---- Chapter 21 Emerson Keller POV: The pity | felt was a dangerous, corrosive thing. It threatened to undo the cold resolve | had spent months building. | couldn't afford pity. Not now. | went back down to the basement the next day, my face set in a mask of implacable fury. | found Barron exactly as | had left him, his eyes staring at the ceiling, his expression hollow. But when he saw me, the defiance returned. "Come to finish the job?" he rasped. "No," | said. "I' ve decided killing you would be too easy. | want you to live. | want you to live a long, long life, haunted by what you' ve done." | gestured to Keenan, who was standing in the doorway. He came forward, holding a set of legal documents. "These are divorce papers," | explained. "Already signed by me. All they need is your signature. And this," | said, holding up a second document, "is a legal relinquishment of your parental rights to Cydney's child. You will sign them both. Now." A flicker of rage crossed his face. "You can' t take my son from me." ---- "He was never your son," | said coldly. "He was a down payment on a debt. You will sign, or | will release your confession to the world. You will spend the rest of your life in a real prison, not this comfortable one." He stared at me, his jaw clenched. | could see the war raging within him. The pride, the possessiveness, battling against the inevitable. Finally, he slumped against the restraints in defeat. "Fine," he whispered. Keenan brought the papers to him. He signed, his hand shaking with a mixture of rage and resignation. As Keenan took the papers back, Barron's eyes fell on him. He saw the way Keenan stood protectively at my side. He saw the way Keenan' s hand brushed against mine. And his face contorted into a mask of pure, primal jealousy. "So that's it, is it?" he snarled, his voice dripping with venom. "You leave me for him? The stable boy? The charity case your father took in?" Keenan tensed, but | put a restraining hand on his arm. "He' s not you, Barron," | said quietly. "And that is all that matters." "l own you, Emerson!" he roared, struggling against the restraints. "You are my wife! Mine! No one else can have you!" ---- A doctor, who had been waiting outside, rushed in and administered a sedative. Barron' s struggles subsided, his eyes fluttering shut, his last conscious glare directed at Keenan. | turned and walked away, the signed papers a heavy weight in my hand. It was done. | was free. Legally, officially, finally free. But as | walked up the stairs and into the light, | didn't feel the elation | had expected. | just felt... tired. So incredibly tired. Keenan followed me out onto the terrace. The sun was rising, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold. A new day. A new life. "You don' t have to be strong anymore," he said softly, coming to stand beside me. "You can let it go." "| don' t know how," | whispered, tears finally streaming down my face. "The hate... it's all ' ve had for so long. | don' t know who | am without it." He turned me to face him, his hands gently cupping my face. He wiped away my tears with his thumbs. "You' re Emerson Keller," he said, his voice firm but gentle. "You are a survivor. You are a brilliant, compassionate, and beautiful woman who. has been through hell and come out the other side. And you are not alone. You will never be alone again." He leaned in and kissed me. It wasn't a kiss of passion, but of comfort. Of promise. Of homecoming. It was a kiss that ---- tasted of a new dawn. And for the first time in a very long time, | allowed myself to believe that maybe, just maybe, he was right. In "CEO, That Intern is Actually Your Wife" by CrushReel, delve into a captivating romance where a billionaire CEO becomes contractually linked to an unexpected partner. When faced with the urgent need to fund her grandmother's critical surgery, our protagonist finds herself in a unique situation—entering a one-year contract marriage with a stranger. As the story unfolds, themes of love, sacrifice, and the complexities of modern relationships come to light. The novel offers a fresh take on the familiar billionaire romance genre by exploring the dynamics of office relationships and the intricacies of contract lovers. Discover this modern tale of unexpected connections and heartfelt emotions, available to read at CrushReel.