Chapter 96

**Audrey's POV

Thalia's voice stopped abruptly. Her eyes darted between Blake and Laurel as she realized what she'd just read.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Laurel's face turned pale, her hands curling into fists as she glared at me.

I bit my cheek to keep from smiling. Minutes earlier, Thalia had been holding those rings, calling them "cheap and tacky" when she thought Laurel had picked them out. Now that she knew they were from the dealership for Blake and his wife, I wondered if she'd suddenly find them "elegant."

Olivia coughed. "So, Laurel, I didn't know you liked racing. That explains why Blake took you to Long Island Raceway last month."

"Laurel's just full of surprises," Thalia jumped in. She hurried to Laurel's side and pushed the jewelry box into her hands. "These rings are for you and my brother. They're actually nice!"

Laurel took the box with a tight smile. "Yes, they're... lovely."

From behind Blake, someone whispered, "But the letter said the car was for Mrs. Parker, and those rings were for Mr. and Mrs. Parker... Mr.Parker only got divorced today, and Miss Rose isn't Mrs. Parker..."

The voice trailed off aseveryone turned toward a young man who shrank back.

"The dealership obviously made a mistake," Thalia snapped. "They probably only knew my brother was buying it for someone he loves,so they assumed it was for his wife. How could they know about my brother's shameless ex-wife?"

She tossed her hair back. "Besides, don't you all know Audrey grew up in some backwater town? She used to work for my grandfather! What kind of help knows how to race cars?"

Her eyes found me. "Some people probably haven't even touched a racing car."

The crowd agreed, encouraged by her meanness.

"That's right. Only someone like Miss Rose, born into privilege, would learn racing. How could Audrey know anything about it?"

"I heard she was so poor she worked multiple jobs through college.When would she have time to learn racing?"

"Poor people probably dream of just touching a steering wheel..."

While their gossip didn't bother me, Felix clearly couldn't take it anymore.

His fists clenched as his face darkened.

"You don't know anything about Audrey!" he shouted.

In an instant, all eyes landed on him

Blake raised an eyebrow, watching Felix with cold silence.

Alex grabbed his arm. "Felix, are you drunk?"

Felix's frown deepened."I..."

"Ethan!" Before he could finish, I called out loudly, cutting him off.

By now, Ethan had changed out of his server uniform and stood before me in a clean gray hoodie with matching athletic pants, a backpack over his shoulder. "Audrey, I'm ready. Should we go?"

I looked at Felix, giving him a small smile and a slight head shake.He didn't need to hurt his family's business with the Parkers by defending me.My divorce had freed me from these people, and I wouldn't drag anyone else into their world.

"Let's go," I said, turning away from their stunned faces.

With each step toward the exit, I felt lighter. I didn't care what they thought about me. These people never accepted me when I was part of their circle, and now that Blake and I were divorced, I had even less reason to explain myself.

"Audrey, I thought you were taking me home," Ethan joked as we sat in a diner near my apartment. "Didn't expect fast food."

The bright lights bounced off the worn seats, nothing like the fancy club we'd left. But it felt honest - just a quiet corner to talk.

"This place is cleaner," I said, stirring my tea. "I just got divorced in front of cameras today. You don't want to end up in gossip columns tomorrow,getting teased for going home with a divorced woman, right?"

"If that happened, they'd be jealous, not teasing."

I smiled despite everything. Ethan coud lighten even tough moments.

He leaned forward, serious now. "I've spent all day getting friendly with those troll farm admins. I know who's been coordinating the attacks

against you."

"Who?" I set my cup down.

"Someone named Jennifer Carson meets them and assigns their daily tasks."He watched my face. "Know her?"

"Laurel Rose's agent," I nodded.

His eyebrows shot up. "Seriously? Isn't that careless? Using her own agent makes it easy to trace back to her."

"It's not carelessness," I said with a cold smile. "It's arrogance. She thinks she can do whatever she wants without consequences."

I ran my finger along my cup. "She expects me to be like before-swallowing every insult, never fighting back."

"Audrey..." Ethan looked concerned.

I waved it off. "It's in the past."

"Yeah," he agreed,though still troubled."It's over."

He sent me the evidence he'd collected. We spent the next two hours going through messages and payment records linking Jennifer Carson to the smear campaign. By 10:30,we had everything we needed.

Though Ethan kept things light, I saw the anger beneatb. I suspected he understood how much I'd endured during my marriage. The fact that someone I'd known briefly understood me better than my husband of three years was both comforting and sad.

A few months ago, I might have hesitated to move against Laurel. I would have worried about William's reputation and the Parker name. But now? I

had nothing to lose and little time left. Why protect people who never protected me?

After putting Ethan in a taxi. I walked the last few blocks home alone.The night air felt cool on my skin. I stretched my arms out, taking deep breaths as I walked, feeling freer than I had in years.

The divorce I'd dreaded had finally happened, and the world hadn't ended.It felt like a new beginning - brief, given my diagnosis, but mine to control.

I was so deep in thought I almost missed the figure by my door until I reached for my keys.

"Audrey."

I turned to see James standing in the hallway, his tall frame casting a shadow in the dim light.

I closed my door, leaning against it. "James. It's late. What do you want?"

He noticed my defensive stance, his face falling. "I saw the news today."

He held out a small package. "I brought you a divorce gift."

I didn't take it.

James smiled bitterly. "Audrey, I know you're still mad about letting Snow escape,but..."

I remembered the night I collapsed and James let my cat out, then told Blake I didn't want her. Snow had been one of the few genuine gifts from my marriage. James knew what she meant to me, but he deliberately destroyed that connection.

"We're going to be colleagues," he continued. "Can't we be civil? We need to produce your designs in the next three months, remember?"

Finally, I took the box. "Fine."

"When can I start at the studio?" I asked.

He looked surprised. "Whenever you want, but... don't you need time to recover after everything?"

"There's nothing to recover from."

"So tomorrow works?"

"Yes," he nodded, then paused. "But management spoke with me today."

He shifted uneasily. "Your divorce is all over the news, and Parker Group is expanding into jewelry..."

James looked at me directly. "To avoid problems, your designs...might need a different name."

I saw his discomfort, his expectation that I'd be upset. Instead, I felt oddly peaceful.

"That's fine," I replied calmly. "My works will be under Rachel Hayes'name."