“I know I rejected you back then for Paulo,” I whispered over the phone, my voice trembling though I tried to sound strong. “But I was wrong. Do you… do you want to marry me now? If yes, then pick me up in five days and marry me.”

For a moment, silence filled the line, and I almost thought Cameron had hung up on me. But then came a low laugh, dark and amused.

“So you’ve finally come to your senses,” Cameron drawled. “Marrying your enemy now, Olivia? The same man you swore you’d never even look at?”

My grip on the phone tightened. His voice was the same as years ago—steady, mocking, yet sharp enough to cut through my chest. “If you don’t want to, then don’t!” I snapped, heat rising in my throat.

“Oh, come on,” he replied lazily. “Consider it done. But just so you know—once you come to me, there’s no turning back.”

The line went dead.

I stared at the phone in my hand, my heart pounding. I’d just proposed marriage to Cameron—the one man I once swore never to love, never to even depend on. It seemed insane, unthinkable. But right now… marrying him was better than staying trapped in the house of lies Paulo had built around me.

My eyes burned as tears slipped down my cheeks.

Just this morning, I had gone to the civil registry to get another copy of our marriage certificate. I had burned the original by accident, and thinking Paulo would be furious—I immediately wanted another copy. But when the woman at the counter looked at me with confusion, shuffled through the records again and again, and finally shook her head, my stomach dropped.

“There is no record of your marriage here, Ma’am.”

No record.

Five years I lived believing I was a wife. Five years I endured silence, abuse, neglect. No wedding ceremony, no white dress, no photos to show. Just a paper Paulo had supposedly rushed to register, saying he needed it so we could start fresh. I accepted it because I loved him. Because my family was falling apart, and I thought marrying him would fix something, anything.

But the truth? We were never married.

I clenched my fists, anger bubbling. It was my sister Leah who was supposed to marry Paulo five years ago. But she had run away—with a huge amount of money that belonged to our family—leaving us broken, humiliated. Paulo was left at the altar, mocked by his associates, his name dragged through whispers in the business circles.

I still remember the rage in his eyes that day, the way people laughed behind their hands, calling him a fool for trusting a woman who vanished with both his bride’s dowry and his pride.

At the same time, our world crumbled. Mother collapsed under the stress, her body too frail to handle the shame and the sudden debts piling onto us. Father’s health declined until one night, he simply never woke up. And the company—the legacy of our family—teetered on the edge of collapse. Creditors knocked on our door. We needed money, stability, and someone to hold us together.

That was when my brothers came to me.

“It’s just right,” they said coldly. “Leah is your sister. You should be the one to take her place. Paulo won’t accept anyone else, and if you don’t, we’ll lose everything. Do you want Mother to die without her medicine? Do you want Father’s company to vanish in the hands of our enemies?”

Their words pierced me like knives. I was grieving, broken, desperate to keep what was left of my family intact. And Paulo—Paulo, humiliated and angry—looked at me with something that seemed like longing, like need. He told me he loved me, that we could make it work, that we could rebuild together.

I believed him.

Until yesterday.

It was supposed to be our anniversary. I had prepared everything in secret, ready to surprise him. But on the way, I passed by the church. My world crumbled.

The guests were leaving, laughter echoing from the open doors. And there, at the steps, hand in hand, were Paulo and Leah.

My sister. The one who abandoned us.

“Thank you for still loving me after everything,” Leah whispered, tears streaking her face. “But… what about my sister, Olivia?”

“She’s nothing,” Paulo replied, his voice firm, his hand gripping hers tightly. “You know I only stayed with her because you were gone. Now you’re back—I forgive you. I want you. We’re gonna have a family.”

My stomach twisted violently, bile rising. But what shattered me completely were the next words.

Leah hesitated. “But… Olivia blames me for Father’s death. She hates me. What if—”

“She won’t do anything,” Paulo cut her off.

And then my brothers, standing right there beside them, sneered.

“She won’t harm you. You know we hated her too. The only reason we put up with her is because the inheritance was left under her name. Can’t believe Father would give everything to her. But it doesn’t matter—we just have to wait until she dies. Or… we make sure she does.”

My breath stopped. And in that moment, I realized I had no husband, no family, no safety. Only betrayal.

That was the last straw that pushed me to call Cameron.

I wiped my face, but fresh tears poured out. My chest tightened painfully, my stomach cramping. Something was wrong.

I staggered toward the sink, splashing cold water on my face, but nausea surged. I vomited until my throat burned, my body weak. My trembling hands reached for my phone.

“Paulo,” I croaked when his voicemail beeped. No answer.

I tried my brothers—both phones dead.

No one came.

Clutching my stomach, I forced myself to stand. My vision blurred, spots dancing before my eyes. Somehow, I grabbed my keys, dragged myself into the car, and pressed on the gas.

The hospital. Just get to the hospital.

But halfway down the road, the world spun. My head slammed against the steering wheel as pain ripped through me. The blaring horn mixed with the sound of screeching tires—

And then blinding light.

A truck.

And then—nothing.

The first thing I felt was pain. My whole body ached as though I had been crushed from the inside out. My head throbbed with every shallow breath I took, my lips dry, my throat parched. Somewhere above me, a faint beeping echoed in rhythm with my heartbeat.

I tried to open my eyes, but the light was too harsh. Instead, I let my ears guide me. There were voices—faint, muffled, but familiar.

“Doctor,” Paulo’s voice. Sharp. Cold. “Do it. I don’t want that child.”

My heart froze.

The doctor hesitated, his voice low but firm. “Mr. Santos, the baby survived the crash. It’s a miracle. Why would you want to end it?”

“Because I don’t want an heir coming from her.” Paulo spat the words as though I was poison. “I already have an heir—from my wife. She’s not even my wife. That marriage was fake. Just lie to her. Tell her she lost the baby. Do it.”

The doctor’s voice sharpened, incredulous. “Mr. Paulo, I will not falsify medical records. The baby survived the crash. It’s a miracle she and the child are both alive. To end this pregnancy deliberately would be murder.”

There was silence, a heavy pause—then another voice cut in. My brother. Cold, businesslike.

“Doctor, don’t argue. Just keep her alive for now. She still hasn’t signed the merger papers. We need her. After that, she’s useless.”

My heart clenched so violently I thought it might stop. So that was all I was to them. Not a sister. Not a wife. Not a mother. Just a signature on a line.

A rush of cold swept through my veins. My fingers twitched weakly, desperate to move, desperate to scream, but darkness swallowed me before I could.

When I woke up again, it was quiet. The world blurred, but I forced my eyes open. A nurse hovered beside me, adjusting the IV.

“You need to rest,” she said softly, pity in her eyes. “You lost the baby. I’m sorry.”

Her words pierced me like a blade. Lost the baby. No. No, that wasn’t true—it had to be the dream, the nightmare I had overheard before. But the way she said it, the sympathy in her tone…

It wasn’t a dream.

It was real.

A sob broke from my chest. I hadn’t even known I was pregnant, hadn’t had the chance to feel joy, to dream of life. And Paulo—he had killed it. My child. Our child. Just because Leah was carrying his, I was nothing to him.

My mind reeled back to the day he told me he loved me, that he would make Leah pay for running, that together we would build a life stronger than betrayal. I had believed him. I had built my life on his promises. And now, all I had was ashes.

The door creaked open.

Paulo walked in, his expression painted with forced worry. “Olivia… I’m so sorry I was late. How are you feeling?”

I stared at him, bile rising in my throat. There was a time when words like that would have given me butterflies, but now I saw them for what they were: empty lies. I pushed him weakly, my voice hoarse. “Where were you? I called you. Over and over. Where were you?”

He sighed, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeve. “I was busy with work.”

“Work?” My voice cracked. “I needed you. Our baby. I lost the baby because you’re not even—”

“Enough!” His mask slipped, his eyes flashing with annoyance. “You’re angry now because you lost the baby and you want to blame me? Why me? It was your fault. You were careless. You killed our baby, Olivia. You!”

I couldn’t breathe. My lips trembled as I shook my head. He said it so easily, twisting the knife deeper into wounds he had carved.

Before I could answer, the door swung open again.

“Please don’t fight!” Leah’s voice, sweet and pitiful. She entered with flowers and a cake in her hands, her belly already showing. “My sister is suffering, Paulo. Don’t make it worse.” She turned to me, her eyes gleaming. “I’m sorry, sister. I’m here now. Please, forgive me.”

She placed the flowers and cake on the table. The sight was laughable. I couldn’t hold it in—I laughed bitterly, grabbed the flowers, and hurled them back at her. The cake crashed against the wall.

“You think forgiveness is that cheap?” I hissed.

Behind her, my two brothers stormed in.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” one of them barked. “She came here to apologize and you treat her like this?”

“I don’t need her sorry,” I spat. “I don’t need any of you. Just leave me.”

My other brother’s lips curled into a sneer. “What an evil woman you are. Maybe Leah was right all along. You framed her, didn’t you? You drove her away. You ruined everything.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. Framed her? Again? Always me, the villain in their eyes. Always me, the scapegoat.

Rather than wasting my breath, I turned my face away. “Leave. All of you.”

Paulo scoffed, his voice dripping with mockery. “How dramatic. Fine. If you don’t want us, then don’t call for help. Handle everything alone. Don’t expect us to lift a finger.”

He walked out, Leah on his arm, her face half-hidden by a smirk.

My brothers lingered long enough to deliver their final blow.

“Don’t miss the merger, Olivia. You’ll sign everything to us—the inheritance, the company. It’s time. You’re useless now. At least you can do something right before you disappear.”

Then they too were gone.

Silence descended, broken only by my ragged sobs. I curled into myself, clutching the emptiness of my stomach, whispering apologies to the child I never got to meet. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

That night, I lit a small candle by my bedside. Its flame flickered, fragile, like the life taken from me. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I whispered goodbye.

But grief hardened into resolve. I reached for my phone, my hand trembling, and dialed my lawyer.

“This is Olivia,” I said, my voice raw but steady. “I’ll attend the merger as planned. Let them think I’m handing everything over.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the lawyer replied cautiously. “And in reality?”

“In reality,” I whispered, fire igniting in my chest, “prepare fake documents. The real transfer will go to Cameron Evans. Every share. Every piece of inheritance. I’d rather burn it all than let them steal it.”

The hours crawled by like years.

I spent the whole day in the hospital, yet not once did anyone come. No Paulo. No Leah. Not even my brothers. Only the nurses shuffled in and out, adjusting my IV, checking my vitals, telling me to rest as though rest could silence the storm inside me.

By the time the nurse handed me the discharge papers, my chest ached—not from my injuries, but from the hollowness of it all. They hadn’t even pretended to care.

I clutched the papers and pushed through the hospital doors, the evening air cool against my skin. I had taken only three steps outside when a hand grabbed mine.

“Olivia.”

I froze. Paulo.

He looked ragged, shadows under his eyes, but his grip was still as firm as a chain. “Leah needs you,” he said without preamble. “The doctors think she has a kidney problem. She needs a donor. You might be a match.”

For a moment, I just stared at him, the words circling my brain like vultures. Then I yanked my hand free. “No. I will not do it. I don’t care about her kidney. I don’t care about any of you.”

His jaw hardened. “You don’t have a choice.”

I laughed, sharp and bitter. “Don’t I? This is my body. My life. I decide.”

Paulo leaned close, his breath hot and foul. “Then choose. Donate to your sister, or I’ll end your mother’s treatment. You know she’s hanging by a thread. You know she needs that medicine. And if you refuse…” His eyes gleamed with cruelty. “She dies.”

My stomach churned. “How evil can you get?” My voice cracked. “You would use my mother’s life to force me?”

“Yes,” he said coldly. “So do it.”

Before I could scream, before I could protest, my brothers appeared, flanking me like guards. They each gripped an arm, steering me back into the hospital. My words fell on deaf ears, drowned out by their muttered orders. The world blurred until I found myself in a sterile room, my blood drawn, tubes strapped to my arm.

“Just a test,” one brother muttered.

Leah was there too, pale and fragile, her eyes brimming with tears. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean for it to be like this. I—I hid because I was sick, Olivia. I didn’t want anyone to know.”

“Sorry?” My throat burned. “You disappear for years, destroy our family, and now—now you come back, and I’m the one who has to pay for it?”

She opened her mouth, but Paulo’s glare silenced her. My brothers tightened their grip, one of them growling, “Shut up, Olivia. Don’t make this harder.”

Something cold pressed into my skin. My world spun. Darkness swallowed me whole.

When I woke up, I was in hospital clothes, thin and scratchy. A nurse stood by my bed, smiling kindly. “Good news. You’re a match. The surgery is scheduled in three days.”

“No…” My voice cracked. “I don’t want this.”

“You’ll save your sister’s life,” she said softly, as if that justified everything.

Tears burned behind my eyes. “No, no, this isn’t right. There must be another option. Another donor—”

Before I could finish, the door burst open. Paulo, my brothers, Leah.

“You don’t have a choice,” Paulo said, voice like ice. “Stop being selfish. Stop making this about you.”

Selfish. The word carved itself into my chest.

I turned my face away, refusing to let them see me break. My only escape was silence.

When they left, I pulled out my phone with trembling hands and typed a single desperate message to Cameron: Save me. They’re forcing me into surgery. Please.

I hit send, my tears falling onto the screen.

Later that evening, I wandered down the hall, searching for one thing—one person who reminded me I wasn’t completely alone.

Mother. Her room was quiet, the steady beeping of the monitors like a fragile heartbeat. She lay still, her face pale, as though carved from porcelain. I sank into the chair beside her bed and took her hand, my tears spilling freely.

“Mother…” My voice trembled. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I thought I could handle this. I thought I could save us. But they’re destroying me piece by piece.”

Her hand didn’t move, but I clung tighter, pressing my forehead against it. “I promise you, I’ll fight now. I won’t let them win. Not anymore.”

I stayed there for what felt like hours, whispering prayers, apologies, promises—until faint voices drifted in from the hall.

I froze.

Paulo’s voice. Low, assured. “Don’t worry, Leah. You’ll be saved. The operation will fix everything.”

Leah’s weak voice wavered. “But Olivia—”

Paulo cut her off. “Forget her. Once the surgery’s done, once we have what we need, we can dispose of her. Say something went wrong with the kidney. An accident. No one will question it.”

My blood turned to ice.

They weren’t just going to use me. They were going to kill me.

I stumbled back into Mother’s room, clutching her hand as though it could keep me tethered to life. “Did you hear that, Mama?” I whispered. “They want me gone. Just like Father. Just like everything else they’ve taken.”

Tears blurred my vision. “I won’t let it happen. I’ll fight. For you. For me.”

The next morning, a nurse slipped quietly into my room, her eyes darting nervously toward the door. “Miss Olivia,” she whispered, “I’ve arranged for your mother to be moved tomorrow. Someone important asked me to keep it quiet.”

My heart stopped. “Who?”

“Cameron Evans,” she murmured. “He said he’ll see you tomorrow.”

Relief crashed over me like a wave. Cameron. My last chance.

I nodded, clutching the nurse’s hand. “Thank you. Thank you.”

She gave me a small smile. “Just hold on, Miss Olivia. Just two more days.”

Two more days.

I looked at the ceiling, at the sterile white lights above me, and whispered a vow through my tears. “Two more days, and I’ll be free. They’ll regret everything they’ve done.”