I pressed my lips together, staring at the document Kurt had sent. It was the divorce agreement he'd dug up, all ready to be printed and signed.

I was done with Charlie.

…

The next afternoon, I got a call from the competition organizers. Declan and Dylan had won first place, and I was expected to attend the award ceremony.

I hardly ever went out. And if I did, I steered clear of crowds.

I stood there for a long time, feeling torn.

They'd had so many milestones over the years, and I hadn't been there for any of them. As I was afraid they'd be let down again, I threw on a cap and a mask before stepping outside.

…

The moment I arrived at the awards hall, I spotted one of the organizers by the entrance. He noticed me right away and started walking over.

"I was told to come to the award ceremony. My kids are in it—"

Before I could finish, he gave me a sharp, suspicious look. His stare made my stomach twist.

"Which kids are yours? All the parents are already inside. You need to leave now, or I'm calling the police."

I froze. Whatever I'd meant to say died in my throat. Suddenly, I heard Kelly's voice.

"I'll step out for a moment," she said.

Across from her stood Declan and Dylan.

She strutted over, eyes gleaming with open contempt.

"Wow. You've actually got the guts to show your face? I'm surprised people aren't running the other way."

Kelly's eyes raked across my face, slow and deliberate.

"None of your business," I muttered.

"Lucia, do you really think you're still the beloved Gladstone heiress everyone used to worship? You're nothing but a sad, ruined mess. The funny thing? Your face could've been saved.

"But I wanted that first place from the modeling competition, so he made sure they used something that would ruin it completely. Hey, at least now you stand out.

"The more disgusting you look, the more it proves how much he loves me."

My composure snapped in an instant. My face wasn't just a career-ending disaster—it was the one thing that had haunted me more than anything else.

For a blinding second, all I wanted was to lunge at her and drag us both into the dark. But before I could move, she stepped back and slammed into the wall.

I didn't even have time to register what was happening before a brutal slap knocked me off my feet. I hit the floor hard, blood bursting from my mouth. My cap flew off, and my mask hung from one ear.

Charlie's furious voice cut through the air. "You got a death wish? You think you can touch someone under my protection?"

I ignored the blood pooling at the corner of my mouth and fumbled with my mask, trying to hook it back over my ear.

Across from me, Charlie was beside Kelly, examining the cut on her forehead. His face had gone soft, all concern.

"So what if I did?" I retorted.

I shoved myself upright, smearing the blood on my hands across my clothes without a second thought. My eyes locked onto his.

I was thankful I hadn't started crying yet.

When Charlie's eyes met mine, a chill shot straight through me, but then he slowly recognized me.

"Lucia? What are you doing out here? Are you following me?" he questioned.

I started to answer, but a piercing cry cut through the air.

"Lucia! I know you're jealous I won first place in the modeling competition, but how could you do this to me? I just wanted to catch up with you!" Kelly shouted.

Charlie's expression darkened, and his gaze was cold and unforgiving as they locked on mine.

"You crossed the line! That first place was always meant for Kelly. You've got no one to blame but yourself for not making it in. What kind of competition would take someone who looks like you? And now your heart's just as twisted!" he defended her.

At that moment, it felt like my heart was ripping in two.

As my eyes stung with tears, I looked at him. "No one to blame but myself? Charlie, do you even have a heart?"

He looked shocked and wouldn't meet my eyes.

"You—"

He started to speak, but Kelly cut in before he could finish. "Charlie, is my head injured? Can you check? Am I going to look horrible?"

Without another glance in my direction, he turned to her, gathering her into his arms like I wasn't even there.

"You could never be horrible," he said gently, then finally turned to face me. "You've seen your face. You shouldn't be out here like this. We'll deal with it at home."

Behind me, Declan and Dylan stood frozen, their faces tight with worry as they watched him walk away.

"Mom, Dad's right."

"You know that your face looks scary. You're going to freak people out if you walk around like this."

I stared at the two little brats standing in front of me, and my fingers started to tremble.

"What did you just say?" I questioned.

I could barely believe those words had come out of their mouths.

"Mom, Dad's just trying to help."

"Yeah, you can come out once your face is better. You should probably head home for now."

The question that had been sitting heavy on my heart already had its answer. If I'd known it would turn out like this, putting my life on the line to bring Declan and Dylan into the world wouldn't be worth it.

"If you need anything, go with the bodyguards. I still have something to do. And remind your dad to sign the papers in the study," I said coldly.

I didn't even get the last word out before they made it clear what they wanted. They told the bodyguards to take them straight to Kelly.

I gave a dry smile and climbed into the car Kurt had waiting for me.

Charlie had been bustling around the hospital. It wasn't until things finally slowed down that he noticed Declan and Dylan had shown up too.

That was when it hit him—I'd gone home alone.

Still, he didn't feel even a hint of panic. In his mind, I was easy to win over. He always believed one hug would be enough to make me come right back to him.

But when none of his calls went through, he felt his stomach drop. And when he noticed I had blocked him on WhatsApp, he finally realized something was wrong.

He grabbed his phone and ran out the door with Declan and Dylan close behind, not bothering to look back.

As he drove home, he spotted a hot dog truck parked on the side of the road. That was when he remembered that I'd said that I was craving something with stronger flavors.

Without a second thought, he pulled over, ordered two hot dogs, and got back on the road.

But the moment he stepped inside the house, he knew something was off. The lights were off, which was strange—they were always on.

He checked one room after another, but I was nowhere to be found.

Then, behind him, he heard the voices of Declan and Dylan.

"Where's your mom?" Charlie asked.

His expression softened a little. He knew how much I loved Declan and Dylan.

"She said she had something to take care of. She told us to remind you to sign the papers on the desk."

Charlie smiled and headed into the study. He opened the file sitting on the desk. Then, he stopped cold.

They were just a few sheets of paper, thin and almost weightless, but suddenly they felt impossibly heavy.

Staring back at Charlie, bold and unmistakable, was a divorce agreement. And the most glaring clause of all stated that custody of Declan and Dylan would go to him.

Charlie kept flipping through the papers, hoping there was more. But all that remained was the divorce agreement. When he saw my signature at the bottom, it felt like someone had torn out a piece of him.

Declan and Dylan walked in. Their eyes went straight to the papers on the table. Buried in the fine print was the part where I gave up custody of them.

"Dad, is Mom mad at us?"

Declan and Dylan looked at Charlie. They'd always acted like they couldn't stand me, but deep down, they knew no one had ever loved them like I did.

Charlie sat in the chair, trying to stay calm.

He kept calling me—first from his own phone, then from Declan's and Dylan's smartwatches, again and again. Not a single call went through.

It wasn't until he finally looked around that he noticed what had been bothering him all along.

The wedding portrait that used to hang on the wall was gone. The four matching mugs on the dining table were gone too. All those things he used to roll his eyes at had disappeared quietly.

Charlie reached for his phone, ready to ask my friends if they knew where I'd gone, only to realize he didn't even know who they were.

All that was left now was the crushing weight of regret, rising in his chest and pulling him under. Slowly, he sank to his knees. He didn't know my friends or the places I loved.

"Dad, let's go say sorry to Mom. I won't call her a freak ever again."

"Dad, where's Mom? We never should've left her!"

Charlie tried to soothe them, but the tears hit before he could say a word.

His mind kept going back to that moment when he took Kelly's side and said those awful things to me. He knew exactly what would hurt most, and he went for it.

Charlie hated himself for it.

He brushed the tears from his face, gaze hardening with resolve. He was going to treat me right once he found me. But before he could sit with that thought, a knock snapped him out of it.

He rushed to the door.

"Lucia, you're back—"

Charlie swung the door open, expecting to see me. Instead, it was Tom Miller, his assistant.

"Mr. Vaughan, the company's stock is crashing. The internet's blowing up with rumors that you framed Maxwell and had him thrown in prison all because of a woman.

"The board has voted to suspend you as chairman pending an investigation. Gladstone Group's PR team was the first to break the news."

Charlie staggered back, stunned by that last part. If Gladstone Group already knew, that could only mean I'd uncovered the truth.

But instead of panic, all he felt was an aching sorrow.