At the foot of the elevator, Brooke found a silver wheelchair laying in wait, next to an older man in a suit. He wheeled the chair over to where they stood, and the stranger gently sat her on it.
Brooke tried to maneuver the chair, but struggled with doing so. Ever since breaking her leg, she had only ever used a walking cane. Her stepfather insisted that a wheelchair was far too expensive to purchase for a 'careless' girl.
And when she got married, Ethan reasoned that if she used a wheelchair, she would end up getting fat from sitting in place.
Her thoughts were disrupted when the chair started moving on its own. She looked over her shoulder, to see the stranger pushing her forward. "Here, let me."
"A-Ah, thank you." She muttered the latter bit, keeping her eyes focused on her thighs.
He wheeled her over to a large dining room, where a lavish meal was set out. Brooke's gaze ran across the room, searching for the other guests, who would be partaking in the meal.
"Are you looking for something?" Thane asked, sitting across from her.
Her voice low, she mumbled "Where is everyone else?"
Thane raised a brow, "Everyone else?"
"I mean, all this food isn't just for the two of us, right?" She nervously played with her thumbs under the table.
It was the first time since quitting her job that she had been around another male, other than her stepfather and husband.
"No, it's just us two." He said, then reached for a bottle of red wine. Thane poured himself a glass, while stealing glances at Brooke. He frowned, when he noticed that she wasn't eating anything.
"It isn't poisoned." He kept a neutral face, then took a bite out of the food. Immediately as he did, he noticed Brooke pick up the cutlery on the table.
He narrowed his eyes, 'Was she waiting for me to eat first?' the way he saw it, it looked as though she was seeking his permission to eat.
After the meal, he had a maid take Brooke upstairs to have a bath and change of clothes.
"Ma'am, which of these do you prefer?" The maid asked, holding up two stunning dresses.
Brooke nervously pointed at herself, "You're asking me?"
The maid looked confused, who else was in the room with them that she could ask? And more so, wasn't she the young master's girlfriend? Of course the clothes were hers.
"Yes Ma'am, young master Grayson brought home loads of clothes for earlier today." The maid excitedly announced, she sauntered over to the walk in closet, and tapped on a button.
The closet doors automatically parted, revealing a stack of shopping bags.
Brooke eyed the brand names. "They're all high class designer brands. Is it really okay for someone like me to wear them?" She gasped.
Even Cassie didn't get these many, most of her designer clothes were gifts from fans, or the ones her husband got her. And more so, these brands were of the highest caliber.
The maid huffed and slumped her shoulders, "Of course it's okay! You are master Grayson's-" right in the middle of her sentence, a knock on the door was heard.
"Who is it?" The maid hollered.
Gilbert answered, "Hannah, get Miss Brooke ready at once, master Grayson wants to see her immediately."
Brooke could sense the urgency in his tone. Had something bad happened? Did it have to do with Ethan? Her wounds started to itch when she imagined her husband's face.
Had he traced her here?
Brooke got her answer, when Hannah wheeled her to the greenhouse, where Thane was in the middle of playing a chess game with himself.
Hannah excused herself, leaving the two to discuss.
"You wanted to see me?" Brooke nervously tucked her hair behind her ear, darting her eyes across the rows and rows of exotic plants she had only ever seen in magazines.
Without looking he complimented, "Taupe is a good color on you, it brings out your eyes."
Brooke's cheeks flushed, she hadn't noticed him take his eyes off the chess board to look at her. Her eyes fell to the loose fitting dress that danced at her ankles.
'A dress this pretty would definitely look better on Cassie.' she figured, 'He's only saying that to be nice.' Brooke knew that there was a line between herself and her younger sister.
A line that she could never dream of crossing.
"Um, you said you wanted to talk to me." She changed the subject. Thane nodded, his concentration still poured into the game.
"Do you want a divorce?" Thane suddenly asked, moving a chess piece.
A chill cascaded down her spine, she rubbed her fingers along her arms, her wounds had started to itch under the bandages. Her husband had beaten the idea out of her head, to the point that it became like an unspeakable taboo.
"It's not that easy. Ethan won't let me." Her eyes dimmed, she had for a brief moment forgotten her reality.
But Thane asked again, "Miss Brooke, do you want a divorce?"
She frowned, "I just said that my husband won't let me-"
"I couldn't care less about his desires," Thane said, his voice firm and dismissive. He set the chess piece down, then moved to gently cradle Brooke's chin, tilting her face upwards to meet his gaze.
Thane's voice was resolute, yet gentle, as he spoke, "I want to know what you want, not what he's told you to want. You are the only one responsible for your feelings. So I'll ask again," he gazed softly at her, when he asked,
"Do you want a divorce?"
Tears streamed down Brooke's face as she whispered, " I do. " Her voice barely audible over the sigh of relief that escaped her lips.
Thane's eyes crinkled at the corners as he half smiled, his voice low and gentle, "Then you have two options, Brooke."
She blinked twice, "Options?"
He retracted his hand and returned to his seat. "The first one, after the divorce, I'll arrange for you to leave the country and start your life anew. I'll make sure your ex husband or family can never make contact with you."
Brooke couldn't believe what she was hearing. The stranger's tone exuded confidence, that she found herself believing his words.
"And the second?" To Brooke, the first option sounded like bliss, there could be nothing better than that.
Thane's eyes hardened as he raised two fingers, "The second option is making them pay, after the divorce."
Brooke echoed his words, "Making them pay?" She didn't know why, but her heart skipped a beat at the thought.
In sharp contrast to feeling at peace with the first choice, Brooke's heart couldn't stop racing.
Thane's expression turned resolute as he clarified, "I'm talking about making those who have hurt you pay for their cruelty."