I stared at her from the hospital bed, my body aching, lungs still recovering from the asthma attack. But nothing hurt more than her words—and the fact that she had the power to be here, standing above me like she had already won.

My voice was soft, but steady. “I don’t want to fight you.”

She scoffed, but I continued.

“You already won. He brought you back, didn’t he? He chose you. What else do you need?”

Shania’s smirk didn’t waver. “What else do I need?” She took a step closer, lowering her voice like she was whispering a secret. “I need you gone.”

She raised her hand, flaunting a sparkling ring I hadn’t seen before. It glinted under the hospital lights, intentionally positioned in front of my face.

“We’re getting married, Ellie. For real this time. No contracts. No business deals. Just love,” she said, her smile dripping with venom. “So pack whatever little pride you have left and leave. For good.”

I swallowed the bitterness pooling in my throat. “You don’t have to worry,” I said, holding her gaze. “I’m leaving. I just need a few more days.”

“Good.” Her voice sharpened. “Make sure you never come back.”

I nodded slowly. “Then make sure Colton doesn’t come looking for me.”

Shania’s laughter rang through the room, mocking and cruel. “Oh, dear,” she said with a chuckle. “He won’t. He didn’t even visit you, did he?”

My chest tightened, but I kept my face unreadable.

“Want proof?” she asked, reaching into her purse.

I didn’t answer, but she didn’t need permission. She pulled out her phone and pressed play.

Colton’s voice filtered into the room, low and irritated. “Ellie? She’s nothing. Just a bed warmer. A glorified nanny, really. I never loved her. She was just… convenient. You’re the one I truly love, Shania, forever. I’ll dispose of her soon. Don’t worry…”

My heart dropped, even though I already knew he would say that.

Shania tilted her head in mock sympathy. “Still want to believe he’s run after you like what he did to me?”

I clenched my jaw, tears stinging my eyes—but I refused to let them fall. I had cried enough for him.

“Just get lost,” I snapped, my voice breaking. “Stay away from me.”

But the door swung open before she could respond.

“What the hell did you just say to her?”

Colton’s voice thundered into the room.

I looked up—and there he was. His sharp jaw tense, his eyes cold and full of anger.

“She visited you while you were in this state, and that’s how you treat her?” he continued. “You should be thanking her—apologizing for what you did.”

I blinked at him. “Apologize?” I said in disbelief. “For what?”

Colton’s expression turned even darker. “Are you serious? It’s your fault she got hurt. You pushed her away from me. You’re the reason she got caught up in all that. If you hadn’t meddled, none of this would’ve happened.”

Something in me shattered right then. There wasn’t any misunderstanding left. He meant it.

I looked at him—really looked at him—and saw someone I didn’t recognize anymore.

“I don’t want to hear this,” I muttered. “Just get out. Both of you. I just want to rest.”

But Colton wasn’t done.

He marched toward me and grabbed my arm roughly.

“No, Ellie. You’re not resting.”

“Colton, stop—”

He pulled me up from the bed, uncaring of the IV attached to my hand or the sharp pain that surged through my side.

“Have you forgotten?” he hissed. “You’re supposed to be arranging my birthday party. It’s in two days, and you’re still lying here like some victim?”

“I am a victim,” I whispered, pain laced in every word.

He didn’t hear me. Or maybe he didn’t care.

“Get up. You’ve got things to do.”

I looked at the nurse for help, but she averted her eyes.

I wanted to scream, to collapse, to disappear—but I didn’t.

I stood. Slowly. My body trembled. My side ached. My heart bled.

But I stood. Just a few more days.

My brother still hadn’t woken up.

Every day, I stared at my phone waiting for some kind of progress, a call, a message—anything. But all I got was silence. Doctors said he was stable but unresponsive. Still no signs. Still no change.

And Colton? He didn’t ask once.

Not a single question about the only person I had left in this world. He didn’t even pretend to care. Yet, I kept my face composed. I did everything expected of me. Every flower placement, every menu tasting, every arrangement for his grand birthday celebration—I handled it all. Alone.

Meanwhile, Shania and Colton were laughing in boutiques, trying on diamond chokers and arguing over designer gowns like it was their party. They had the time, the money, and the spotlight. I had sleepless nights and blisters on my palms from handling the setup.

“You’re amazing, Ellie,” Shania would say sweetly whenever Colton passed by, looping her arm around mine. “Really, thank you so much for doing this. I hope you’re not too exhausted?”

But the moment his back turned, her grip would tighten, her eyes narrowing like blades. “Keep smiling, little servant. You’re good at that.”

By the time Colton’s birthday arrived, I was running on nothing but fumes. My body ached, my head throbbed, and my lungs still hadn’t fully recovered. But I showed up. I put on the silver dress one of the assistants tossed to me last minute and walked into the glittering venue like I belonged there.

Just one night. Just this one night, and I’d be gone.

The papers had come earlier that day—my name had been officially removed from the registry. Ellie no longer existed.

The room sparkled with chandeliers and whispered elegance. People clinked champagne glasses. Cameras flashed. And at the center of it all stood Colton—dashing, untouchable—his arm around Shania, smiling like she was the sun and he, the sky basking in her light.

He even thanked her publicly. “And a special thanks to Shania, who helped plan tonight’s event. Let’s all give her a round of applause. My Shania, the one who’d always supported me ever since.”

Everyone clapped. I stayed hidden behind the curtain of guests, my existence now demoted to nothing more than staff. And I wasn’t even thanked. Shania? No! I was the one who did that!

They believed the lie. That she was the woman he had been hiding all this time. That she was his wife. Not me. Never me.

I turned to leave quietly before the dancing began, but one of the event staff stopped me, whispering that I was needed to serve drinks to the VIP table. His table.

I hesitated. My throat was dry. My hands trembled. But I nodded.

And when I reached the table, tray in hand, everything happened too fast.

Shania "accidentally" shifted her chair back, her heel hooking the hem of my dress. I lost my balance, the tray tilting wildly as drinks spilled and shattered across the marble floor with a loud crash.

Gasps echoed. Chaos. Sticky juice soaked the hem of Shania’s gown.

“Oh no! Are you okay?” she cried dramatically, hands to her mouth, feigning shock and worry.

Colton was furious. His eyes burned through me. “Ellie, what the hell is wrong with you? Can’t you even serve drinks properly?”

I stood up slowly, my knees scraped, my pride torn.

“I didn’t—”

“Don’t even try,” he snapped. “Useless.”

Before I could say another word, murmurs filled the room.

Phones buzzed. People looked around, gasping. The projector lit up.

And then I saw them. Photos. Doctored, manipulated images I’d never seen before. Me—naked, touching Colton, kissing him, lying in bed like some seductress. Twisted versions of stolen moments, edited to look like something vile.

Whispers became accusations.

“Isn’t she the wife?”

“I thought she was just the planner?”

“That’s definitely Colton.”

“Is she his mistress?”

All eyes turned to me. Burning.

Colton’s face twisted with rage—not at the invasion, but at the possibility of being associated with me.

“She is not my wife,” he said coldly into the mic, silencing the room. “She’s the woman who seduced me. She’s a mistress. Nothing more. Shania is my wife—and the love of my life.”

My body froze.

Then the security guards came. Rough hands. Pushing. Pulling.

“Get her out of here! I don’t want her ruining our night.”

The images still flashed in my head like they had been seared into the inside of my eyelids.

I had no idea how long I stood there, frozen in place, watching the twisted, vile montage they projected. The way they painted me as a cheap, desperate woman clinging to someone who never claimed me. My face, my body, my shame—on full display for the world to mock. And then… his voice. Cold. Sharp.

“She is not my wife… she’s the woman who seduced me. She’s a mistress. Nothing more.”

And Shania. God, Shania.

“Oh, I had no idea she was betraying me this whole time,” she gasped in front of everyone. “I treated her like a sister…”

They crafted a perfect performance. But I didn't scream, didn't collapse, didn’t beg anyone to believe me.

No.

I walked away.

Outside, the air was colder than I expected. Or maybe it was just the final, crushing weight of everything that had happened pressing on my chest. My heels echoed across the pavement as I left the ballroom behind me, each step heavy but steady. I didn’t care who watched.

Once I reached the mansion, I headed straight to my room. My fingers trembled slightly as I packed my things—what little I owned, what little dignity I had left.

It was over.

My name had been cancelled—legally erased.

I was no one now.

As I folded the last of my clothes into the suitcase, my phone buzzed.

A message. From Colton.

“Don’t mind what I said earlier, or the pictures. I just had to protect you… and the company. After the party, I’ll buy you something nice, maybe a trip—whatever you want. Let’s talk later, okay? I’m sorry.”

I stared at the screen.

Was he serious?

Another sorry. Another guilt-wrapped gift to buy my silence, my forgiveness. That was always his language: money, luxury, and hollow apologies.

I laughed—bitterly.

He really thinks I’m still that girl.

But I wasn’t. Not anymore.

I didn’t reply.

Instead, I placed the phone down, opened the drawer where I had hidden the marriage contract, and pulled it out. I added the divorce papers—signed, stamped. And then… the ring.

The ring he gave me when he said, “I want you to be mine.”

Now it meant nothing.

I left it all neatly on the vanity table.

And I walked out without looking back.

Third-Person POV

Colton stirred from sleep, groggy but alert. His head ached faintly—not just from the champagne—but from the weight of everything that had unfolded. He remembered the night clearly, every calculated word he’d said, every cold lie delivered with a smile.

But he’d fix it. He always did.

He picked up his phone and immediately checked for messages. Nothing.

No response from Ellie. That was strange.

He tried to rationalize it. She must be tired. Probably sulking, maybe waiting for some grand gesture. So, he opened his chat and typed quickly.

“Pack my suits for the trip, will you? And text the driver. I bought you something last night. It’s on the way. Let’s talk when I get back.”

He hit send. Waited.

Nothing. Still nothing.

A sliver of unease slid into his chest.

He dialed her number.

It rang once.

Twice.

Three times.

Voicemail.

Frowning, he redialed—again and again, each time growing more agitated.

Still no answer.

His patience snapped.

He stood, slid on his watch, and stormed out of his room.

“Ellie!” he called loudly down the hallway. “Stop sulking and get ready! We leave in an hour!”

No response.

“Ellie?” he barked again, louder.

Still nothing. He walked faster now, the hollowness in the hallway beginning to press against him. The feeling in his gut worsened. He reached her room, pushed the door open—and stopped cold.

It was empty. Completely.

The bed was made. The closet was open, shelves bare. Her brushes, books, clothes, the soft scent of her perfume that always lingered near the curtains—gone.

He stepped inside slowly, his mind struggling to register what his eyes were seeing.

And then he saw it.

Sitting on the vanity table.

A white envelope.

He picked it up, slowly, hands trembling.

Inside: divorce papers. Signed. Final.

Next to it lay the wedding ring he had once slipped onto her finger with a promise he barely remembered anymore.

He stared at it. Blank. Silent. Then he snapped out of it.

“Jared!” he shouted, his voice echoing through the corridors. “Find her! Now! I want every camera checked, every staff member questioned! She couldn't have gone far!”

The butler appeared quickly, already tense. “Yes, sir.”

Minutes passed—agonizing, crawling minutes.

Colton stood in the hallway, pacing like a man losing his grip on reality. His phone was clenched tightly in one hand, the other holding something far more fragile—Ellie’s wedding ring.

His mind raced through possibilities—maybe she was just angry, maybe she just needed air. Maybe she'd be back. She always came back.

The hallway stretched in silence until Jared returned.

Jared lowered his eyes before speaking. “Sir… she’s gone.”