The boardroom at Vale Interiors wasn’t built for drama. It was quiet, minimalist, neutral.

Not today.

Aria stood at the head of the table, ten faces staring back at her—advisors, board members, long-time colleagues. Most had been loyal. A few had wavered.

All of them had seen the interview.

“Let me be clear,” Aria said. “I didn’t come here to apologize. I came here to reclaim control.”

Whispers passed between board members.

“You all saw the story,” she continued. “The anonymous tip. The truth is: yes, my ex-husband—current husband—Dominic Blackwood acquired a silent controlling interest in this company six months ago.”

Murmurs rose.

“But he did it without my consent. Without my knowledge. And because of that breach, I’ve spent the last forty-eight hours working with legal counsel.”

She pulled a folder from her bag and laid it on the table.

“Effective immediately, I’m dissolving the silent proxy agreement. Clause 17, Subsection D: unilateral action without majority board awareness voids the proxy’s authority in case of personal conflict of interest.”

A beat of silence.

Then one of the older members—Ms. Carrington, sharp as ever—cleared her throat.

“You just stripped Blackwood out of the company?”

“I stripped the ghost of him out,” Aria said. “Not the man.”

A pause.

Then she added, “Dominic Blackwood is still my husband. But this—Vale—this is mine. And from now on, no one makes decisions about it unless my name is on the line.”

A few members nodded.

One clapped, slow and deliberate. “Welcome back, Aria.”

She gathered her papers.

“I never left. I just forgot who I was for a minute.”

Later that night, Dominic waited outside her building. She stepped out of the elevator, saw him, and didn’t stop walking.

“I saw the board decision,” he said.

“Good,” she replied, brushing past.

“I’m proud of you.”

She turned then, cold and clear.

“Don’t be proud, Dominic. Be honest. You crossed a line. You lied to me and told yourself it was protection.”

“I didn’t lie,” he said quietly. “I withheld. To protect you from Hale.”

“You don’t protect someone by taking away their power. You protect them by standing beside them while they use it.”

He didn’t respond.

She stepped closer. “We’re not done. But we’re not okay either. You want to stay married? Prove to me you understand what partnership actually means.”

And then she walked away.

Dominic didn’t follow this time.

He knew better.