him and Simon like a live wire.
"Good heavens," I whispered, my throat dry.
Simon slipped his hands into his pockets, cool and unbothered. "Oh, don't look so surprised, Gillian. Did you really think she'd spend the rest of her life begging for your love?"
Jeremy's fists clenched at his sides. "So this is why you asked for the divorce?"
Simon tilted his head, smirking. "Look at that. So tell me—what exactly are you doing here, ex-husband?"
"Don't call me that," Jeremy growled. His gaze snapped to mine. "Audrey, you shouldn't even be near him. Don't forget—we're still married. You're still my wife."
"Ahem." Simon stepped closer, like he was staking his claim. "Are you even listening to yourself? Married? You had her, and you still managed to break her. I'd bet Adel is somewhere around here."
Jeremy's jaw tightened, voice sharp as glass. "If you don't back away from her right now, I'll—"
"—What?" Simon cut in with a smirk. "Hit me? In the middle of El Salvador's biggest mall? Please. Do it. Let her see exactly how much of a monster you really are."
Shoppers slowed. Murmurs rippled. The tension between them was drawing eyes like a fire in the dark.
I could barely breathe. Both men stared at me—one furious, the other infuriatingly calm.
"Audrey," Jeremy said, softer now, almost pleading. "Come with me. We need to talk. Alone."
"No," Simon countered instantly, his hand brushing the small of my back, sending a jolt through me. "She doesn't need to go anywhere with you. She's staying right here—with me."
There it was. The two men I least wanted in the same room, circling each other like predators. And me, stuck in the middle, with the secret inside me burning to come out. If I didn't take control, this wasn't just going to end in words. It was going to end in blood.
"Fine. Let's talk," I said, my voice steady. Simon's eyes searched mine, half-broken, as if this was another one of those moments where I'd always forgive him.
"Audrey…" Simon's voice cracked, but I raised my hand. "Please," I said softly.
He nodded and stepped back. Jeremy's hand shot out, grabbing mine, and he dragged me to a side corridor of the mall away from the staring crowd.
"So all this time you've been avoiding me because you've got someone else, huh?" he demanded.
"How dare you!" I snapped. "Mr. Gillian, don't project your dirty thoughts on me. I'm not you."
"Really? My dirty thoughts?" His eyes narrowed. "How long has this been going on?"
"What brings you here, Mr. Gillian?" I countered coldly.
"Now you're not even hiding your affairs, are you?" His voice was rising. "Why did my uncle suddenly show up here? Did you lure him here?"
"Are you deaf, or what?" I shot back. "Shut your mouth if you can't speak properly."
"You're guilty. You moved on so fast," he hissed.
"You're really something," I said, my voice like ice. "Mr. Gillian, have you lost your mind?"
"Still denying it. That's my uncle. He's had a crush on you for ages. Don't think I don't know. You really take me for a fool?"
I stared at him, my pulse hammering. This wasn't the Jeremy I once knew. Or maybe it was, and I was finally seeing him without the fog of love.
"So what if I did?" I shot back, my voice steady but shaking underneath. "Why should you get to berate your childhood sweetheart to bring her home in public, but I can't find someone new?"
Jeremy's eyes flickered, something dark moving behind them. "And here I thought I was partly to blame before," he said slowly. "I came all the way here to see you, to give you another chance after everything you did for me in the hospital… only to find you've gifted me such a grand surprise."
I folded my arms. "Are you done, Mr. Gillian? Nothing else to say?"
"Let's go." He reached for my hand, his grip too familiar, too firm.
I yanked it back. "I'm not going anywhere with you — except to a courtroom to get a divorce."
His jaw tightened. "Audrey, I'm giving you a chance here. A chance to be part of an elite society. Since you love parties so much, I'll take you to one of the most exclusive events in the country. You've heard of the Shepherd-Anderson clan, right?"
The laugh that slipped from me was sharp and humorless. His stupidity, his self-importance, it almost stunned me.
"A chance?" I echoed. "I gave you three years of chances. Did you ever cherish me? Our bond ends here. Have some self-respect and sign the damn divorce papers."
He flinched, but only for a heartbeat. "Audrey, how much longer are you going to keep this up? Okay, I'm sorry about everything that happened. Adel lied to me, but she's a good person, okay? She's helping me, and I'm helping her — that's all. There's nothing going on between us."
I stared at him, numb. "Is this exactly what you wanted? To see me grovel like a wounded wolf? Haven't you had enough?"
But he wasn't done. His voice dropped low, hard. "You can throw your tantrums all you want, but dragging my family into this? Do you even realize you are my only chance of giving the Gillian family an heir?"
For a moment, the mall noise faded. I just stood there, staring at him, at the man I once thought I'd build a life with. God, what had I ever seen in this heartless, brainless bastard?