This marriage had been arranged before my grandfather passed, and Thaddeus had been putting it off all along.

It was my grandfather's last wish, and I'd been quietly in love with Thaddeus for a long time, so I agreed.

Thaddeus could no longer refuse.

But at the wedding, his breathing turned ragged out of nowhere, and his hands wouldn't stop shaking.

They rushed him to the hospital, and he was diagnosed with a fear of women, supposedly the scar of some old heartbreak.

After the wedding, Thaddeus couldn't stand to be near me.

Then, in the third year, he was finally willing to touch me.

And I actually thought I was the happiest woman in the world.

But the truth was, I was only something for him to practice on. He even hated me.

Thrashing in those waves of pain, I heard it all at once — the screech of brakes, and then there was no time left for anything.

When my eyes opened again, it was a phone ringing that woke me.

It was the HR contact I was meeting tonight, sending over a few more details about the company.

I replied almost without hesitation: *I've decided to accept the position. I'll come to Los Angeles to start as soon as I can.*

All these years, to take care of Thaddeus's "fear of women," I'd turned down offers from one major firm after another, just to stay by his side a little longer, to go with him to his therapist, to give him encouragement and the right kind of company.

And then, the moment I caught the scent of perfume on him, I decided to leave.

It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the light before I realized I was in a hospital.

After the doctor confirmed the baby was safe, I checked myself out.

At the entrance, I came face to face with Thaddeus and Lisa. Worry was still written on his face.

The moment Lisa saw me, she stalked straight over. This time, the slap actually landed.

"You bitch! Tearing Thaddeus and me apart back then wasn't enough for you? Now you want to kill our baby!"

I'd only just been discharged; I was weak to begin with. She'd swung with everything she had, and I staggered.

Thaddeus reached out a hand, then quickly drew it back.

His eyes darkened a little.

"What are you doing at the hospital?"

The baby kicked me just then, and my hand went to my stomach on instinct.

Thaddeus asked, "What's wrong with you?"

He and Lisa could never know I was pregnant.

I shook my head, keeping my voice even.

"It's nothing. I came to see a friend."

He didn't ask again, and left with Lisa.

Thaddeus stayed out all night once more, but I couldn't bring myself to care anymore.

In a week I'd be leaving for Los Angeles, and there was still a lot to do.

Early the next morning, I called a divorce lawyer.

She also recommended a private investigator to gather evidence of Thaddeus's affair.

The insurance company called and said they needed to pull the dashcam footage to determine fault for the accident.

While exporting the video, I clicked on a file from an earlier time by mistake.

Thaddeus never rode in the same car as me, let alone did that kind of thing in one.

As I sat there puzzled, a woman's low murmur came through the recording.

"Thaddeus... all these years, I've missed you so much... and you? Have you missed me?"

The man didn't answer, only breathed her name.

"Lisa... Lisa..."

The recording went on. I bit down hard on my lower lip, and the taste of blood was already there.

With shaking hands, I checked the date the audio was recorded.

A month ago, the night I lost the baby...

What came before the tears was the nausea churning in my stomach.

In a daze I rushed to the toilet and threw up, again and again.

I don't know how long it was before one hand finally braced against the sink, the other clutching my chest, and I broke into sobs.

That night, the rain had come down in sheets.

I was at home, getting ready for bed, when an anonymous text arrived.

With a crack of thunder, my phone started playing a horror video on its own.

The fear sent me into hard, unrelenting contractions, and I begged the butler to drive me to the hospital.

But he came rushing back from the garage to tell me my car was gone.

Frantic, I lost my footing and fell down the stairs.

I lost the baby.

It turned out Thaddeus had taken my car. Just for the thrill of it.

At some point Thaddeus appeared in the bathroom doorway.

He asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"

I didn't answer. As I passed him on my way back to the room, I said, "Thaddeus, I mean it about the divorce."

He gave a cold laugh.

"I told you. You won't get a single cent out of this divorce."

I was too exhausted to pull out that recording and confront him then and there.

So I only answered flatly, "Do as you like."

His temper snapped all at once. He pinned me against the wall and seized my chin.

"Kate, did you ever mean any of it with me? Even once?"

What a joke. A man who only ever slept with me, asking me for sincerity.

As if he'd registered how absurd he sounded, he sneered.

"After all, back then you only told Grandfather about me and Lisa so you could marry into money, didn't you?"

His look stung me for an instant before I steadied again.

"Mm. But I don't want it anymore."

His chest rose and fell, and at last he let go of me and slammed the door on his way out.

I sent the divorce papers to Thaddeus. He didn't reply.

It didn't matter.

That afternoon he called, but it was about something else entirely.

"Mrs. Lambert is hosting a charity gala tonight. She's always been fond of you. We'll go together."

Mrs. Lambert and I were on good terms, and before I left I did owe her a proper goodbye.

"Fine."

Thaddeus said we'd go together. I didn't dwell on it.

He was the head of the Matthews family now. There was no longer any need to hide the thing with Lisa, and he might even use the chance to make their relationship public.

That evening I went to the ballroom alone.

The moment I walked in, I felt the room sizing me up.

Guests leaned in to whisper, not bothering to hide it.

"Mr. Matthews and Miss Dudley are inseparable these days. She came here to humiliate herself?"

"Maybe she knows she's about to get kicked out, and she wants one last taste of high society!"

I couldn't be bothered with them and kept walking, looking for Mrs. Lambert.

A little way off, I spotted Thaddeus and Lisa. They stood at the center of a crowd, talking and laughing easily.

Lisa noticed me first, a smug little smile curling at her lips.

She rose on her toes and murmured something in Thaddeus's ear, and he looked over at me too.

He wore the same arrogant air as always, then suddenly laced his fingers tight through Lisa's and announced to the room, "Everyone, Lisa and I have set our wedding for next month. We'd love for you all to come."

The words landed, and the hall broke into cheers.

Lisa was so moved by the public declaration that she burst into tears.

I watched the whole performance coldly. The instant I looked away, Lisa spoke up.

"Thank you, everyone, but there's one person whose blessing I want most." She turned to me. "Miss Swanson, if it weren't for you back then, Thaddeus and I wouldn't have been apart so long. Why don't you offer it as your apology?"

I met her eyes and smiled faintly.

"Of course. I'll bless not only the two of you, but also... the baby in your belly. He won't have to be born a bastard now."

"You—!"

Lisa's brows shot up in fury.

Just then, Mrs. Lambert finally appeared.

Her face dark, she rounded on Thaddeus and Lisa.

"This is my gala! If you want to put on a love show, go build your own stage for it!"

She turned to Lisa, her gaze sharpening.

"You say Kate broke you and Thaddeus apart. Where's your proof?"

Lisa didn't flinch.

"I noticed long ago the way she looked at Thaddeus. If it wasn't her, then who?"

I almost laughed, there was nothing left to say.

Mrs. Lambert looked at Thaddeus. "And you believe that too? No wonder the Matthews family keeps sinking lower."

Thaddeus had no answer.

Mrs. Lambert ignored them both, took my hand, and led me away.

In Mrs. Lambert's room, she folded my hand in hers.

"You poor girl. You've taken so much."

I shook my head.

"It's almost over. Mrs. Lambert, in three days I leave for Los Angeles. I'm starting at a new company."

Surprise crossed her face, but more than that, reluctance to let me go, and a kind of relief.

"That's good. And don't you worry. Thaddeus won't have it easy. Businessmen are shrewd. He made a scene at my gala. From now on, anyone who wants to do business with him will have to come ask me first."

Then, half joking, she added, "Though with a pig's brain like Thaddeus's, the Matthews family was going under sooner or later anyway."

That made me laugh.

When she heard which company I was joining, her eyes lit up.

"I have a nephew who works there. I'll give you his number. If anything comes up, go to him. You're carrying a child now. It helps to have someone there."

I nodded, grateful.

"Thank you, Mrs. Lambert."

The day before I left, I went to see Nina. I never got to meet this baby in the world.

I crouched down and laid the bunch of white calla lilies gently before the headstone.

"Nina, I'm sorry." My voice came out rough. "Mommy's here to see you."

"Sweetheart, you're going to have a little sister, or maybe a little brother. As sweet as you were."

"Don't worry. This time, Mommy will keep her safe. I'll give her a thousand times, a hundred times the love, your share too."

Then a phone rang, cutting through everything I was pouring out.

It was Thaddeus.

I picked up.

He opened with an order.

"Kate, three of our biggest clients pulled out, one after another. They said they don't want to cross Mrs. Lambert. Go talk to her."

I paused, my voice flat.

"Sure. Come ask me in person. Nina's grave. Now."

Then I added, "Bring Lisa."

I hung up and dialed another number.

Then I stroked the calla lily petals and murmured, "Nina, Mommy's going to make the people who hurt you apologize to you in person. All right? If you hear anything ugly, remember to cover your ears."

Thaddeus and Lisa arrived soon after.

Lisa strode over, fury in her eyes.

"Kate! Why would you drag us out to a creepy place like this? You—"

I cut her off coldly. "Kneel."

Lisa stared at me, stunned.

"Wh… what?"

Thaddeus froze too.

"Kate, what exactly are you trying to do?"

My eyes slid to him.

"You too. Kneel."

Lisa shrieked. "Kate, have you lost your mind?! You want us to kneel to a dead person?!"

I slapped her.

She raised her hand to strike back, and I caught her wrist with one hand while my other played the recording from the car.

In an instant the empty cemetery filled with their want, their heat, sounds no one should have to hear.

The color drained from Thaddeus's face.

I'd only kept a short clip. Before he could grab for the phone, it had already ended.

I fixed my eyes on Lisa.

"That terrifying video that night. You sent it to me, didn't you?"