The next afternoon, Yun Xi sat in the same plastic chair where Secretary Lin had sat the day before. The visitor's room felt smaller somehow, the fluorescent lights harsher. The pendant rested against her collarbone beneath her blouse.
Yang Wei entered with the same measured steps. The guard uncuffed him and stepped back. Yang Wei's eyes found hers immediately.
"You came," he said, sitting across from her.
"You said you wouldn't sign unless I came personally."
Yang Wei studied her face. "You look tired."
"Let's finish this, Yang Wei. Sign the papers."
"Tell me why you want the divorce. In your own words, not Lin's."
"Don't blame Lin for this. She's protecting my interests."
"Why you want to end our marriage."
The question hung between them. Yun Xi had rehearsed this conversation, but now the prepared words felt hollow.
"You can't provide what I need," she said finally. "My company is expanding. I need a partner who can support that growth, not someone who..."
"Who embezzles money?"
"Yes."
Yang Wei nodded slowly. "I see."
"You brought this on yourself, Yang Wei. Taking money from my accounts. Lying to me about it. Getting caught."
"And you believe I'm guilty."
"The evidence was clear."
"Evidence can be fabricated."
"Are you saying you didn't do it?"
Yang Wei was silent for a long moment. Then he said, "Would it matter if I said I didn't?"
"If I told you I was innocent, would you believe me?"
Yun Xi stared at him. Three years ago, she would have believed him without hesitation. But the man sitting across from her now felt like a stranger.
"I don't know," she said honestly.
Yang Wei smiled, but there was no humor in it. "At least you're honest."
"The evidence convicted me. I'm not arguing that." He leaned forward. "I'm asking about your faith in who I am. In who you married."
"Faith doesn't pay for legal fees. Or bail. Or the damage to my company's reputation."
"No," Yang Wei said. "It doesn't."
"I brought compensation money," she said, reaching for her purse. "Enough to start over wherever you want to go."
"Keep it."
"I don't want your money."
"Then what do you want?"
"The pendant."
Yun Xi's hand moved instinctively to her throat. "What pendant?"
"The lotus pendant I gave you on our wedding night."
Her fingers found the chain through the fabric. "This was a gift."
"It was my mother's. The only thing I have left of her. I want it back."
"I don't have it with me."
"I know you're wearing it. You've worn it every day for three years."
The accuracy of his observation unsettled her. "Fine. I'll bring it next time."
"There won't be a next time. We're getting divorced today."
"I'll mail it to you then."
"No. Bring it tomorrow. Along with any other terms you want to add to the settlement."
"Think about it tonight. This is your last chance to ask for whatever you want."
"I don't want anything else from you, Yang Wei."
"Then bring the pendant tomorrow, and we'll finish this."
"I won't sign today."
"What?" Yun Xi stared at him. "Why not?"
"Because you need time to think about what you really want from this divorce. The terms your secretary wrote—those aren't from you."
"Because I know you. The woman I married wouldn't try to take a dead woman's recipe box out of spite."
Heat rose in Yun Xi's cheeks. "You lost the right to negotiate when you committed a felony."
"Maybe. But you still have the right to decide what kind of person you want to be when this is over."
The words stung because they held a grain of truth. "Fine. I'll bring the pendant tomorrow."
The guard stepped forward. "Time's up."
Yang Wei stood and extended his hands for the cuffs. "Bring the pendant tomorrow. Then we'll be done."
She watched him walk to the door. Just before he reached it, she called out.
"Yang Wei."
He turned.
"Are you really going to make me come back here again?"
"You're free to send your secretary with the pendant. But if you want me to sign those papers, you'll bring it yourself."
"Why?"
"Because three years of marriage deserves more than a proxy."
The door closed behind him with the same mechanical hiss.
Outside the prison, Secretary Lin waited by the car.
"How did it go?" she asked as Yun Xi approached.
"He wouldn't sign." Yun Xi handed her the unsigned papers. "He wants me to come back tomorrow."
Lin's face darkened with protective fury. "This is exactly what I warned you about. He's manipulating you."
"He wants the pendant back. His mother's pendant."
"So? You can mail it to him." Lin's voice was tight with frustration and worry.
Yun Xi got into the car and closed her eyes. "He said I need to think about what I really want from the divorce."
"CEO Zhang, you can't let him control this process. We should file without his signature." Lin's hands gripped the steering wheel. "I won't let him hurt you again."
"Tomorrow, Lin. I'll bring him the pendant tomorrow, and then it will be over."
"Are we doing the right thing by giving him another chance to manipulate you?" Lin's voice cracked slightly. She couldn't bear to watch Yun Xi go through this pain again.
Yun Xi's hand moved to her throat, where the pendant rested beneath her blouse. "I don't know anymore."
Back inside the prison, Yang Wei was escorted to a secure conference room. Warden Hayes was waiting, along with a man in a dark suit.
"Sir," the warden said, coming to attention. "The President will see you now."
Yang Wei looked at the closed laptop on the table. In a few minutes, he would learn about his next mission. He would step back into a world of secrets and service and duty.
The warden opened the laptop, and a secure video connection began establishing. Yang Wei straightened his shoulders and prepared to become someone else entirely.
Tomorrow would bring the final confrontation. His real work was just beginning.