The envelope dropped to the ground as her hands fell to her sides. She stood there, lower lip trembling, chest convulsing, as her misery hit him tenfold.

“Divorce papers?” Her voice cracked as she yelled at him.

Jesus. He’d pushed her too far. Cassie was quiet, composed and polite, at least for every other day of their marriage. Right now, she was causing a scene, alerting their nosy neighbors to her imminent breakdown.

He shouldn’t have come. He should’ve gone to Shot of Sin, drowned in a bottle of something expensive and relied on Leo and Brute to get him home. Instead, he was cutting the ignition and sliding from the car, unable to stand her misery.

He strode for her, determined to explain that life would be better this way. It had to be better. She had to be better. He couldn’t exist if she wasn’t.

“You’re a coward, Tate Jackson.” She didn’t move, didn’t budge as her lips trembled. “A weak, pathetic coward who can’t even spare his wife the dignity of telling her he wants a divorce. You had to get some stranger to inform me.”

He increased his pace up the drive. “Lower your voice.”

Her eyes widened, her mouth parted slightly. Then she slowly raised her chin. “No.” Her voice was a breath. “That tone has no effect on me anymore. Those papers make it so.” She waved a hand in the direction of the envelope on the grass. “How could you?”

He stopped in front of her, rested his hand against her upper arm and tried to lead her inside, away from prying eyes.

“Don’t you dare.” She slid away from him, her gentle features contorting into a glare. She’d never looked at him like this before. It was foreign. Hard to take.

He would give his soul to drag her forward into his chest and comfort her in his arms until the harsh reality faded. He missed her. God, how he missed her. Her scent lingered in the air, tempting his restraint. And those lips… He released a huff of frustration. The way she kissed would never be comparable. Her loving heart would forever be a part of him.

Cassie sucked in a breath, straightened her shoulders and met his gaze head-on. “Don’t do this to us, T.J.” Her light blue eyes pleaded more than her words ever could. “Please. I still love you. I’ll always love you.”

He was thankful for the rapid scampering of nails against cement, then the loud bark of Bear as he voiced his greeting from the side gate. They remained silent through the echoing noise, his focus unable to leave her face. Time stopped, and the understanding of why he was doing this became blurry.

She was still the most mesmerizing woman he’d ever seen. The dress she wore clung to all her delicious curves, outlining breasts and hips that had tormented his dreams. The nipples beading against the thin cotton made his mouth dry, and he wished like hell he hadn’t noticed. But it was her eyes, the sky-blue depths welling with unshed tears that tore him apart.

“T.J.” Her voice barely registered over the throbbing in his ears. Her hand came up between them, her palm creeping toward his chest.

He stepped back, sensing the burn her contact would ignite. Her delicate touch would undo him. It would send him spiraling with a one-way ticket to the courthouse to cancel the divorce proceedings.

She was his heart. The one woman who brought out his darkest desires and forged a sexual appetite he couldn’t ignore. She allowed him the freedom to become the man he always wanted to be, yet at the same time made him wish he was someone else entirely. Someone better. Someone worthy of a woman so forgiving and sweet.

She dropped her hand slowly to her side and Bear quietened.

Her gaze lowered, her light lashes fluttering down toward her blushed cheeks. “I can’t live without you, Tate.”

Fucking hell. She was gutting him, slicing open his chest and letting his insides fall to the ground. How could he walk away? How could he leave her, knowing this time he’d never return?

“It’s for the best,” he lied.

For Cassie, it would be the truth, but from this moment on, he’d forever be less of a man for losing this woman from his life.

Cassie held her breath, agonizing over the resolution in her husband’s tight features. He was adamant. Confident in his decision. For the life of her, she couldn’t understand why.

She pressed her lips together, vowing not to shed another tear, at least not in front of him. Goddamnit. She wanted to shake him. To slap him out of whatever spell he was under and make him remember the happiness they’d once shared. She’d been content. Their honeymoon phase had never faded. It had only morphed into a deeper connection where T.J. had showed her a whole new side of herself.

He awakened her to life. To love. To pleasure. And although it had hurt when he’d packed his bags and told her he needed time apart, she’d known, without doubt, that their commitment to one another couldn’t be extinguished by a few months’ separation.

Love like theirs was a gift. One she couldn’t go without.

“The divorce can’t be legal. I won’t agree to it.”

“I don’t need your consent, Cass, the court date has already been set.”

“That’s impossible.” The blood drained from her face, making her dizzy. She shook her head, in disbelief or defiance, she wasn’t sure. There was no way their separation fulfilled the legal requirements for what he was doing. “You moved out six months ago. I’m sure we need to be apart for twelve before you can file for divorce.”

His gaze softened, his brown eyes filling with pity. “I stopped sleeping in your bed a year ago. That’s enough for the courts.”

Her heart stopped, and pain ricocheted through her ribs, growing with intensity. She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to alleviate the agony that wouldn’t lessen. It continued to evolve, moving to her limbs, weakening her knees.

“Why?” The word skittered from her trembling lips.

The answer was clear without him having to voice it. His warped sense of masculine protection had taken its toll, leaving him a slave to the guilt he had no right to feel.

“Is this still about that stupid club?” The one fateful night where their excitement to experiment had gone too far.

“This is about me.” His tone was low. Unwavering. “Nobody else.”

“Liar.” She knew the truth. They’d had one bad experience. One testing, heartbreaking experience, and now he was ready to quit. “You still haven’t let go of what happened.”

“You’re right.” He inclined his head. “I can’t. I never will. But the divorce is about much more than that.”

In her mind, she was screaming, clawing at the beautiful eyes she’d gazed into on her wedding day, the same ones she’d imagined would peer down at their first child with intense adoration if they were ever blessed with a baby.

“I’m sorry.” He pressed his lips tight.

Sorry? He hadn’t even given her the opportunity to repair what was broken. He hadn’t even tried.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it.” She shook her head again, vehement this time.

Twelve months ago, he’d started sleeping on the sofa, breaking her heart with his need for space—for clarity she couldn’t give. Six months later, he’d strode from their house needing more distance.

At the time, she’d thought it was best to adhere to his wishes. His love for her was still evident in his eyes, his words, his touch. So she’d let him go, giving him what he needed. Months and months of space where she cried herself to sleep for nights on end, not once pushing him to return.

Now she wasn’t so stupid. She wouldn’t succumb to his requests again.

The pain in her chest morphed into anger, red-hot and all consuming. Every inch of her was filled with determination, every nerve thrumming with the need to win this battle.

“I’ll fight it. I’ll tell the judge we haven’t been separated that long.” Her voice rose. “I’ll do whatever necessary.”