Chapter 1The Light in His Darkest Chase

The divorce papers were barely signed before Rowan rushed off, desperate to return to the one woman he could never quite let go of.

Sometime later, from the dimly lit stage of a downtown lounge where I was singing, I caught a glimpse of him. His arms were wrapped around a beautiful stranger.

By then, I had already found my own rhythm again.

But Rowan? He seemed forever lost in the chase for the next thrill, wandering so far off the path that there was no going back.

* * *

The county clerk's office was packed the day Rowan and I finalized our divorce.

The couple at the next counter were screaming at each other, ultimately leaving without signing a thing. Rowan and I just sat there in absolute silence. We signed our names without a second thought.

Walking out the double doors side by side, papers in hand, he tossed me a set of keys.

"Keep the car."

The Astor family was swimming in generational wealth. A luxury car was pocket change to them. Besides, he had already transferred the deed of our marital estate into my name.

We had arrived in the same car. I highly doubted the young heir of the Astor empire was going to lower himself to calling a cab.

"Should I drop you..." I started politely.

A sharp honk cut me off.

The tinted window of a cherry-red Porsche rolled down, revealing a stunning, glamorous face. Even the way the wind caught her hair looked perfectly calculated.

"Rowan. Get in."

Serena. Rowan's childhood sweetheart, freshly returned from abroad.

Everyone in their elite circle knew Serena was his ultimate obsession. The elusive white moonlight he could never quite catch.

Seeing the unspoken chemistry between them, everything clicked into place. No wonder Rowan had been so incredibly generous with the divorce settlement. He just wanted me out of the picture as fast as humanly possible.

I pasted on a flawless smile. "Looks like your ride is here. I'll get going."

Rowan stood there, hands buried in his pockets, his dark eyes resting on me for a long, quiet moment.

"Drive safe," he finally murmured.

I nodded, meaning it from the bottom of my heart. "Be well, Rowan."