So I held my fire.

I let them think the war was over and that they had won it.

And I waited for the moment when the weapon I had built would do the most damage, which turned out, thanks to Julian’s own arrogance, to be even sooner and even more complete than I had dared to hope.

Chapter 10 — The Break-In

I was still at my desk, that evening after the divorce, when a loud, metallic crack echoed from my front entryway.

My heart slammed into my throat as the heavy mahogany front door swung open with a violent thud, and Julian marched into my foyer, his face flushed with rage, holding a spare key I realized at once he must have illegally copied before the divorce was finalized.