“Judging by that grin, I’d say she’s pretty special.” He winked.
 
 “She’s a good friend.”
 
 “There you go.” He reached over the counter and handed me the box of chocolates while I handed him my credit card.
 
 “Thanks, Jacob. It was good to see you again.”
 
 “Same here, Jackson. I hope your good friend enjoys.”
 
 “She will.”
 
 When I arrived back at my father’s penthouse, I walked in, only to find Katerina crying on the couch. Shit. I rolled my eyes and sighed.
 
 “Where is he?” I asked as I walked over to her.
 
 “He left. Said he needed to take care of a few things.”
 
 I didn’t know how to console her. Or any woman, to be exact. It was natural for me with Emily, but with Katerina, I didn’t want to make things for her worse.
 
 “Your father is an asshole!” she yelled before blowing her nose.
 
 “Yeah. He is.” I sat down next to her.
 
 “How could he do this to me? Just ask for a divorce out of nowhere?”
 
 “You knew what you were getting yourself into when you married him. You are wife number five.”
 
 “I thought I was different,” she cried.
 
 “And so did wives number two, three, and four. Listen, Katerina, I’m sorry. You’ll come out of this a much stronger person. You’re a beautiful young woman, and any man would be lucky to have you for his wife.”
 
 “You think so?” She sniffled as she looked at me with her tear-filled eyes.
 
 “I know so. You didn’t want to waste the rest of your life with him anyway. He did you a favor.”
 
 “I think he’s seeing someone. When I asked him, he denied it.”
 
 I inhaled a deep breath because I wouldn’t doubt it. It was what he did.
 
 “If he is, then I feel sorry for that poor woman, and you should too.”
 
 “I do, and you know what? She can have him!”
 
 “That’s right. He’s her problem now.” I smiled.
 
 “Thanks, Jackson.” She placed her hand on mine. “You’re a good man. Some woman will be lucky to have someone like you in her life.”
 
 “Thanks, Katerina. I’m going to go. I wasn’t supposed to leave until tomorrow, but I need to get back to New York.”
 
 I hugged her, grabbed my suitcase, and headed out the door. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I dialed my father.
 
 “What’s up, son?”
 
 “I just wanted to let you know that I’m flying back to New York tonight.”
 
 “I thought you weren’t leaving until tomorrow.”
 
 “I have a lot of work to do, Dad.”