"I'll drive you. That's it," Kian had said.
And Chloe had nodded—tight, composed, pretending the knot in her stomach wasn't there.
"That's all I'm asking."
She didn't want any more from him.
Not today.
Not now, when her heart still hadn't caught up to the divorce papers she hadn't even read properly.
And so, he drove.
The city moved past them in soft blurs. No music. No words. Carter hummed in the backseat, fiddling with a small keychain clipped to his bag.
Then—the car pulled up to a towering building of glass and brushed stone: Redgrave Dominion Holdings.
The seatbelt clicked.
Chloe turned toward Kian.
"Thank you."
A pause.
"That'll be all."
Kian gave a slight nod—nothing cocky, nothing sharp. Just enough to say he understood.
She stepped out, Carter's hand in hers.
The moment her heels touched the marble of the lobby, Chloe lifted her chin, spine straight, breath quiet and measured.
This was her family's domain.
The place she'd once stood so confidently in.
And now?
She didn't even have a pass.
She headed straight for the elevators out of muscle memory, not pausing, not thinking.
Until—a sharp voice called out behind her.
"Ma'am—ma'am, excuse me!"
A blur of navy blue and neatly pinned hair rushed forward. The receptionist stepped in front of her, hand out, professional but urgent.
"Do you have a pass? Redgrave access requires biometric or gold-tier clearance beyond this point."
Chloe blinked.
She had nothing.
No badge.
No code.
No fingerprint registered.
Not anymore.
And in that single moment—the building her name helped build reminded her how far she'd drifted from it.