Before Harold—no, Hunter—could even answer, a sharp voice cut through the air.

“Harold? What the hell is this?!”

I froze. Alicia stood in the doorway, eyes wide, her chest heaving. The moment her gaze landed on our lips, she went wild.

“You bitch!” she screamed, shoving me so hard my back hit the edge of the bed. “What did you do? Did you just kiss my husband?”

My mouth opened, but no words came out.

“How dare you!” she spat, the venom in her tone making my skin crawl. “Are you going to seduce my husband now that your own is gone? Is that what you’ve been planning?”

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, turning to Alicia. “I was just comforting her, and then she… kissed me.”

The words hit me like a physical blow. My breath caught, my chest tightening until it hurt to inhale. This was the man who used to stand in front of me whenever anyone dared raise their voice at me. The man who once told me he’d take on the whole world if it meant keeping me safe. And now… he’d thrown me under the bus without blinking.

My heart shattered into a million unfixable pieces.

Alicia’s lip curled in disgust as she stepped closer. Without warning, her fingers tangled in my hair, yanking hard until my scalp burned.

“No—he’s my husband!” I cried, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. Maybe he’ll admit when he sees me getting hurt by Alicia? Maybe he’d change his mind?

Her laugh was sharp, cruel. “You’re delusional. He is Harold! He is my husband!”

The door suddenly burst open.

And there she was my mother-in-law. The woman who had once told me I was the daughter she never had. My relief was so instant, so deep, I almost sagged against the bed.

“What is going on in here?” she stood there, eyes darting between us.

Finally, I thought. She’ll tell the truth. She’ll defend me.

But instead, she stormed up to me, her face twisted with anger. Her hand swung fast, landing another slap across my already throbbing cheek.

“You should get back to your senses and know your place,” she said coldly. “Your husband is dead. Stop embarrassing yourself.”

I swayed where I stood, unable to comprehend what was happening.

“Please, Mom,” Hunter said—pretending to be Harold—his voice soft, almost pitying. “Don’t be harsh on her. You know she’s grieving my brother. We look alike, that’s all. She’s confused.”

Confused. That was the word he chose. Not misunderstood, not innocent—confused. Like I was some fragile, broken thing who couldn’t tell reality from delusion.

Then, as if twisting the knife, he turned and wrapped his arms around Alicia. She clung to him like she belonged there, her face pressed to his chest. But over his shoulder, her eyes found mine, and she smirked. Smirked—like she had won.

“Victoria,” my mother-in-law’s voice snapped through the room like a whip. “Kneel and ask for forgiveness.”

My head jerked up. “What?”

“Kneel,” she repeated, her tone leaving no room for argument. “You disrespected your sister-in-law. Apologize.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. “She’s not my—” I stopped myself. What was the point? No one here would believe me. Not him. Not her. Not even the woman I once thought loved me like a daughter.

Hunter—still pretending to be Harold—looked at me with a strange mix of false patience and quiet authority. “Victoria… you shouldn’t have done that,” he said. “You need help—therapy—because of what happened. You’ve been through a lot.”

I wanted to scream that I didn’t need therapy. I needed my husband to stop lying. I needed my best friend to stop pretending she wasn’t the reason my life had been burned to the ground. I needed someone—anyone—to believe me.

“Come on,” he pressed, his tone soft but insistent. “You won’t do it? My Victoria will feel stress if you keep this up. Just apologize, and we can move on.”

My jaw trembled. “No.”

Tina’s eyes hardened, her voice turning to steel. “You will kneel. You will apologize. Now.”

I could barely hear them over the pounding in my ears. My body felt like lead. My heart was a stone in my chest.

And yet… with every second of silence, the weight of their stares crushed me until my knees finally buckled. I sank to the cold floor, pain shooting up my legs, my dignity splintering with every heartbeat.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

Alicia’s smirk deepened. “Don’t do it again.”

Something inside me cracked. That was the last straw.

I realized then that everyone—Hunter, Tina, even Alicia—was working together to make me feel insane.

They all left the room without another glance, Hunter’s arm firmly around Alicia’s waist.

And I… I broke.

I buried my face in my hands, the sobs ripping out of me until my chest ached. I was utterly, hopelessly alone.

With shaking hands, I reached for my phone. I didn’t care about pride anymore. I didn’t care about the years of silence between us.

When my brother answered, my voice cracked. “Brother… please. I’m sorry. I was wrong for leaving the house to marry Hunter. You were right. He hurt me.” My breath came in ragged sobs. “Please… take me back.”

“And maybe…” My voice broke into a bitter laugh that turned into another sob. “Maybe kill me too.”

On the other end of the line, my brother’s voice shot up in panic. “Victoria! What the hell are you talking about? What’s going on? Tell me what happened. Is this because of Hunter? If you’re going to waste your life over that man, then you’re a damn fool. He’s dead. And even if he wasn’t… he doesn’t deserve you.”

“He is not dead,” I whispered, every word heavy with fury and grief.

There was a pause—long enough for me to hear his sharp intake of breath. “What do you mean he’s not dead?”

“I mean exactly what I said,” I bit out. “Hunter is alive. He faked his death, Martin.”

His voice lowered, careful but edged. “Do you want me to come get you? I’ll pull you out of there. You can find someone else—someone who actually gives a damn. Forget him. I’ll help you with the baby—”

I swallowed hard, the ache in my throat almost unbearable. “So… you knew what was happening to me all this time?”

“Yes,” he admitted without hesitation. “We might’ve parted ways after you married him, but I never stopped looking out for you. I’ve always been watching from a distance, Vic.”

Tears blurred my vision. “Then help me,” I said, my voice trembling but laced with steel. “Help me fake my death. Let him feel exactly what he made me feel.”

For a moment, there was only the sound of his breathing. Then Martin spoke, voice hard with resolve. “Give me one week. I’ll arrange everything. I’ll come for you.”

I dropped the phone onto the bed, my hands shaking. I didn’t move for hours—just lay there, staring at the ceiling, my mind drowning in memories and betrayal.

When morning came, I hadn’t slept a second.

The knock at the door startled me. Before I could answer, Harold—no, Hunter—stepped inside, his expression deliberately gentle.

“Victoria,” he said, “I’m sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have let things get so out of hand.” His voice softened further. “I’ll go with you to the police station today. We’ll check for any updates about your baby. And after that, I’ll take you to the hospital to get you checked, okay?”

I didn’t answer right away. I just stared at him, trying to reconcile the man in front of me with the man who had once sworn to love me forever.

I was about to stand when a voice floated in from the hallway—Alicia’s voice.

“Harold, love,” she called, feigning weakness, “my head is spinning… I need your help.”

Then came a sound that froze every drop of blood in my veins.

A baby’s cry. Not just any cry—it was the thin, desperate wail of an infant.

Hunter’s head whipped toward the door, and without a second glance at me, he hurried out, his footsteps quick.

My chest constricted so tightly I could barely breathe. He ran to her. To Alicia. To the baby.

And my baby… my baby was gone.

I gripped the edge of the bed, my mind spinning back to the first time I’d met Hunter. He’d been standing at the edge of the community park, the late summer sun turning his brown hair to gold. I got him first. I liked him first. I told Alicia about him, thinking she would be happy for me. She had smiled, nodded, even teased me for blushing whenever his name came up.

I never imagined that months later, I’d catch them together. Dating. Laughing. Holding hands. I never asked her about it. I never confronted him. I told myself I was being supportive, that maybe this was how love worked—messy, tangled, forgiving.

Then Alicia left—five years gone to chase her dreams—while I stayed, building a life with him.

And now… she was back. And she had a baby with him.

I pressed my palm to my stomach. I could still hear Hunter’s voice from those quiet nights when he would rest his head against my belly, his hand covering mine.

"I’ll be there for every first—his first word, his first step, his first day at school. I’ll teach him how to ride a bike, how to fly a plane. He’ll never doubt for a second that his dad loves him."

Liar!

I dressed quietly and left without telling anyone. At the police station, I asked for updates on my missing child. The officer on duty only shook his head.

“No new leads, Mrs. Montgomery. At this point…” His voice trailed off, but I could hear the unspoken truth. At this point, they might never find him.

Defeated, I returned to the house. The moment I stepped inside, my breath caught.

In the corner of the living room was a crib. And in it—a baby boy.

Tiny fists curled, soft whimpers escaping between breaths. My heart slammed against my ribs. He looked like my son. Same dark hair, same dimple in his chin.

I stepped closer, my hands trembling. Just one look, one touch—

“HELP! HELP!” Alicia’s scream pierced the air. “She’s hurting the kid!”

“I’m not going to hurt the baby!” I shouted, my voice hoarse, my palms up as Alicia shrieked.

“She’s lying!” she cried, clinging protectively to the crib as if I were some monster. “She tried to grab him—she’s unstable!”

“I was just—”

“Enough!” my mother-in-law’s voice cut through mine like a whip. “I’ve had enough of your theatrics, Victoria. You’ve been hysterical since the day my son died.”

Her words hit harder than I expected. Hysterical. As if my grief, my desperation to hold a baby that looked so much like my own stolen son, was nothing but madness.

“I said I was not going to hurt him—”

“Lock her in the basement,” Tina ordered coldly, turning to the butler.

My breath caught. “What?”

Hunter—pretending to be Harold—stood there, silent for a moment. For a split second, I thought he’d defend me like he used to. But instead, he muttered, “It’s for her own good. Let her calm down.”

My heart stopped. He agreed.

Two of the house staff grabbed my arms, ignoring my struggles, dragging me toward the cold metal door. “No—please! I’m not crazy! I didn’t do anything!” I screamed, but no one listened.

The door slammed shut behind me.

The basement was pitch-black. The air was damp, heavy with the stench of mold. My bare feet brushed over rough concrete and… something that moved. My pulse spiked as I heard the unmistakable skitter of cockroaches across the floor. A rat squealed from somewhere in the corner.

I backed up until my spine hit the wall, arms wrapped tightly around myself, trembling. And then I felt it—a sharp sting on my ankle. I gasped, looking down just in time to see the thick, winding body of a snake disappear into the shadows.

A scream tore from my throat before my knees buckled. The darkness swallowed me whole.

I woke to the antiseptic sting of hospital air. My vision blurred before it sharpened enough to see a nurse leaning over me.

“You’re lucky you got here when you did,” she said gently. “You were bitten by a snake. The venom was spreading fast.”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “How… did I get here?”

“The butler called emergency services. But you need to rest now.”

Rest? Rest when the people who were supposed to protect me had thrown me into a pit like I was trash? I scanned the room, half-expecting Harold—no, Hunter—to be there. Or even my mother-in-law. But the nurse’s next words told me everything I needed to know.

“No one’s been here since you were brought in.”

By the time I was discharged, my body still felt heavy, but my mind was set. I wasn’t going back to that house to cower.

The butler was waiting at the gates when the driver pulled up.

“They’re all at an auction, Madam,” he said carefully, as though my very presence was a scandal.

“An auction?”

“Yes. Miss Alicia is hosting a special charity event tonight.”

Charity. I almost laughed.

The venue buzzed with that particular kind of chatter that came from people dripping in diamonds and self-importance. Waiters weaved through the crowd with champagne flutes, and the stage glowed under soft golden light.

My eyes found Alicia instantly—center stage, wearing a crimson silk gown that clung to her like a second skin. She held a microphone, smiling sweetly at the audience as a large canvas, one of her paintings, was wheeled into view.

“This piece,” she began, her voice dripping with false modesty, “is my proudest work to date. I hope tonight it finds a home worthy of its story.”

The bidding started. Paddles went up. Numbers climbed. But as I stood there watching her bask in attention, something inside me shifted.

This wasn’t her night anymore.

I stepped forward, my heels clicking against the polished marble, and when the auctioneer glanced at me in surprise, I took the mic.

“I have something else to add to tonight’s auction,” I announced, my voice carrying through the room. “A Montgomery family heirloom.”

Gasps and murmurs spread like wildfire.

“This,” I continued, slipping my wedding ring from my finger, “was given to me by late husband Hunter Montgomery on our wedding day. It is worth millions… but its price tonight will be more than gold.” I let my gaze sweep the stunned crowd. “Because whoever buys this ring…” My lips curved into a defiant smile. “…will be the man I marry.”

The silence was electric. I caught the briefest flicker of shock on Harold—Hunter’s—face across the room, his expression hardening.

The ring was brought forward on a velvet cushion. People whispered. Some smirked. Others leaned forward, hungry for the scandal.

When the bidding ended, the ring was gone—snatched up by a stranger—and with it, the last tangible tie to a man who had already buried me in lies. For the first time, I felt something that almost resembled freedom.

Harold—Hunter—found me in the hall moments later, his voice sharp. “Why? Why would you sell something that important? That ring was my brother’s gift to you! It’s the symbol of his love for you. Do you even understand what it meant? What would you think he would feel after knowing that you did… and you’re gonna marry someone?”

“Why do you care?” I shot back. “You’re not Hunter.”

He flinched, just barely. “I am his brother. And I know how much he loved you—”

“Well, your brother is dead,” I said coldly. “And so is the part of me that cared. I’m moving on… and marrying someone else.”

I turned and walked away before he could reply.

But Alicia wasn’t done.

She caught up to me outside, yanking my hair so hard my scalp burned. “How dare you?” she spat. “How dare you ruin my night and make everything about you?”

I laughed bitterly, prying her hand away. “Don’t worry, Alicia. From now on, you can make everything about you. Because I’ll be gone.”