McNeil had never been this anxious before. He found himself checking his reflection in the full-length mirror over and over, fussing with his clothes, adjusting how he sat, smoothing out his expression until it looked gentle enough.


    At three in the afternoon, a message popped up-apany contact request on his work app. The name didn''t belong to any business he recognized. Then a video call came through.


    Suddenly, Victoria''s face filled his screen.


    It had been more than three months since the divorce-more than three months without seeing each other. McNeil had thought he''d found hisposure by now, but the moment he saw Victoria, all that calm evaporated.


    "Where are you right now? I need to see you."


    Hers was the face he''d been yearning for day and night, yet now all he could do was stare at this digital version, separated by a cold pane of ss.


    Victoria''s expression was unreadable, distant in a way that made her seem almost like a stranger. He felt a tremor of fear.


    "If you have something to say, make it quick. I only have ten minutes."


    McNeil could see the floor-to-ceiling window behind her. Victoria looked noticeably fuller, her cheeks soft and glowing with health. She seemed utterly at peace, more radiant than ever, as if these past months had treated her well-too well.


    The sharp, elegant lines of her face were blurring into something rounder, almost cherubic. But she was still breathtaking, so beautiful he couldn''t look away.


    "I want to see you," he repeated, the words tumbling out. He''d been trying to reach her for weeks, losing his mind, unable to focus on anything else.


    Victoria remained perfectly calm. "We''re seeing each other now."


    She clearly had no intention of letting him back into her life. Even if she weren''t pregnant, she would have wanted nothing more to do with him. She''d told him as much thest time they spoke that she wanted their paths to never cross again.


    "I mean in person, not through a screen."


    Victoria''s lips curved in a faint, almost mocking smile. "I don''t see the point. We''re barely more than strangers now."


    Out of sight, McNeil''s hands balled into fists and then rxed again.


    "Gwyn misses you. You promised you''d spend time with her three times a week. You broke your promise."


    Victoria gave a soft, derisiveugh. "It doesn''t matter whether I''m there or not. Gwyn''s growing up-she needs a mother''s love, sure, but you can find someone else to give her that. It doesn''t have to be me."


    Her words were a clear signal: she was nevering back.


    McNeil gritted his teeth. "So you''re just going to walk away from your own daughter?"


    Victoria''s gaze stayed cool, her voice level as she said something he never thought he''d hear from her lips.


    "Yes. The court gave her to you. Even before the divorce was final, you were already preparing her for a new stepmom. I''m not worried about her. Whatever happens, you''re still her father. You''d never treat her badly."


    McNeil was out of moves. Every angle he tried, she''d already anticipated. There was nothing left he could use to hold onto her. She was free to do and say whatever she wanted.


    "I already exined everything. There''s nothing between me and Violet Marchand


    Victoria cut him off, her faceposed and calm. "I know there''s nothing between you. I believe you. But McNeil, what difference does it make to me?"


    McNeil''s expression twisted. He''d seen every side of Victoria-the gentle, loving wife; the devoted partner; the hurricane who could turn their home upside down in a heartbeat. But he''d never seen her like this: serene, untouchable, her eyes so clear and cold they made him want to shrink away.


    A wave of panic swept over him.


    Victoria''s voice was soft but final. "McNeil, stop trying. Your efforts mean nothing to me now. I need a ce where I belong. I used to think that was you..."


    He cut her off, his words sharp with bitterness. "You''ve already found it, haven''t you? Stein Campbell. He''s always been the one for you, hasn''t he?"


    Victoria paused, neither denying nor exining. Their lives had be two lines running parallel, never touching. She didn''t feel the need to justify herself.


    Under McNeil''s bloodshot, desperate gaze, she finally spoke. "Yes. He treats me a thousand times better than you ever did."


    It hit McNeil like a bolt of lightning. If there really was such a thing as a heart pierced by a thousand arrows, this was it.


    He sat in silence for so long that Victoria almost thought the call had frozen. Atst, he spoke, his voice hoarse, fighting to hide the tremor in his words.


    "If that''s how it is, I wish you both all the happiness in the world. Victoria—if you get married again..."


    He swallowed, struggling to keep hisposure.


    "There''s no need to tell me. I don''t want to know."