Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband novel Chapter 507

(Cass)

The smell of mildew hits me the moment I open the door to my tiny apartment. My stomach churns as I step inside, taking in the chaos left behind. Furniture overturned, drawers yanked open, and everything I once owned strewn across the floor like a crime scene.

I should clean this place up and sell it. But letting it go is harder than I imagined. It’s what I bought with money from Mom, to start my new life. To be the person she always believed I’d be.

That worked well, didn’t it?

I drag myself out of the downward funk, this time I’ll make good.

I swallow hard, gripping the strap of my duffel bag. It’s been months since I fled this place, running from my own disasters. Part of me wonders why I came back at all.

But I know it’s because it’s all I have left of Mom—her money barely stretched far enough to buy this shoebox, but it was something of my own. My tiny sanctuary.

I drop my bag on the only chair still upright and let out a shaky breath. “Okay, Cass,” I mutter to myself. “Let’s get started.”

I grab a garbage bag from under the sink and start with the broken picture frame on the floor. It’s one of the few pictures I printed of Mom—us on the beach, her smile so bright it felt like sunlight even on bad days.

The glass is cracked, but the photo is intact. Small mercies. I place it in my duffel bag.

As I toss shards of glass into the bag, a noise freezes me in place.

The door creaking open.

I straighten slowly, my heart hammering. Who can that be?

Footsteps.

I duck behind the couch, my pulse roaring in my ears. After my last time here, I’m not taking any chances.

The footsteps get closer, then stop just a few feet away. I hold my breath.

Then I hear the door again and a second set of footsteps…heavier footsteps. I’m not chancing looking in case they see me.

“Mia,” a male says, his voice low and gravelly. “This place is beneath you.”

“It isn’t mine. It’s where I could meet you without anyone watching,” she says, her Cuban accent more pronounced than usual. “You said this was urgent.”

“It is urgent. The authorities are closing in. Since you testified against me. I’ve already had to activate several contingencies. My time here is limited.”

“I’m sorry Don Alejandro, forgive me. I had no choice.”

“If I didn’t forgive you, you’d already be dead, mi niña.”

Fuck, who is this guy? The silence is almost scary.

“You’ve been prepared for this your entire life,” he says, his tone softening like a predator lulling its prey. “You may not have realized it, but everything I’ve done has been for our family. For you. My empire is your legacy.”

“You—Abuelo, you said this was about helping people. Giving them opportunities.”