I gripped the phone so tightly my knuckles turned white. Still wearing my hospital gown, I paced the small room despite the cramps twisting through my abdomen every few steps. Pain lanced through me whenever I moved, but I barely registered it.

“What do you mean it’s a done deal?” I demanded, my voice trembling with anger. “David didn’t embezzle anything. The evidence is fake.”

On the other end of the line, our family attorney, Mr. Henderson, sighed heavily.

“The files were recovered from David’s encrypted personal drive, Audrey,” he said wearily. “Five million dollars was transferred to an account in the Cayman Islands. The metadata matches his credentials. The district attorney isn’t interested in hearing claims of a setup. They’re fast-tracking the case. He’s looking at fifteen years, minimum.”

My breath caught.

“Fifteen years?”

The room swayed around me.

Henderson lowered his voice. “Someone powerful wants your brother buried. I’ve called every contact I have, but no one will help. The orders are coming from the top. I can’t stop this.”

The call ended, but I remained frozen, the phone still pressed to my ear.

I didn’t need anyone to tell me who those “powerful people” were.

Nathaniel’s grandfather practically owned the city’s legal system. And Nathaniel—Nathaniel was the one pulling the strings.

He had cornered me perfectly.

If I continued pursuing charges against Victoria for poisoning me and killing my child, David would spend the next fifteen years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

Before I could think, my hand moved.

I ripped the IV from my arm.

Blood welled from the puncture site and dripped onto the floor, but I barely felt the sting.

By the time I reached the house, night had fallen.

The mansion was unnervingly quiet.

I found Nathaniel in his study.

He sat behind his mahogany desk, a glass of amber liquor in one hand, an open file in front of him. He didn’t look surprised to see me. In fact, he barely reacted.

“You should still be in the hospital,” he said calmly. “Discharging yourself against medical advice was reckless.”

“Let him go.”

My voice came out rough, but steady.

Nathaniel took a slow sip of his drink.

“I assume you mean your brother,” he said. “Terrible situation. Embezzlement leaves quite a stain on a reputation.”

“Drop the act.”

I slammed both palms onto his desk.

“You planted the evidence. You had someone hack his drive and frame him. You’re using him as leverage.”

Only then did Nathaniel look up.

There was no warmth in his eyes.

Only cold calculation.

“And you,” he said quietly, “are threatening the woman I love.”

The words hit like a slap.

“You’re trying to ruin her with this ridiculous lawsuit and drag my family through the mud.”

“She murdered our son.”

My voice cracked.

Nathaniel’s expression hardened.

“And you’re trying to destroy my future.”

He stood, towering over me.

“Since you want to handle this legally, let’s discuss terms.”

He slid a folder across the desk.

I looked down.

“What is this?”

“A settlement.”

He folded his arms.

“Inside is a withdrawal of charges and a binding non-disclosure agreement. You will drop the lawsuit against Victoria, publicly state that this was all a misunderstanding caused by grief, and agree never to pursue legal action against her regarding the miscarriage.”

I stared at the papers.

They wanted me to erase everything.

To protect my child’s killer.

To surrender justice.

My throat tightened.

“And if I refuse?”

Nathaniel sat back down, maddeningly calm.

“Then David goes to prison.”

He shrugged.

“He’s soft, Audrey. Maximum security will break him. He won’t last long.”

His gaze sharpened.

“Do you really want his blood on your hands too?”

Nausea surged through me.

I hated him.

The hatred felt violent enough to consume me.

My eyes flicked to the silver letter opener on his desk. For one wild second, I imagined driving it straight into his chest.

But I couldn’t.

I couldn’t risk David.

He was the only family I had left.

“Fine.”

The word barely sounded human.

Three hours later, I sat in David’s living room with a cup of black coffee cooling between my hands.

David sat across from me, guilt written all over his face.

“I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely. “I know what happened. The charges vanished ten minutes after you left the hospital.”

His jaw tightened.

“He traded your justice for my freedom, didn’t he?”

I stared into my coffee.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter.”

David slammed his cup down.

“He framed me to protect that bitch. We can’t let him get away with this. We can refile. We can fight back—”

“We can’t.”

I cut him off.

“I signed an NDA. If I speak about the poisoning or sue Victoria again, the evidence against you comes back. He has us trapped.”

David sank into the sofa.

“So that’s it?” he asked bitterly. “He wins? After everything he’s done to you?”

“No.”

I set my coffee down and finally looked at him.

Something inside me had changed.

The tears were gone.

So was the grief.

What remained was something colder.

Stronger.

Resolve.

David studied me carefully.

“What are you going to do?”

“First, I want the divorce papers prepared immediately.”

His brows rose.

“I’m leaving that marriage. I don’t want alimony, property, or a single cent from him. I want a clean break.”

David nodded.

“I can have them ready tomorrow morning.”

He hesitated.

“But Audrey… how are you going to fight him? The Jones family is untouchable.”

A faint smile touched my lips, though there was no warmth in it.

“I’m going to ruin him.”

The words came out soft and deliberate.

“I’ll dismantle him piece by piece. I’ll take his company, destroy his reputation, and make him watch everything he loves burn.”

David stared at me in silence.

When he finally went to shower, I waited until the bathroom door closed before reaching for my phone.

My fingers trembled as I scrolled through my contacts.

Down.

Further down.

Until I reached a number I hadn’t called in six years.

A number I once swore never to use.

Jackson.

I called him Uncle Jackson, though he wasn’t really my uncle. He was a distant relative—the family’s black sheep. He operated in shadows, arranged deals that never existed on paper, and had a reputation for making impossible things happen.

My father had forbidden me from contacting him.

The phone rang twice.

Then he answered.

“Well, well.”

His voice was gravelly with amusement.

“Little Audrey. This is unexpected. Run out of charity galas to attend?”

“I need something from you.”

I skipped pleasantries.

A low chuckle came through the line.

“You know I don’t do favors, sweetheart. I do business.”

“I know.”

I took a slow breath.

“Do you remember the offer you made before I married Nathaniel?”

Silence.

Then—

“The marriage proposal?”

“Yes.”

I steadied myself.

“You said you had someone in mind. Someone whose empire could merge with our logistics business globally.”

Jackson laughed.

“I remember. You rejected it. Said you were marrying for love.”

His tone turned mocking.

“So tell me—how did love work out?”

“It didn’t.”

My voice went cold.

“And I’m ready to accept.”

The amusement disappeared.

“If you do this, there’s no turning back.”

“Good.”

I didn’t hesitate.

“That’s exactly what I want.”

A pause.

Then he spoke.

“I can have the jet ready in five days.”

I closed my eyes.

“Fine.”

Jackson’s voice lowered, satisfaction threading through every word.

“Then start preparing yourself.”

He paused.

“You’re about to marry your ex-husband’s most dangerous rival.”

Nathaniel lifted his wineglass and smiled as though he were hosting the perfect family dinner.

“This,” he declared, sweeping his gaze across the table, “is what a real family looks like—choosing forgiveness, staying united, and moving forward.”

Then he turned to me, wearing that polished, devastating smile he used so well in public. It was flawless, charming, and completely empty.

“I’m glad we’ve finally put all that unpleasantness behind us, Audrey,” he said. His attention shifted to my brother. “David, you have to admit, this wine is exceptional.”

“Excellent,” David replied in an even tone before taking a measured sip. Judging by the look in his eyes, he probably wished it were poison.

Nathaniel either didn’t notice or didn’t care. He turned toward Victoria, and his expression softened in a way I hadn’t seen directed at me in years.

“And Victoria,” he said warmly, “it’s nice to see you smiling again.”

Victoria let out a cheerful laugh that made my skin crawl.

“I’m just so happy we’re all getting along,” she said brightly. She reached across the table and placed her hand over mine. Her touch was warm and familiar, and somehow that made it worse. “Thank you for forgiving me, Audrey. I know this whole situation has been difficult, but I really hope we can become closer after this.”

She squeezed my hand.

“Like sisters.”

Every instinct in my body screamed at me to pull away.

I didn’t.

Instead, I forced a smile so tight it felt painful.

“Of course, Victoria,” I said in a syrupy voice. “Like sisters.”

Nathaniel looked pleased with himself as he cut into his duck.

“I told you she’d come around,” he said, sounding smug. “Audrey has always been practical. She knows how to see the bigger picture.”

I picked up my fork and took a small bite before speaking.

“Since you mentioned the bigger picture,” I said lightly, “I’ve been thinking about something your grandfather said.”

Nathaniel paused, knife suspended over his plate.

“What part?”

“The part about an heir.”

I said it casually, as if discussing weather.

“He seemed deeply disappointed about the… accident. He’s been calling almost every day, asking when we plan to try again. He keeps saying the Jones family needs someone to carry the legacy.”

Victoria went rigid.

The subtle shift in her posture didn’t escape me. Her eyes flicked toward Nathaniel, alarm flashing across her face.

Nathaniel cleared his throat.

“Well, Grandfather can be impatient,” he said carefully. “But you’re still recovering, sweetheart. The doctor said—”

“The doctor said I’m physically fine.”

The lie came easily.

I tilted my head and smiled.

“And it made me think about something else. Our fifth wedding anniversary is in five days, isn’t it?”

I leaned forward and rested my chin on my hand, staring at him with deliberate softness.

“What if we celebrate properly? Maybe a honeymoon. Somewhere beautiful. The Maldives, perhaps.”

I let the suggestion hang for a beat.

“We could try again,” I said gently. “For the baby.”

Nathaniel blinked.

His gaze flicked to Victoria, then back to me.

I could practically hear the calculations in his head.

He didn’t want me.

He wanted her.

But he still needed his grandfather’s approval, and more importantly, he needed me cooperative until the merger was finalized.

“That sounds…” He forced a smile. “Wonderful.”

He reached for his wineglass.

“A honeymoon. Just the two of us?”

“Just us,” I said.

“A fresh start.”

Victoria’s fingers tightened around her glass.

“But,” Nathaniel added quickly, dabbing his mouth with a napkin, “before we disappear on some romantic getaway, we still need to finalize the merger.”

There it was.

Business.

Always business.

“The transfer papers for your father’s logistics company still need to be completed,” he continued. “The board has been anxious. You know how these things are.”

I waved my hand as if dismissing something trivial.

“Oh, the merger.”

I bent slightly and reached beneath the table.

“I actually brought the papers.”

From under the table, I pulled out a thick manila envelope and placed it beside the roast duck.

Nathaniel’s eyes sharpened instantly.

There it was.

That hungry look.

The expression of a predator spotting easy prey.

He reached for the envelope, but I placed my hand over it first.

“Not so fast,” I said with playful disapproval. “Opening paperwork during dinner is terribly rude.”

Nathaniel laughed, though the sound came out strained with anticipation.

“Right. Of course.”

He tried to sound casual.

“We can review it afterward.”

“Actually,” I said, lifting my hand from the envelope, “there’s nothing to review.”

I slid it toward him.

“I already signed everything.”

Nathaniel froze.

“You did?”

I nodded.

“This afternoon. I already sent digital copies to legal. Those are just the original signed documents for your files.”

He snatched the envelope and opened it immediately.

His fingers moved quickly as he flipped through the pages until he found the signature page.

The moment he saw my name, I watched tension leave his body.

He exhaled like a man who had been holding his breath for weeks.

Then he looked at me.

For the first time in a very long while, his happiness seemed genuine.

Not because he loved me.

Because he believed he had won.

He thought he had taken everything.

My child.

My dignity.

My inheritance.

“You’re incredible, Audrey,” he said, closing the folder. “Truly. This changes everything.”

“It certainly does,” David murmured into his wineglass.

Nathaniel didn’t catch the meaning.

I lifted my own glass.

“Well then,” I said smoothly, “shall we toast? To the merger… and to our anniversary?”

Nathaniel raised his glass without hesitation.

“To us.”

Our glasses touched.

Victoria joined in, her smile bright and triumphant.

She looked almost radiant.

She thought she had won too.

She probably imagined herself replacing me soon enough, boarding that honeymoon flight in my place.

Later that night, silence settled over the house.

Nathaniel was in the shower, humming under the running water.

He was in excellent spirits.

I sat at my vanity, removing my earrings one by one and placing them carefully on the marble surface.

He had no idea.

He didn’t know the signature on those documents meant nothing.

He didn’t know that three hours before dinner, David and I had completed an entirely different transfer.

My father’s company had never been a single operating entity.

It was a holding company.

And as majority shareholder, I had the legal authority to restructure every asset under it.

I hadn’t handed Nathaniel the company.

I had handed him the shell.

The brand.

The logo.

The office leases.

That was all.

The real assets—the trucks, warehouses, shipping routes, contracts, and operating capital—had already been moved into a separate trust.

A trust controlled solely by David.

A structure Nathaniel had no access to and no authority over.

Tomorrow morning, when his legal team filed those merger papers, they would discover the truth.

They had just acquired a corpse.

A company that looked valuable on paper but carried nothing except debt and liabilities.

By the time they understood what had happened, I would already be gone.

“Honey?”

Nathaniel’s voice drifted from the bathroom.

“Are you coming to bed?”

“In a minute,” I called back smoothly. “I’m just finishing my skincare.”

My phone buzzed against the marble countertop.

One message.

Unknown number.

I picked it up.

Unknown: Hello, my bride.

My pulse skipped.

Another message arrived almost immediately.

Unknown: The jet is fueled. The contract is ready. Are you prepared to marry me and destroy your ex-husband?

A third message appeared.

Unknown: If your answer is yes, I’ll see you soon.

“Eat, Audrey, eat,” Grandfather Vince said, motioning toward the lavish spread of roasted lamb and buttered root vegetables with his unsteady hand. “You’ve grown far too thin, and you look pale. Has my grandson been neglecting to feed you properly?”

He shot Nathaniel a stern look, his thick white brows drawing together.

Nathaniel continued slicing into his meat with controlled, precise movements, though irritation flickered across his face.

“I’ve been taking good care of her, Grandfather,” he replied evenly. “She’s still recovering. Healing takes time.”

“Recovering?” Grandfather Vince gave a dismissive snort. “A miscarriage is not some ordinary illness. It isn’t a cold you simply recover from in a few days. It demands care. Patience. Compassion.”

Then he turned to me, and the genuine sorrow in his pale blue eyes made something twist painfully in my chest.

“I am truly sorry, my dear,” he said softly. “I had been looking forward to meeting the child. You said it was going to be a boy, didn’t you?”

My throat tightened.

“Yes,” I said quietly. “A boy.”

Grandfather reached across the table and gently patted my hand.

“There will be other children,” he said with quiet certainty. “You’re young, and you’re strong. Audrey, you are the best thing that has happened to this family in years. When your parents passed, I promised I would care for you as if you were my own daughter. I meant every word.”

I lowered my gaze to my plate, blinking rapidly.

This was the part that hurt most.

Leaving Nathaniel required no courage anymore.

Walking away from his wealth cost me nothing.

But leaving this old man—this man who had become the closest thing I had to a father over the past ten years—felt like tearing off a piece of myself.

He had no idea what Nathaniel truly was.

He didn’t know the darkness hidden beneath the legacy he had spent a lifetime building.

“It’s difficult to heal,” I said carefully, “when the reason for the pain is still… close by.”

The entire table went silent.

Grandfather Vince’s expression sharpened immediately.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Audrey,” Nathaniel said under his breath, warning laced through his voice.

I lifted my head and widened my eyes as though I had spoken without thinking.

“Oh—I didn’t mean…” I forced hesitation into my voice. “It’s nothing. I just meant… the stress. And Victoria.”

Grandfather’s frown deepened.

“Victoria?” he repeated. “What does that girl have to do with your miscarriage?”

I hesitated just long enough to appear panicked.

“She made the soup,” I blurted, then quickly covered my mouth. “Oh no—I shouldn’t have said that.”

Nathaniel went rigid.

Grandfather’s voice dropped into something far more dangerous than anger.

“The soup?”

His gaze locked on me.

“The soup that made you ill?”

I nodded weakly.

“She made it?”

“It was an accident,” I said hurriedly, glancing at Nathaniel as though desperate for help. “She used the wrong herbs. She didn’t know I was pregnant. Please don’t be angry, Grandfather. She didn’t mean any harm. We’ve already forgiven her… haven’t we, Nathaniel?”

For one long second, nobody moved.

Then Grandfather Vince slammed his fist onto the table.

The silverware rattled violently.

“She is not family!”

The roar shook the dining room.

“She is a parasite. A girl who has clung to this family for years, circling my grandson like a vulture since childhood. And now her carelessness has cost me my great-grandson?”

“Grandfather, please,” Nathaniel said, rising from his chair. The color had drained from his face. “It isn’t like that. Victoria feels terrible.”

“I don’t care how she feels!”

Grandfather jabbed a trembling finger toward him.

“I want that woman gone, Nathaniel. Do you understand me? I don’t want her in your home, and I certainly don’t want her anywhere near my company. And if I discover that you are still entertaining that woman while your wife mourns the loss of her child, I will remove you from my will so quickly you won’t know what happened.”

Nathaniel’s jaw locked.

He turned toward me, and the fury in his eyes was almost unbearable, but he couldn’t lash out.

Not here.

Not in front of the one man who controlled everything he wanted.

“Yes, Grandfather,” he said through clenched teeth.

The drive home passed in suffocating silence.

The moment we stepped inside the house and the front door shut behind us, Nathaniel exploded.

“What the hell was that?” he shouted, hurling his keys onto the console table. “You accidentally slipped? Don’t insult me. You did that deliberately.”

“I didn’t!” I protested, stepping backward. “He kept pressing me. I panicked.”

Nathaniel dragged both hands through his hair in frustration as he paced across the foyer.

“You just put a target on Victoria’s back,” he snapped. “Do you understand what you’ve done? He wants her out of my life. If Grandfather cuts me off, I lose everything.”

I lowered my gaze.

“I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I’ll fix it. I’ll talk to him after we get back from the honeymoon.”

“The honeymoon,” Nathaniel muttered bitterly.

His phone vibrated in his pocket again.

Victoria.

He glanced at the screen, and I watched his entire expression change.

The anger disappeared.

Concern replaced it instantly.

It was a softness he had not shown me in years.

“She’s having a panic attack,” he said under his breath. “She heard what happened. Grandfather called her father and screamed at him.”

He grabbed his coat.

“I need to go.”

I looked at him.

“Now?”

I let hurt seep into my voice.

“Our flight is tomorrow morning. We’re supposed to leave for the Maldives.”

“I can’t leave her like this, Audrey,” he said sharply. “I’ll calm her down and come back. I’ll be home before the car arrives.”

He didn’t kiss me.

He didn’t apologize.

He simply walked out.

Once again, he chose her.

He always chose her.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the windows, bright and merciless.

I stood alone in the foyer with a small carry-on at my feet.

The house was silent.

Nathaniel never came home.

My phone rang.

I answered.

“Audrey?”

Nathaniel sounded rushed and breathless.

“Listen, I’m sorry, but I can’t make the flight.”

I stared ahead.

“What?”

“It’s Victoria,” he said smoothly. The lie came effortlessly now. “She’s sick. Really sick. High fever. She’s delirious. I can’t leave her alone, and there’s no one else to take care of her.”

“Oh,” I said quietly. “I understand.”

“Don’t be upset, baby,” he said, slipping into that soothing tone he used whenever he wanted compliance. “You should go ahead. Take David with you so you don’t travel alone. I’ll catch the next flight tomorrow morning, I promise. I’ll be there before dinner. We’ll still celebrate our anniversary.”

“It’s alright, Nathaniel,” I said. “I understand.”

He exhaled in relief.

“You’re amazing.”

Then his voice brightened.

“Oh—one more thing. The lawyers called. They filed the transfer papers this morning. Once everything clears, the logistics company officially becomes part of Jones Corp.”

He sounded almost giddy.

“Thank you, Audrey. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“I’m glad,” I said.

Then I glanced toward the staircase.

“I left something for you.”

“For me?”

“A gift.”

I looked down at my bare ring finger.

“It’s in our bedroom. On the bed.”

He laughed softly.

“A gift? You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to,” I said.

My voice stayed calm.

“It’s for our anniversary.”

I paused.

“You deserve it.”

“I can’t wait to see it.”

I closed my eyes for a moment.

“I hope you’ll be happy,” I said.

My voice remained steady.

“Without me.”

Silence.

Then confusion.

“What do you mean, without—”

I ended the call before he could finish.

Without hesitation, I tossed the phone into the trash bin by the door.

Then I picked up my bag, turned toward the waiting car, and left for the airport without looking back.