Arthur looked around as if he no longer recognized the home he loved so deeply. The pain etched on his face now mingled with something darker—revolt, disbelief, devastation.

Zoe, breathing hard, removed her wedding ring with trembling fingers.

“I’m not doing this anymore,” she said, her voice steady despite the way her chest rose and fell. “This marriage is over.”

She threw the ring at him. The metal struck his chest with a sharp metallic thud before falling to the floor. Arthur stared at it—si