Chapter 4
For several long seconds, no one moved.
Derek stared at the two police officers as if they didn't belong in his apartment.
Then his eyes dropped to the dining table.
The wedding ring.
The police report.
The empty room.
His confidence disappeared almost instantly.
"What is this?" he demanded.
Officer Reynolds answered calmly.
"Mr. Brooks, we're here to keep the peace while Mrs. Brooks retrieves her personal belongings."
Derek looked at Skylar.
"So you called the police?"
She met his eyes without fear.
"I went to the hospital."
His expression hardened.
"You seriously reported me?"
"You threw boiling coffee in my face."
"It was an accident."
"No."
"You threw the mug."
Suzanne stepped forward.
"Oh, come on, Skylar."
"You're really destroying a marriage over one argument?"
Skylar looked at her sister-in-law for the first time that evening.
"One argument?"
She slowly turned her burned cheek toward Suzanne.
The fresh red burn stretched from her temple to her jaw.
Suzanne's eyes widened.
Even with makeup removed and medical cream covering the injury, the damage was impossible to ignore.
"You asked for my bank card."
"I never told Derek to throw coffee."
"But you expected him to force me."
Suzanne opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Derek pointed angrily toward the officers.
"This is a private family matter."
Officer Carter spoke for the first time.
"An alleged assault isn't a private matter."
Derek laughed bitterly.
"So now I'm some kind of criminal?"
Officer Reynolds remained composed.
"That's not for us to decide."
"Our report has been submitted."
"The investigation will determine the next steps."
Derek turned back to Skylar.
His voice softened.
The sudden change was almost unsettling.
"Baby..."
"Let's talk."
"We don't need lawyers."
"We don't need police."
"We can fix this."
Skylar almost didn't recognize him.
Just that morning, he had ordered her to leave if she wouldn't hand over her bank card.
Now he wanted to fix everything.
Melissa Grant's words echoed in her mind.
People often become reasonable only after they realize they're losing control.
She shook her head.
"No."
"I've spent three years fixing things."
"It's your turn."
Derek stepped closer.
Officer Reynolds immediately moved between them.
"Stay where you are, sir."
Derek stopped.
His jaw tightened.
"This is ridiculous."
"I lost my temper."
"Everybody loses their temper."
Skylar answered quietly.
"Everybody doesn't throw boiling coffee at the person they claim to love."
Silence filled the apartment.
Then Derek saw another folder lying beside the police report.
He picked it up.
The apartment deed.
His eyes scanned the pages.
"What is this?"
Skylar answered.
"A copy of the ownership records."
He frowned.
"Why?"
"So there won't be any confusion."
"I still legally own half this apartment."
"You can't lock me out."
"I wasn't planning to."
She picked up her purse.
"I'm choosing to leave."
"There's a difference."
Derek's voice began to shake.
"You'll come back."
"No."
"You always come back after we argue."
She looked at him with quiet certainty.
"I've never left with evidence before."
Those words landed harder than anything else she had said.
Evidence.
Medical photographs.
Hospital records.
Police statements.
Witnesses.
For the first time, Derek realized this wasn't another fight.
It was the beginning of consequences.
Suzanne looked nervously between them.
"Derek..."
"I think..."
"...maybe we should call a lawyer."
He ignored her.
His eyes never left Skylar.
"You're really ending our marriage?"
She nodded once.
"I'm ending the version of it where I was expected to survive your violence."
She walked toward the front door.
Officer Carter carried the last moving box to her car.
Officer Reynolds paused before following.
"Mr. Brooks, you'll receive information regarding the report if investigators need additional statements."
The officers stepped outside.
Skylar reached the elevator.
Just before the doors closed, Derek called her name one last time.
"Skylar..."
She looked back.
For the first time since they met...
He looked afraid.
Not angry.
Not controlling.
Afraid.
"I never thought you'd actually leave."
She answered with complete calm.
May you like
"Neither did I."
The elevator doors closed between them.
