Elsie froze for a long moment before the truth finally sank in—she’d been played by him from the very start. Her grip on the divorce papers tightened, knuckles turning ghostly white. With disbelief clouding her eyes, she looked at the man sitting casually on the couch. They had shared a bed, whispered secrets in the dark... yet he could lie to her so easily and just as easily, charm her into trust. She'd once believed in him with her whole heart—even signing the divorce papers, she’d trusted he wouldn’t pull any tricks. She’d thought she was careful, going through every clause point by point. In the end, she still fell for a trap she never saw coming. “You think this is a joke, William?” “I’m sorry,” William said, eyes dim, his voice heavy with regret. “Please, just


