Victor closed the door behind him, his expression painted with guilt, yet those familiar, cutting eyes never softened.

“Valeria,” he murmured, rubbing his temples as if I were the source of his pain. “I only said those things because Marcella’s been struggling. She needed support. Maybe you could try to see it from her side.”

I let out a bitter laugh, broken and hollow. “See it from her side? After everything she’s done, after everything I’ve lost, you expect me to sympathize with her?”

He stepped closer, lowering his voice into a faux gentleness. “About the inheritance… don’t you think you should just hand it to her? The papers will be signed soon, and honestly, Valeria, you’ve never been good with business. At least she might make something of it.”

A dull ache spread through me. Not surprise—just the sting of old wounds ripped open again.

I had grown accustomed to this—his words, his manipulation, the way he always turned the story so I looked unreasonable. I remembered the nights he swore he’d whisk me away for our anniversary, the days he promised to introduce me proudly as his wife, the whispered promises of “next time” that never came. I had believed him. I thought it was loyalty. I thought it was love. But now I realized it had been nothing but blindness.

Victor dug into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. “I was planning our wedding in five days,” he said softly, almost pleading. “It was meant to be a surprise, but maybe knowing will calm you. The ring is real this time, Valeria—not fake. We’ll make this official. Merge the families. Please.”

His words hung in the air, insubstantial, like smoke slipping through my fingers. A part of me—weak, foolish, still aching—remembered the man I once thought loved me. But it was an illusion. He never wanted me. He wanted my inheritance. My father’s favor.

Even my brothers—Adrian and Leo—I had believed they loved me. Protected me. Cherished me. But now I could see clearly: they smiled because Father had favored me, because I held everything in my hands. It was envy, disguised as familial loyalty.

And Marcella… I had trusted her, shared secrets, defended her, covered for her when Father was angry. I thought sisters were meant to protect each other. But maybe she stayed close because I was useful. Because I shielded her. Because she could laugh in Victor’s arms when I wasn’t looking. How long had it been happening? How many “busy nights” were really spent with her?

I had believed he was building a future with me. I cooked meals that went cold, celebrated birthdays alone, lit candles on anniversaries by myself, thinking he was just working hard. But he wasn’t busy—he was lying. Cheating. Building a life without me.

He added softly, almost pleading, “Marcella is unwell. She needs us. We need her back in the family.”

I shook my head, tears stinging. “Unwell? You blamed me for everything I never did. I didn’t scam anyone. I lost our baby, and you—”

Before I could finish, Marcella’s scream shattered the air.

“Help me! Victor!”

He spun instantly, sprinting toward her cry, leaving me frozen. Always her. Never me.

I clenched my fists and swallowed the sob that rose in my throat. Fine. Let him run to her. Let them all. I didn’t care anymore.

I returned to my room, wiped my face, and struck a match. A candle flickered, soft and trembling. I set it before me and whispered a prayer for the child I never knew, the one stolen before I could even hold it. My lips quivered.

“My baby… I’m sorry. I should’ve protected you.”

The flame blurred as fresh tears burned my eyes.

Then, heavy footsteps pounded the floor. The door burst open.

Adrian stormed in, his face dark, his hand gripping my wrist. “Come with me.”

I struggled. “What are you doing?”

“You share her blood,” he said flatly. “She needs it. You’re going to give it.”

“No! I won’t—”

Before I could finish, a fist struck me. Leo’s fist. My head snapped to the side, spinning. Pain shot through my skull. Before I could scream, darkness swallowed me whole.

When I came to, the world was a blur. Bright lights above stabbed at my eyes. My arms felt heavy, my veins screaming with every pulse.

I tilted my head weakly and realized… tubes were attached to me. They were drawing my blood.

“No…” My voice barely rose above a whisper.

Nearby, a doctor’s voice rang in alarm. “We can’t take any more! She’s already too weak from the accident. If we push further, she won’t survive!”

“Drain it all!” Victor’s voice thundered, cold and merciless. “I don’t care if she dies!”

My lips trembled. He wanted this.

Adrian’s voice followed, harsh and bitter. “Make her weak. Sick enough she can’t resist. Enough so she suffers.”

Leo’s low, cruel laugh added, “Yes. Then we take everything.”

The words cut deeper than the needles piercing my veins. My chest heaved. My vision darkened. I wanted to scream, to fight, to curse them—but my body betrayed me. I was weak, helpless, trapped.

Edges of light bled into black. The voices faded, distant and hollow.

And then… nothing.

When my eyes opened again, the ceiling wavered above me, blurred and shifting. My body felt impossibly heavy, my limbs trembling so violently I could barely move. Even lifting a finger felt like a monumental effort, as if my bones might snap with the slightest motion. But I forced myself. I had no choice.

With every scrap of strength left, I stretched toward the nightstand. My hand shook uncontrollably, nearly dropping the phone, but I clutched it tightly enough to dial the one number that could change everything.

The line rang once. Twice. Then a calm, familiar voice answered. “Ms. Valeria?”

I swallowed, my throat raw, my voice almost a whisper. “Transfer everything. Every asset. All the money in my name… send it to Dominic.”

A sharp intake of breath followed. “Dominic? Are you certain? And your brothers? Victor? This is—”

“They’ll manage,” I rasped, forcing the words out through the burning ache in my chest. “Father left them more than enough. But everything under me—my inheritance, all of it—goes to Dominic. If I leave this world, I’ll make sure they feel the loss too. Not just me. All of them. That’s the last gift I can give.”

“Valeria…” His hesitation was heavy, almost pleading. “Once this is done, it can’t be undone.”

“Do it,” I said. My fingers loosened around the phone, and it slipped from my trembling hands, clattering to the floor. I couldn’t bend to retrieve it even if I wanted to.

The door creaked open.

“What’s going on?” Adrian’s sharp, suspicious voice cut through the silence. He bent down and snatched the phone. “Who’s Dominic?”

Leo followed behind him, his face twisted with rage. “Are you calling another man while lying sick in bed? Cheating on Victor?”

I tried to speak, to explain. “It’s not—”

But Victor appeared then, his shadow swallowing the room. His gaze locked on me, piercing and cold. “Who is Dominic?”

I shook my head weakly. “Nothing. Just… nothing.”

“She’s lying,” Leo hissed.

Adrian smirked, indifferent. “Doesn’t matter. She’s fragile. Let her eat for now—we’ll get what we need later.”

“No…” I whispered, pushing against the weight pressing me down. “I can’t… I’m too weak…”

They didn’t care.

Leo shoved a stack of papers toward me. “Sign these. Hospital forms. Don’t bother reading.”

I blinked, vision hazy, but I could still make out the words—the inheritance transfer, the legal clauses my father always warned me to watch. They thought I was helpless.

Fine. I picked up the pen with trembling hands and signed. Because I knew already—Dominic had everything. Whatever they tried to claim would be gone.

Victor leaned down, brushing his lips mockingly against my forehead. “Good girl. Rest now. Once you’re strong again, the wedding will happen.”

A wedding? With him? I almost laughed. He could starve me, bleed me dry, try to break me—but he would never have me willingly.

The day passed in a blur of exhaustion until I managed to rise. I asked the nurse where Marcella was. She pointed toward the east wing.

I found her on her bed, eyes wide, innocence painted on her face. “Valeria! You shouldn’t be up. Are you okay? I never—”

“Spare me,” I croaked, my voice raw but sharp with anger. “I’m not here for your lies. I came to say goodbye.”

Before she could respond, I lifted the glass of water in my hand and flung it at her.

Her scream rang out, hands clawing at her soaked hair. “You—how dare you!”

I didn’t hesitate. I slapped her across the face. The sharp crack echoed, and for the first time, I felt no remorse.

I turned and ran. Her screams followed me.

“Adrian! Leo! Victor! She—she attacked me!”

Footsteps thundered behind me. Victor’s voice shouted my name, but I didn’t stop.

“Punish her!” Marcella shrieked. “Stop her!”

My legs wobbled, but adrenaline carried me. I burst through the front door into the street. A taxi slowed just in time, and I was about to climb in when a familiar, steady hand gripped mine.

I froze. “Dominic?”

He smiled, small but determined, eyes blazing. “I’ve got you. Let’s go.”

He opened the door, guiding me inside. My heart pounded as the city lights blurred behind us. We drove fast, away from the screaming house, away from Victor, my brothers, Marcella.

Hours later, the lights of a private airstrip appeared. A plane waited, engines humming.

Dominic squeezed my hand as he helped me onto the steps. “From this moment, Valeria, no one will ever hurt you again.”

I took a steady breath, pulling out my phone. I stared at the unanswered calls, the unread messages. Then, finally, I pulled the SIM card and tossed it into the night.

---

Victor’s POV

“She slapped me!” Marcella shrieked. “She threw water at me! I told you she’d do this one day!”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, fighting the headache creeping behind my eyes. Everything was spiraling.

Adrian and Leo muttered angrily in the corner about Valeria’s defiance.

“Enough,” I snapped. “We’ll handle this.”

“She’s weak before,” Adrian said, “we should’ve drained more blood when we had the chance.”

Leo clenched his jaw. “She can’t have gone far. We’ll find her.”

I turned to the butler, nervous by the doorway. “Where is she? Did you see where she went?”

Marcella buried her face in her hands. “She hates me. She’ll ruin everything, Victor! You have to stop her!”

Then footsteps pounded the floor. The butler returned, ashen, sweat dripping from his brow.

“Sir…” His voice trembled. “I just received a call. From the highway patrol.”

“What?” My stomach dropped.

He swallowed hard. “There’s been… an accident. Miss Valeria… she… she’s dead. She jumped off the bridge…”

Victor' POV

He swallowed hard. “There’s been an accident on the highway.” His eyes darted to mine, fearful. “It’s… Miss Valeria. They said she… she’s dead... after jumping off the bridge...”

For a second, I thought I misheard him. My chest tightened, then loosened with a laugh that tore out of me.

“Are you kidding me?” I snapped, staring at the butler’s pale face. “That can’t happen. Valeria? Jump off a bridge? No. She’s too stubborn for that. She’d scream, she’d fight—she wouldn’t end herself.”

I stepped closer, my tone sharp, desperate to cut through the absurdity. “Did she put you up to this? Is she trying to scare me? Another one of her little tantrums?”

The butler only shook his head. “No, sir. The police are confirming it now. They’re searching the river for her body.”

Silence pressed against the room, heavy and suffocating.

And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to believe it. Valeria had pulled tricks before. I remembered one night—clear as day—when we’d fought so badly she stormed out of the house with nothing but a small bag. She’d screamed that she was done with me, done with all of us, that she’d never return. I’d laughed then, told myself she’d cool down. And I was right.

Two days later, I saw her at the gate. She was pale, her eyes swollen from crying, but she was back. Always back. Because she had nowhere else to go. No one else to turn to. I was her only choice, and she knew it.

That’s why this couldn’t be real. She couldn’t be dead. She was dramatic, emotional, but in the end… she always came back to me. Always.

Leo chuckled darkly beside him. “Yeah. Don’t get your hopes up. I’ll bet she shows up in a week, crying about how we didn’t care enough. She loves playing the victim.”

Their laughter grated against my ears. I wanted to agree, to believe their mockery, but something inside me twisted. A knot I couldn’t explain.

Marcella, however, clutched her chest and gasped softly. Her voice quivered like a stage actress. “We should… we should at least look for her. Please, Victor. She’s still your—”

“Don’t.” I cut her off, raising a hand. “Don’t act like you care. You hated her as much as we did.”

Her lips trembled, but behind her glassy eyes, I caught it—the flicker of satisfaction. Relief.

And it was true. I knew it. Marcella’s hatred for Valeria had been simmering for years, even before she disappeared. She wore it behind her smiles, hid it beneath the façade of being the sweet, fragile sister. But I’d seen the way her eyes sharpened whenever Valeria walked into a room, the way her tone would shift with that edge of resentment whenever Valeria was praised by their father.

Marcella never forgave her for being the favored one. She envied the inheritance, the trust, the attention. Every whispered lie, every scheme she pulled—it always circled back to one thing: her hatred of Valeria.

So no, she couldn’t fool me now with trembling lips and crocodile tears. If Valeria was gone, Marcella was the last person who’d grieve.

I exhaled and forced a smile, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. “She’s nothing, Marcella. Not even my wife. Just a woman who overstayed her welcome. Let her be.”

Marcella leaned into me, her fake tears dampening my shirt. “You’re right… it’s going to be okay. You have me now.”

I kissed the top of her head. “Exactly. And I’m not losing you again. Forget her.”

Adrian smirked. “Good riddance.”

Leo shrugged. “Less mess for us.”

And so the day dragged on. We sat together, drinking, talking about business, planning the next steps as if Valeria had been erased from existence. I told myself she would reappear, storming through the doors with accusations and tears. She always did.

But the hours passed. No sign. No call.

Until the phone in my hand buzzed again. A text message from an unknown number.

I opened it.

“The body has been recovered.”

The words glared at me. My vision blurred. My hand shook until the phone slipped and clattered onto the floor.

Marcella rushed to my side. “Victor? What is it?”

I bent down slowly, my chest hammering like a war drum. “They found her. Her body. She’s… dead.”

The air felt heavy. Too heavy to breathe.

For the first time, no laughter came from Adrian or Leo. Their smiles faltered, the room going eerily quiet.

“No…” Marcella whispered, covering her mouth. “No, Victor, it can’t be—”

But her eyes gleamed. She wasn’t mourning. She was savoring.

I didn’t wait. My legs moved before my mind caught up. I grabbed my coat and bolted through the doors, my footsteps pounding against the marble floor, echoing through the hall.

My car roared to life, and I drove like a man possessed, the world outside blurring into streaks of gray and red. My hands clenched the steering wheel so tight they went numb.

“She’s not dead,” I muttered to myself. “She can’t be. Valeria wouldn’t do this. She can’t leave me like this.”

But the message… the certainty of it gnawed at me.

When I arrived at the scene, flashing red and blue lights blinded me. The bridge loomed overhead, guarded by yellow tape. Officers stood near the edge, their voices low, grim.

I pushed past them, ignoring their protests. My eyes darted to the tarp laid on the ground near the riverbank.

The world tilted.

Even from a distance, I knew.

It was her.

Her lifeless form, covered by a thin white sheet, hair spilling out from beneath it.

My knees buckled. The ground rose up to meet me, and I fell, gasping for air that wouldn’t come. My chest burned, my throat locked.

“No…” The word cracked from my lips. “No, no, no…”

Someone tried to hold me back, but I shoved them away, crawling closer to the sheet. My hands trembled as I reached out, but I couldn’t bring myself to lift it.