Page 159 of My Big, Fat, Accidental Billionaire Husband

“Yeah.” The humiliation burns hot. “It was like I was just a receptacle for him to masturbate inside.”

“Jesus, Tati.”

“I know.” I lean against the counter. “Looking back, I should have seen it coming. Cold, aggressive sex followed by ‘surprise, meet my brother, your next owner.’”

Tatiana Cole: Making Poor Relationship Choices Since Forever.

“So what’s your plan?” Sabrina asks. “Besides the annulment and settlement?”

I straighten my shoulders, even though she can’t see me. “I still have my job with Christopher. That’s something. And once the settlement clears, I’ll have enough saved to take some time, figure out what I really want.”

“Good.” I can hear the approval in her voice. “And if Dom tries to contact you?”

“He won’t.” I’m sure of this. “He got what he wanted. His precious resort deal. The contract is fulfilled. He has no reason to reach out.”

But even as I say it, fragments of moments slide through my mind. His face when he saw my apartment. The way he looked at me after we weathered Jian Chung’s interrogation together. His body curled protectively around mine in sleep.

Stop it. It wasn’t real. None of it was real.

“I should get ready,” I tell Sabrina. “I want to swing by the lawyer’s office before I head to work. The sooner this is over, the better.”

“Call me after. And Tati? You’re worth a thousand Dominic Rossis.”

I laugh, though it’s bittersweet. “Thanks. I’ll try to remember that.”

After we hang up, I step into the shower. The pressure is pathetic compared to Dom’s rainfall shower, but it’s mine. I scrub every inch of my body, washing away the lingering scent of his body on mine, the memory of his touch.

As I dress in one of my pre-Dom suits, something navy blue, sensible, and utterly unmemorable, I rehearse what I’ll say to Arthur Sterling.

Professional.

Unemotional.

Matter-of-fact.

I slip on my most uncomfortable heels, because sometimes pain helps you focus. As I grab my purse, I can’t help but check my phone.

No messages from Dom.

I smile sadly. I was right. He’s not going to contact me. Never going to.

He got what he wanted.

I check my reflection one last time. My eyes are still puffy, but my makeup covers the worst of it. And the fading hickeys on my neck are suitably hidden beneath dabs of concealer.

My posture is straight, my expression composed. No one looking at me would guess that inside, I’m shattered.

Time to sign away my billionaire husband. Let’s hope this annulment sticks better than my wedding did.

I lock my apartment, and walk with my head held high and my steps sure.

I’m Tatiana Cole.

NotTatiana Rossi.

And I’m taking back control of my life and my broken heart.

One signature at a time.

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