Chapter 9

Ryan sat on the edge of Lily’s bed, the divorce agreement a crumpled weight in his hand. The room was a void, her toys gone, her laughter a memory swallowed by the silence. He stared at the paper, Diana’s signature a stark line severing ten years of marriage. How could she leave? She’d cared so much through late nights, quiet mornings, the life they’d built together. He’d neglected her, yes, ignored Lily too, but this? Abandonment? It didn’t fit the woman he knew. His chest tightened, disbelief warring with the emptiness around him. He grabbed his phone, dialing her number again, the call dying in a flat tone. “Damn it, Diana,” he muttered, redialing, each unanswered ring fueling his frustration. She couldn’t just vanish not with Lily, not after everything. He stumbled to his feet, the cast on his leg a clumsy burden, and called his assistant. “Find her,” he barked when the line connected. “Diana and Lily, where are they?” “I’ll check,” the assistant replied, his voice c