Why couldn’t he just make this easy? Why did he want to be married to someone that didn’t want to be married to him? “Well, for now you don’t have to. We have to be separated for twelve months, then I can petition the court alone, though I’d prefer if we co-signed, because the process will be a lot smoother.”

“I won’t sign anything that says we were separated.”

Sighing, Cora crossed her legs and tried not to sound defensive. “Alec, you can’t keep me married to you.”

He stared her down, or tried. But when she didn’t look away, it was him that broke eye contact. “I can if I don’t sign.”

“I’ll have a rental contract as proof. Bills in my name.” The lawyer and she had gone over all of this.

“Why, Cora?” He was looking at her now as if he really had no idea.

“We weren’t happy.”

“Don’t tell me what I was!”

She took a deep breath. “Okay. I wasn’t happy.”

“I can change. Be different.”

Maybe, once, he could have been. But looking at him now, the way he bounced from argument to argument, the man he was, she didn’t want him to. Not for her. “It’s too late, Alec.”

When he swallowed, she could see his Adam’s apple bob. His eyes looked glassy. “You can’t do this to me.”

“I’m not doing anything to you, Alec.”

Something hardened. “I will make your life here hell.”

Somehow, Cora had expected that. “That will make more problems for you.”

“I don’t want you working here, Cora. I want you out. Your job here is, is nothing.”

He’d always thought that his job was more important. He’d always thought all of his plans were more important. Sometimes, Cora wondered if she’d just been a plot point in his plans, the wife to tick off the list. He’d actually laughed when she’d mentioned that she wanted to go to different countries to help with aid programmes. “Don’t start that, Alec. I have unions, Human Resources.”

“Get out.”

That muscle in his jaw ticked again, and she stood. “Okay.”

“Cora,” he said when she was at the door. She turned. “You’ll regret this.”

As she walked out, she didn’t know if that had been a threat or merely an observation.

* * *

“How are you?”

Tia had appeared in Frazer’s office, and Frazer jumped so hard that the papers in her hands went flying. “Jesus, Tia!”

“No, just Tia.” She winked. “My other identity is a secret.”

Frazer gathered her papers with her eyes down and her heart pounding. She gave Tia a snort to cover over her embarrassment. “You’re hilarious. Very witty.”

When she straightened, Tia had moved from the doorway to the chair across from her and Frazer jumped again, less dramatically this time.