That night, my hospital room was too quiet. I sat on the bed, staring at the photo Beatrix had just sent me. My hands were shaking as I opened it.

It was Walter. He was leaning over her hospital bed, pen in hand, looking so tender and serious, like he was writing something that mattered. The caption under it burned into me:

“Your husband is the sweetest. He wrote me hundreds of love letters and stayed up all night for me. The maids said he only left when they told him you were finally waking up.”

My chest hurt so much I thought I couldn’t breathe. Before I could even put the phone down, another message arrived.

“Rosine, you will never beat me. Do yourself a favor and give up already.”

I bit my lip until I tasted blood. I wanted to reply, but my fingers froze. Before I could type a word, my hospital door opened.

A tall man in a sharp black suit walked in. He didn’t even look at me. He looked straight at Walter, who was standing by the window like he owned the whole world.

“Mr. Rutherford,” the man said politely. “Everything is ready. The press conference is set. Rutherford Crown Holdings will be transferred to Miss Beatrix tonight.”

My whole body went cold. I turned to Walter slowly, praying I had heard wrong.

But Walter smiled, calm and satisfied, like it was all part of a plan. “Good,” he said smoothly. “If my wife asks about this, just tell her the company went bankrupt. She does not need to know the details.”

Then he finally turned to me. His face softened instantly, his voice sickly sweet. He came close, and touched my hand lightly. “Baby, I just got news. The company is in trouble. I have to go fix it right away. Wait here for me, alright? Don’t worry too much. I’ll take care of everything.”

If I hadn’t regained my hearing, I would have believed him. He looked so convincing, like a loving husband under pressure. But I had heard it all. I know the truth now.

I only nodded, too tired to argue, and watched him leave without looking back. The door clicked shut. The silence after was heavier than anything I had ever felt.

I stared at the empty space where he had stood, my hands curling into fists. That was the moment I understood. There was no love left. No trust. Nothing to save.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the divorce papers I had been keeping for weeks. They were folded and worn, but still there, still waiting. I placed them on the table beside me, neat and ready.

Then I picked up my phone. I deleted everything. Walter. Beatrix. Even my parents. Each name disappeared one by one, like cutting strings that had been choking me.

For the first time in years, I felt a little lighter.

***

The press conference looked like a celebration instead of a business meeting. Reporters filled the hall, cameras flashing everywhere while Walter stood on stage with Beatrix right beside him. His smile was wide, proud, almost too perfect.

I was standing at the far end of the hall, half-hidden behind the crowd. Mask on. My eyes stayed on them even when it hurt, even when Alyssa clung to Dillon like she belonged there. I told myself not to care anymore, but my heart still betrayed me.

“This is the start of something bigger for our family,” he said into the microphone.

Everyone clapped. The applause went on and on, like the whole world was cheering for him. My parents were even in the front row, smiling and clapping so hard as if Beatrix’s victory was theirs too.

When it was over, Walter came down from the stage and immediately offered to drive Beatrix home himself. She held onto his arm, glowing like a bride on her wedding day. The sight should have broken me, but I just stood still, too numb to feel anything.

They were almost out the door when someone blocked their way. Aaron. His eyes flicked from Walter to Beatrix, then back.

“Been a while, Walter,” Aaron said with a half-smile. “Taking your sister-in-law out again? Strange you didn’t invite your wife. I was curious to ask her… about her ears. I wanted to see if she’s still struggling to hear.”

The words cut through the room sharper than any blade. Walter’s whole body stiffened. The smile slipped off his face, replaced by something darker.

“What are you talking about?” Walter’s voice was quiet but tense, like he already knew the answer. His eyes darted around nervously. “Rosine… she can hear?”

Aaron looked confused. “Yes. Didn’t she tell you? Her hearing came back yesterday and she was excited to tell you about it.”

That was it. That was the moment.

I turned slowly, not wanting anyone to see the tears already filling my eyes. My hand clutched my bag tighter, fingers brushing against the edge of my passport inside. It felt like the only thing I had left—my escape, my proof I could still leave this cage.

I walked out without looking back. My footsteps were shaky, but they carried me all the way to the airport. My tears kept falling, no matter how much I tried to hold them back.

At the counter, when I finally booked the flight, my voice cracked. “One ticket, please. First available. Paris.”

I pressed my passport into the clerk’s hands, clutching the strap of my bag so tightly it almost hurt.

And in my heart, I whispered the words that burned inside me.

“You will regret everything, Walter.”

WALTER'S POV

Aaron’s words kept echoing in my head, but I forced myself to laugh it off. “Rosine’s hearing back? Impossible,” I muttered under my breath as I guided Beatrix into the car. “If she could hear, she would’ve told me. She’s too obedient to hide something like that.”

Beatrix shifted closer, her perfume thick and sweet, filling the car. She leaned her head against my shoulder with a sigh. “Walter, only you make me feel safe.”

I glanced at her, my chest swelling with pride. Finally, finally she was mine again. “And you’ll stay safe with me. Everything I own, everything I built, soon it will all be yours.”

She smiled faintly, her fingers tracing patterns along my arm. “By the way, my divorce with Colt was already finalized.”

For a second I froze, then I broke into a grin. “Are you serious? Beatrix, that’s the best news I’ve heard all year. Congratulations, love.” I reached over, touching her stomach gently, reverently.

Her lips curved into a teasing smile. “You’re too excited. I’m just four weeks pregnant.”

I chuckled, still staring at her belly as if it was the crown of my empire. “I don’t care if it’s four weeks or four days. That child is ours. Rosine doesn’t matter. Why would she be mad? She’ll never know we have a baby. She’s deaf, and besides… I’ve only ever loved you. If only you never chose Colt, we would’ve been married long ago.”

Her eyes softened as she looked at me. She leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to my cheek. That small touch nearly undid me. I would give her the world. I already was.

After I dropped her at the Charles estate, I drove back to my villa, the night colder without her in the seat beside me. By the time I stepped inside, I was already impatient.

“Rosine!” I called out, loosening my tie. “Make me coffee. The strong one. Don’t water it down tonight.”

I sank onto the couch, waiting. Minutes passed. Finally the maid appeared with a tray. I picked up the cup, took a sip, and spat it back into the saucer with a curse.

“This isn’t Rosine’s coffee,” I snapped, slamming the cup down. “Do it again. And tell her to do it properly this time.”

The maid hesitated, her hands shaking. “Sir… Madam already left. She told me to give you this.”

She held out an envelope. My brows furrowed as I snatched it from her. The second I saw what was inside, the blood drained from my face.

Divorce papers. Signed.

For a long moment I just stared, unable to process it. My chest tightened, rage rising sharp and hot. “She wouldn’t dare,” I whispered, my hands trembling as I crumpled the paper in my fist. “She wouldn’t dare leave me.”

But the signature was real. The empty villa around me was real.

And for the first time in years, I felt something I never thought I would. Not control. Not pride. Fear.

Her number would not ring. No matter how many times I hit redial, it was like she had vanished from the world. Disconnected, blocked, wiped. I threw my phone on the desk, chest burning.

“She’s bluffing,” I muttered, and throw the damn paper, “She’ll crawl back! She loves me. She can’t live without me.”

But the silence after my own words mocked me. The room felt too big, too empty. My phone kept buzzing, and it wasn’t her. It was Beatrix. Again. Her name lit up the screen over and over until I wanted to smash it.

When I finally picked up, her voice came through sweet but demanding. “Walter, why didn’t you answer? I can’t sleep without hearing you.”

I rubbed my temple. “I’m busy, Beatrix. Don’t call me ten times in one hour. I’m not a damn teenager with free time.”

She pouted through the line, I could hear it. “You always sound annoyed. I just need you. You promised me everything.”

I forced my voice lower, softer, because I knew if I pushed too hard, she’d sulk again. “I’ll give you everything. Just don’t smother me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The moment I ended the call, I felt no relief. Instead, irritation lingered. Her voice grated in my head. Always wanting, always pulling. And in that second, I thought of Rosine. Quiet. Obedient. Never asking for anything. She endured without a word, without a fight. And that thought unsettled me.

I poured myself a glass of whiskey, sat in the dark, staring at Beatrix’s framed photo on my desk. She was smiling in that picture, the one I loved before. I should’ve felt warmth. Pride. But staring at it now, all I felt was emptiness pressing down on me.

I shut my eyes and for no reason at all, Rosine’s face came back. Her soft laugh, the one she made when she still thought I cared. That sound, fragile, blind trust wrapped around it. Something twisted in my chest before I shoved it down with another drink.

By dawn, my shirt was unbuttoned, tie loose, and I was drowning in whiskey. I slammed the glass down and muttered, “She’s at her parents’ house. She has to be.”

But then Aaron’s words cut through the fog in my skull.

Rosine can hear now.

My heart pounded so loud I thought I was losing it. I grabbed my phone, called Aaron. He picked up groggy, annoyed, but I didn’t care.

“Send me the CCTV footage of the day Rosine visited you. Now.”

He sighed like he wanted to argue, but I growled low, “Do not test me, Aaron. Send it.”

A minute later, the file arrived. I opened it, hands shaking even though I tried to steady them.

There she was. My wife. Sitting across from him. Her lips moving. Talking. Laughing lightly.

She was speaking. She wasn’t deaf anymore.

And she never told me.

My chest locked up. I leaned back in my chair, eyes glued to the screen. All those years I thought she depended on me, helpless without me…

For the first time in my life, I couldn’t tell if I was more furious… or terrified.

Fuck!

I sat there frozen after the footage ended, my chest tight like something heavy was pressing me down.

Rosine… she heard me that day. Every damn word. She saw my lips move, she caught my voice. The moment I told Colt about Beatrix, about the baby, about the choice I made. She wasn’t deaf anymore. She heard it all.

I should feel relieved, right? She’s gone. Out of my life. No more lifeless dinners, no more silence between us. I should be happy that I can live with Beatrix freely now. But instead there’s this sting under my skin that won’t stop burning. I tell myself it’s pride. Just pride that she dared to leave me like that. But it doesn’t feel like pride. It feels like something hollow eating me alive.

I slammed my fist into the glass window. The crack split like a scream and the shards scattered. Blood ran down my knuckles, warm and sticky, but I didn’t care. I stood there breathing hard, my reflection broken into pieces.

At sunrise, I called my men. My voice was cold. “Find her. I don’t care what it takes. Search every house, every airport, every border. Bring her back to me.”

By noon they came back, heads bowed. “Sir, she already left the country.”

The floor tilted. My hands shook. I sat behind my desk but even the leather chair couldn’t hold me steady. For the first time in my life, I felt powerless. Me, Walter Rutherford, who built companies from ashes, who bent people to my will. And here I was, destroyed by a woman who used to stare at me like I was her whole world.

**

My phone rang sharp against the silence. Beatrix’s mother. Her voice panicked. “Walter, it’s Beatrix. She’s in the hospital. Come quick. St. Augustine’s Medical, room 507!”

I didn’t even hang up properly before I grabbed my keys and stormed out. My chest was pounding, my mind only chanting her name. Beatrix. Beatrix.

When I pushed open that hospital door, I saw her curled up on the bed, sobbing, her face pale, clutching her stomach like the world had ended.

“Walter,” she cried, reaching for me, her voice cracked. “I slipped in the bathroom. I… I lost our baby.”

My heart ripped apart. I rushed to her side, holding her shaking body against me.

“No. Don’t say that. Don’t you dare say that,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “We’ll fix this. We’ll try again. I’m here, Bee. I’ll never leave you. You’re my everything.”

She cried harder into my chest, and I held her tighter, my bloody hand staining the white sheets. But deep inside, beneath the words, that hollow ache kept whispering Rosine’s name.

The door opened and Mrs. Charles marched in with her husband right behind her. Her eyes darted around the room like she was searching for someone.

“Where’s Rosine?” she snapped. “Why isn’t she here assisting her sister? She should be the one looking after Beatrix, not you alone.”

I let out a heavy sigh and rubbed my temples. “She’s gone, Mrs. Charles. She left me divorce papers.”

Her head jerked up, fury flashing in her eyes. “What? Left where?”

Flat voice, no emotion. I wasn’t going to show her what it did to me. “She left the country.”

Mrs. Charles slammed her bag on the table. “That bitch! Always running away. She was supposed to take care of her sister after what she did years ago, letting her get kidnapped. And now this?” Her voice rose, echoing in the hospital room.

Mr. Charles’s jaw tightened, his tone colder than ice. “Rosine has always been a burden. Forever deaf, useless, no man in his right mind would want her. She should be grateful she even had you, Walter.”

I clenched my jaw. I didn’t answer. I just sat there, holding Beatrix’s hand tighter, keeping my face blank while something inside me burned.

Mrs. Charles pointed toward Beatrix, her voice sharp. “Exactly. You are the only man strong enough to handle Beatrix, and now that Cali is out of the picture, our daughter is finally free. Rosine never deserved you.”

I forced myself to stay calm, my eyes on Beatrix as she quietly sniffled against the pillow.

“Walter, take care of our Beatrix,” Mrs. Charles said firmly. “She’s fragile now. She needs you more than ever. Protect her from Rosine. That woman is poison.”

Mr. Charles crossed his arms, his decision final. “We’re leaving tomorrow for Hawaii. She'll stay in your villa. That’s where she belongs. Sign those divorce papers and end it officially. Don’t look back.”

I gave them a slow nod and managed a smile. “I will protect her. Beatrix is mine now.”

Next morning, I carried her out of the hospital in my arms, her body light against me, her head resting on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, baby. I won’t let Rosine come back. You’re the only one I want.”

At the villa, I laid her carefully on the bed, tucking the blanket around her. I bent down, kissed her forehead, and turned toward my desk.

I took the divorce paper nd signed it. Then my phone rang. I answered.

“Boss, your wife Rosine… she’s dead.”