I looked into his eyes now. There was nothing left of the affection he'd once had for me.

So that's how cheap his love had been all along.

I burst out laughing, tears leaking from the corners of my eyes.

"That's right! I did it on purpose! What are you going to do about it?!"

Ferris's hand clamped around my throat, squeezing hard. His eyes were bloodshot.

"Last night, to punish you, I cut off Joy's medical resources. It was Bess who begged me to restore them."

"She saved your daughter's life, and instead of thanking her, you use something this vile to frame her?!"

"You're going to apologize to Bess right now. This entire hospital belongs to the Delgado family. If you don't apologize, I can't guarantee what kind of medication Joy will be getting."

Ferris dragged me to Bess's room. He was about to force me to my knees when a doctor walked in through the door.

"These top-performing antiallergy medications are newly developed. They haven't been fully vetted for safety. We may need human trials."

Ferris glanced at me, his gaze cold and flat. "Use this woman for the trials."

"On what grounds?!"

The doctor turned back to Ferris. "However, these medications are applied to intimate areas. For accurate efficacy results, the best method is direct human application."

A dozen vagrants filed into the room. The stench rolling off them was overwhelming. They looked eager.

Ferris knew I was a germaphobe. He was doing this to break me.

I shrank into the corner, trembling so hard my teeth chattered.

His voice was ice. No mercy. "All of you. Go ahead."

"Ferris, you're out of your goddamn mind!"

I tried to fight back. The next second, his assistant shoved a phone screen in my face—a live security feed.

On the monitor, a doctor held a syringe of HIV-contaminated blood inches from Joy's IV line.

"Don't touch my daughter!"

"Fine! I'll do it... Are you satisfied now, Ferris?"

They cleared the room. The vagrants pulled down their pants one by one, exposing themselves. The smell was unbearable.

They smeared the medication on themselves and lunged at me.

I struggled. I fought. In the end, they pried my legs apart and took what they wanted.

They rocked and thrust on top of me. The pain hollowed out my vision. Blood ran freely between my thighs and wouldn't stop.

I didn't know how much time passed before a voice came from the doorway.

"Mr. Delgado, we have results. This antiallergy medication is the most effective."

The men finally withdrew. Some unknowable stretch of time later, Bess strolled into the room.

She stood over me, looking down.

"I was never mentally ill. And I was never allergic to anything. Too bad your body couldn't hold on to a baby, huh?"

"Ferris and I are getting married soon. Make sure you come as the maid of honor!"

When I didn't respond, she crouched down and seized my face, her nails digging into my cheeks. "Aw, and what a shame about your little girl. She was so hard to come by, and now she's not going to make it. I really do pity you."

I glared at her with every ounce of hatred I had left.

"What do you mean?"

She held up a video. The doctor hadn't spared Joy at all.

A full syringe of liquid was pushed into my daughter's IV line. Joy's scream ripped through the speakers—raw, agonized, inhuman for a child so small.

"HIV. She won't last long. Better go say your goodbyes!"

"You animal! I'll kill you!"

I snatched a syringe off the bedside table and lunged at her. A brutal grip caught my wrist mid-swing.

Then a backhand cracked across my face.

"You're going after Bess again?!"

"You love me this much? You'd hurt her over and over just to win me back?"

Bess collapsed to the floor and scrambled behind Ferris, cowering, her voice a pitiful whimper.

"Honey, I just invited her to our wedding. She hates me so much she tried to destroy my face!"

Ferris wore the expression of a man who'd already figured everything out.

"I know you're jealous. The wedding is just a formality. I'll withdraw the divorce application before the cooling-off period ends."

"Once Bess and I are married, I'll treat you right. You just have to stay by my side as my mistress. Joy needs a father, after all."

What a joke.

So I was his legal wife, but he wanted to build a life with Bess Summers while keeping me as his dirty little secret?

But he didn't know Joy was about to die.

And whatever I'd felt for him had died too.

I wrenched my arm free with everything I had.

"Don't trouble yourself, Mr. Delgado. There's no need to withdraw the divorce application."

"I don't want you anymore. And neither does Joy."

Ferris stared at the resolve in my eyes. Something flickered across his face, a brief, involuntary sting he couldn't explain.

But then he thought of Joy.

He assumed that for the sake of our daughter, I'd never actually leave him. That there would be plenty of time to make it up to me later.

His expression settled back into cold composure.

"Bess wants a wedding like the one we had. You'll plan it."

"And if I say no?"

"There are over two thousand medications in that hospital. I don't mind having Joy try every single one."

I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting to keep the tears from falling.

"Fine. I understand."

That night, I stayed in Joy's hospital room, watching over her. Ferris's assistant delivered a gift.

It was a blue crystal necklace called the Heart of the Ocean.

Seven years ago, when we were still nobodies wandering the streets, I'd looked up and spotted a jewelry ad on the building next door. I'd pointed at it, tugging his sleeve.

"Ferris, you have to work hard. I want to watch you succeed and put that necklace around my neck with your own hands!"

So he'd remembered after all.

But I didn't need it anymore.

Just then, a notification blew up on my phone. A trending headline.

Delgado Group CEO drops $80 million on wedding ring to win his beauty's smile

I tapped the link. There was Bess, beaming, her arm looped through his. The two of them looked like a picture-perfect couple, a match made in heaven.

And the Heart of the Ocean necklace sat off to the side with a complimentary gift tag dangling from it.

Just like our ten years together.

Pathetic. Laughable.

Joy stirred awake, groggy and disoriented. I grabbed her hand immediately.

But I never expected the first words out of her mouth to come broken with sobs.

"Mommy, I don't want Daddy anymore. Can we not have Daddy anymore? Please?"

I'd thought Joy would miss her father.

But looking at her tear-streaked little face in that moment, my resolve only hardened.

Ferris Delgado, we really don't need you anymore.

The wedding preparations took over two weeks.

It was grander than ours had ever been.

As the wedding counted down day by day, so did the clock on our divorce.

I found myself looking forward to it.

Looking forward to leaving him. Looking forward to seeing the look on his face when he realized we were truly gone.

The final piece of the wedding was a fireworks display by the river. Once that was done, I could walk away for good.

Ferris had spent the past weeks traveling the world with Bess.

But I never expected him to show up in front of me with her crying on his arm.

"I thought you'd learned your lesson! But you still can't leave Bess alone, can you?!"

I didn't understand what he meant. He shoved his phone in my face.

The screen was flooded with footage of Bess having an episode. Screaming. Sobbing.

"Are you happy now, Noreen? Bess hasn't stopped crying. Is that what you wanted?!"

"It wasn't me—"

Bess pressed into Ferris's chest, tears rolling down her cheeks like rain on pear blossoms, her voice choked and fragile. The tenderness in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Honey, don't bother. She'll never admit it..."

"Still denying it! Who else could it be?!"

At that moment, one of the massive fireworks barrels nearby roared to life.

But the wind was too strong. The barrel swayed, teetering, tilting—and it was about to come crashing down right where we stood.

Ferris didn't hesitate for a second. He scooped Bess into his arms and dove to the side, and the force of his movement knocked me backward.

Right in front of the fireworks barrel.

Boom.

Everything went black. A figure lunged toward me, but that was all I saw.

I thought Ferris would save me. But the last thing I heard before losing consciousness were two merciless words.

"Serves you right."

Yeah. Loving you for ten years.

I really did deserve it.

When I opened my eyes, I was somewhere unfamiliar. But Joy was beside me, and that was enough.

The mysterious stranger had sent me another message.

"You're on a private jet. In two hours, you'll land overseas. Someone will be waiting for you."

I let out a long breath. Then I realized what time it was.

Right now, at this very moment, Ferris was getting married.

Ferris was the groom, but his eyes kept drifting toward the door.

Noreen had promised she'd be there as a bridesmaid. Had she actually gotten angry enough to bail?

He pulled out his phone to text her and discovered she'd blocked him.

He paced. Back and forth, back and forth, until he bought her eight hundred thousand dollars' worth of gifts online and finally felt settled.

This time I'll make it up to her properly.

Maybe we'll have another kid.

The ceremony proceeded as planned. Bess took his arm and walked up to the stage.

They were exchanging rings, and the officiant was going through the customary line about whether anyone present objected, when the white double doors swung open.

Two rows of officers marched in. Standing between them was a man in a black overcoat, one leg lame, leaning on a cane.

"Hold on." His voice cut through the hall. "I'm the big brother, and nobody asked for my blessing."