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""The moment Emma Whitmore saw her husband’s hand settle against another woman’s bare waist, she stopped asking herself whether their marriage could still be saved. / Chapter 4 / 10

Chapter 4 - Paperwork and PRBy 8:45 AM the following morning, the glass-walled corner office of Whitmore Enterprises was filled with bright morning sunlight.

Nathan sat behind his massive mahogany desk, his eyes red-rimmed, his tie loosened. He hadn't slept a single minute. The ultrasound receipt sat right in the center of his desk, next to his cold cup of espresso.

The glass door opened, and his personal assistant, Mark, walked in looking pale, holding a thick manila envelope.

"Sir," Mark hesitated, stepping inside. "A process server just delivered this to the main reception."

Nathan snapped his head up. "What is it?"

Mark set the envelope down on the desk. "It’s from Vance & Associates Legal Counsel."

Nathan tore the envelope open with rough hands. He pulled out the documents.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

EMMA WHITMORE, PLAINTIFF, v. NATHAN WHITMORE, DEFENDANT.

PETITION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE.

Nathan scanned the legal jargon, his hands trembling with suppressed fury.

...Plaintiff waives all rights to spousal support... Plaintiff requests sole title to the real property located in Stowe, Vermont... Plaintiff requests immediate restoration of maiden name...

There was no mention of a child anywhere in the documents.

Nathan slammed his fist onto the desk, rattling the coffee cup. "She’s trying to erase me! She’s filing for divorce and hiding my child!"

Just then, his mother rushed into the office, slamming the door shut behind her. Eleanor looked like she hadn't slept either.

"Nathan!" Eleanor gasped, throwing a copy of the Daily Post onto his desk. "Look at the business section!"

Nathan looked down. On page three was a high-resolution photo of him dancing with Olivia Grant at the Plaza Meridian, side-by-side with a photo of Emma walking out of the hotel alone, holding her bare hand against her stomach.

The headline read: WHITMORE EMPIRE SHAKEN: HEIR DANCES WITH SOCIALITE AS WIFE WALKS OUT.

"The press is already running with it," Eleanor said, pacing nervously. "The board is calling emergency meetings. The merger with Grant Holdings is contingent on your family's stable public image! If the public thinks you abandoned your wife for Olivia, the stock will drop ten percent by noon!"

"I don't care about the stock, Mom!" Nathan roared, standing up so fast his leather chair rolled back into the glass window.

Eleanor shocked by his outburst, stopped pacing. "What are you talking about?"

Nathan picked up the ultrasound receipt and shoved it into his mother's face. "Look at this! She’s pregnant! Eighteen weeks!"

Eleanor gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh, dear God... Emma is carrying an heir?"

"Yes!" Nathan snapped, his eyes wild with a mixture of grief, anger, and sudden desperation. "And she left me! She packed her things, gave you her ring, filed for divorce, and didn't say a single word about our baby!"

Eleanor dropped into a chair, processing the news. "She’s cutting us out completely, Nathan. She’s taking the Whitmore legacy with her."

"No, she isn't," Nathan growled, grabbing his suit jacket from the rack.

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"Where are you going?" Eleanor called out as he marched toward the door.

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Chapter 5 - The Mountain RefugeThe Whitmore estate in Stowe, Vermont, was a quiet, timber-and-stone residence nestled against the pine-covered mountainside. It was the only property that had been purchased solely with Emma’s family inheritance before her marriage.
Chapter 6 - The War RoomForty-eight hours later, the main conference room on the 40th floor of Whitmore Enterprises had been converted into a legal war room.
Chapter 7 - The UnravellingOver the next two months, the world of Nathan Whitmore fractured into public pieces.
Chapter 8 - The CrucibleBy the time February arrived, winter had locked Vermont in deep ice.
Chapter 9 - The Trial of ForgivenessTwo days later, the mountain roads were cleared, and Emma and baby Leo were resting comfortably in a private room at Burlington Regional Hospital.
Chapter 10 - The Season of BelongingOne year later.

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