Stephanie's POV
I stormed out of Cane's office and slammed the door so hard the walls shook. My blood was still boiling from the way he looked at me, like he still owned me.
"What was so important it couldn't wait five more minutes?" I snapped at James the second we were alone in the hallway.
He didn't flinch. He just looked at me with those calm, worried eyes. "Stephanie, I need you to listen. I'm talking as your friend right now, not just your lawyer. If you push for divorce today, Cane wins. Hands down."
I opened my mouth to argue, but he kept going.
"You walked away for five years. You left Josh. That's what the court will see. They won't care why. They'll see a mother who disappeared and a father who stayed. He has the stronger case."
The words hit me like a fist in the chest. My eyes filled with tears before I could stop them.
"But it wasn't my fault!" My voice cracked. "He knows why I had to run. He knows what he did!"
