Chapter 3
By three o'clock that afternoon, the papers were filed.
Marcus called with the news. The judge had granted the emergency custody order. Evan was not allowed within five hundred feet of Sophie. The bank accounts were frozen. The injunction was served.
And the notice of shareholder meeting was on its way to Evan's office.
Nora held Sophie while Arthur handled the logistics. She watched her daughter color pictures of their family—mommy, daddy, Sophie, and even Grandma Sylvia.
Her heart ached. Sophie still loved her father. She didn't know he had chosen another woman over her.
The first call from Evan came at four.
He was screaming.
"What have you done?" he shouted into the phone. Arthur held it away from his ear. "My bank accounts are frozen! My business accounts! I can't pay my workers! What kind of game is your daughter playing?"
"She's not playing games," Arthur said. "She's protecting herself and her child."
"This is ridiculous!" Evan yelled. "I'll have my lawyer get this thrown out by morning. And I'm taking Sophie. You can't keep her from me!"
"Try," Arthur said, and hung up.
Nora stared at her father.
"He's going to fight this."
"I know," Arthur said. "But he doesn't know who he's fighting."
The next call came from Sylvia.
Arthur answered. Her voice was cold and sharp.
"Arthur, this is foolish. Tell Nora to come to her senses. Evan has made his choice, and Bianca is a much more suitable wife. Nora was always too soft, too emotional. She'll never make it on her own."
Nora felt her face burn. She had always tried to be kind to Sylvia. Always tried to please her.
"Sylvia," Arthur said, his voice like ice, "you raised a son who throws women and children out into the snow. You have no right to speak about suitability."
He hung up.
That evening, there was a knock at the door.
Arthur opened it.
Standing on the porch was Bianca.
She was beautiful—tall, blonde, wearing an expensive coat that Nora had once seen in a store window and couldn't afford. Bianca held a leather bag.
"Is Nora here?" she asked, smiling as if she were visiting a friend.
Nora stepped forward. She felt her hands shake.
"What do you want?"
Bianca's smile didn't waver.
"I came to bring you some things. Sophie's favorite rabbit. And a few of your clothes. Evan said I could have everything else, but I thought you might need these."
She held out the stuffed rabbit. Sophie saw it from the living room and ran forward.
"Mr. Floppy!"
Nora caught her daughter before she could reach Bianca.
"Thank you for the rabbit," Nora said, her voice trembling. "You can leave now."
Bianca looked past her into the warm house. Then she looked back at Nora.
"You know," she said softly, "Evan says you were boring. That you stopped trying. That all you cared about was the baby."
Nora's vision blurred.
"He told me I'm everything you're not," Bianca continued. "Younger. More exciting. More of a partner."
Arthur stepped between them.
"Get off my property," he said quietly. "Or I will have you removed."
Bianca's smile finally faded. She turned and walked to her car—a new BMW that Nora recognized. It was the one Evan had said they couldn't afford.
As she drove away, Nora sank onto the porch step. Sophie hugged Mr. Floppy tight.
"Mommy, why was that lady at our house?"
Nora pulled her daughter close. She didn't have an answer that a three-year-old could understand.
That night, Nora couldn't sleep.
She lay in her old bedroom, listening to Sophie breathe beside her. She thought about the life she had built with Evan. The wedding. The first house. The day Sophie was born.
How had it all gone so wrong?
She thought about Bianca's words. About being boring. About not trying.
But she had tried. She had tried every single day. She had cooked his meals. She had cleaned his house. She had raised his child while he worked late. She had given up her career, her friends, her hobbies—everything—to be the wife he wanted.
And he had thrown it all away for someone new.
The next morning, Marcus called.
"The shareholder meeting is at ten," he said. "Are you ready?"
Nora looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red. Her face was pale. But something in her gaze had hardened.
"I'm ready."
The meeting was at Ward Construction's office.
Nora walked in with Arthur and Marcus. The receptionist stared. She had never seen Nora there before. Evan had always said she "wasn't needed" at the office.
Evan was waiting in the conference room. He looked terrible—tired, angry, his shirt unbuttoned at the collar. Sylvia sat beside him, her face tight with disapproval.
"What is this?" Evan demanded. "I'm the CEO. I run this company."
"Actually," Marcus said, opening his briefcase, "your father-in-law owns fifty-one percent of the shares. And as his appointed representative, Nora Ellis now holds voting control."
Evan's face went white.
"What?"
"Furthermore," Marcus continued, "due to the current circumstances, we are removing you as CEO, effective immediately."
Sylvia stood up. "This is outrageous! You can't do this!"
"We can," Arthur said, "and we are."
Evan stared at Nora. He looked at her as if he were seeing her for the first time.
"You," he whispered. "You planned this."
Nora met his gaze. She didn't look away.
"You threw us out in the snow, Evan. You chose her over your own daughter. Now you get to live with the consequences."
She turned to the company's operations manager, who had been watching in shock.
"Mr. Henderson," she said clearly. "Please continue with the projects as scheduled. All payments will be processed by the end of the day. I'll need a full report by tomorrow morning."
Henderson nodded slowly. "Yes, Mrs. Ellis."
Nora walked out of the conference room with her head held high.
May you like
Behind her, she heard Evan scream.
But she didn't turn back.
