Lily POV

The blood wouldn't stop. I crawled across the bedroom floor, leaving a red trail behind me, my nightgown soaked and sticking to my skin. Every movement sent sharp pain through my stomach, but I had to get help. I had to survive this.

My phone was downstairs. The stairs looked impossible, but I dragged myself to them anyway, gripping the banister and pulling myself down step by step. Each step was agony. Each breath was a struggle.

By the time I reached the bottom, I was dizzy and weak. I grabbed my phone with shaking hands and called for a taxi. The driver took one look at me and drove straight to the hospital emergency room.

"Help me," I whispered to the nurse at the front desk. "I'm bleeding."

Everything happened fast after that. Nurses, doctors, bright lights, questions I could barely answer. They put me on a bed and started checking me over.

"Ma'am, when was your last period?" the doctor asked.

"I... I don't remember. Maybe six weeks ago?"

The doctor looked at the other nurse. "We need to run some tests."

I lay there waiting, praying, hoping I would be okay. The bleeding had slowed down, but the pain was still there.

The doctor came back with a clipboard and a sad expression. "Mrs. Williams, I have some difficult news."

"What is it?"

"You were pregnant. About four weeks along. But due to the trauma to your abdomen, you've had a miscarriage. I'm very sorry."

The words hit me like a truck. "Pregnant?"

"You didn't know?"

I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. "I... no. I didn't know."

A baby. I had been carrying Alex's baby, and now it was gone. For seven years of marriage, every time I brought up having children, Alex would shut me down.

"We don't need kids, Lily. They're expensive and annoying."

"But Alex, I've always wanted to be a mother."

"Well, I don't want to be a father. Drop it."

And I always did. I always dropped it because I thought maybe someday he would change his mind. Maybe someday he would want a family with me.

Now I had been pregnant, and I didn't even know. And because of what Alex did to me, because he pushed me and hurt me, my baby was gone.

"We need to do a procedure to clean everything out," the doctor said gently. "It's necessary to prevent infection."

I nodded, unable to speak. I had lost everything in one day. My husband, my marriage, and now a baby I never even knew I was carrying.

Three hours later, they discharged me. "Take it easy for a few days. No heavy lifting. Come back if you have any complications."

I took a taxi home, my body sore and my heart completely shattered. All I wanted was to crawl into bed and cry for the baby I had lost, for the life that had been taken from me.

But when I got to my house, the front door was open. Just slightly, but it was definitely open.

My heart started racing. Had someone broken in? Was Alex back?

I pushed the door open slowly and stepped inside. The house was quiet, but I could hear something. Soft sounds coming from upstairs. From my bedroom.

I walked toward the stairs, my legs still shaky from everything that had happened. The sounds got louder as I climbed. Moaning. Breathing. The bed creaking.

No. Please, no.

I reached the top of the stairs and saw that my bedroom door was wide open. And there, on my bed, on the sheets I had picked out for our wedding, was Alex. With Sarah. Having sex.

"Oh God!" I screamed.

They both looked up. Alex didn't even stop. He just looked at me with annoyance, like I was interrupting something important.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he snapped.

"This is my house! My bed!" I was sobbing, screaming, shaking all over.

Sarah laughed. Actually laughed. "Not for much longer, sweetie."

Alex finally pulled away from her and stood up, not even bothering to cover himself. "I thought you'd be gone by now."

"Gone? This is my home!"

"Not anymore." He started putting on his clothes. "Sarah is moving in today. This is our house now."

"You can't do that! We're still married!"

Sarah sat up on the bed, pulling a sheet around herself. "Oh honey, you really are as pathetic as Alex said. Look at yourself. You're bleeding, crying, making a scene. No wonder he never loved you."

"Shut up!" I screamed at her. "You don't know anything about our marriage!"

"I know he was thinking about me on your wedding night," she said with a cruel smile. "I know he told me you were boring in bed. I know he said you just lay there like a dead fish."

Each word was like a slap. I looked at Alex, waiting for him to defend me, to tell her to stop. But he just stood there, buttoning his shirt.

"Is that true?" I whispered.

He shrugged. "Sarah knows how to please a man. You never did."

I felt like I was dying inside. "Alex, I lost... I was pregnant. I lost our baby today because of what you did to me."

For a second, just a second, something flickered across his face. But then it was gone.

"Probably for the best," he said coldly. "I told you I don't want kids."

Sarah clapped her hands together. "Oh good! I hate children. They're so messy and loud."

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I stumbled out of the room and down the stairs, collapsing on the couch in the living room. My baby was gone. My husband was upstairs with another woman in my bed. My whole life was destroyed.

I sat there for what felt like hours, listening to them upstairs, crying until I had no tears left.

Finally, they came downstairs. Alex was dressed, and Sarah was wearing one of my robes. My robe…

"Lily," Alex said, like he was talking to a servant. "Go make dinner for Sarah. She's hungry."

I stared at him. "What?"

"You heard me. Make dinner. Something good. Sarah has been traveling all day."

"Make your own dinner," I whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"I said make your own damn dinner!" I stood up, my whole body shaking with rage. "I'm not your maid!"

Sarah laughed. "Oh, this is rich. The little wife is having a tantrum."

"Alex, I lost our baby today. I had a miscarriage because you pushed me. And you bring this woman into my house, into my bed, and now you want me to cook for her?"

"It's not your house anymore," Alex said, his voice getting dangerous. "And it's not your bed. Everything here belongs to me."

"I helped pay for this house! I worked two jobs to help with the down payment!"

"With money I gave you," he snapped. "Everything you have, everything you are, is because of me."

"That's not true!"

"Isn't it?" He stepped closer to me. "Before me, you were nobody. You lived in that crappy apartment, eating ramen noodles, wearing the same three outfits to work. I saved you from that pathetic life."

"You didn't save me! You trapped me!"

Sarah was watching us like we were entertainment. "Alex, baby, she's getting hysterical. Maybe you should calm her down."

"I'm not hysterical!" I screamed. "I'm angry! I'm furious! You destroyed my life! Both of you!"

Alex's face went dark. "Watch your tone."

"Or what? You'll push me again? You'll hurt me again? You already killed my baby!"

"That baby was probably better off dead than having you as a mother," Sarah said casually.

I lost it completely. "You evil witch! How dare you! How dare you come into my house, sleep with my husband, and talk about my dead baby!"

"Your husband?" Sarah stood up. "Honey, he was never really yours. He was always mine. I was just letting you borrow him for a while."

"Get out!" I screamed. "Both of you, get out of my house!"

"We're not going anywhere," Alex said. "You are."

"This is my home!"

"Not anymore." He started walking toward me. "I want you out. Tonight."

"No."

"What did you say?"

"I said no. I'm not leaving. If you want a divorce, fine. But I'm not leaving my house."

"You ungrateful little.." Alex grabbed me by the throat.

His fingers closed around my neck, cutting off my air. I clawed at his hands, trying to breathe, trying to get free.

"Alex!" I gasped. "Let go!"

But his grip only tightened…

Lily POV

Alex's hands squeezed tighter around my neck. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. All I could see were his angry eyes staring down at me while I fought for air.

"You... will... do... what... I... say," he said through gritted teeth, each word making his grip tighter.

Black spots danced in front of my eyes. This was it. He was going to kill me. Right here in front of Sarah, who was just watching like this was some kind of show.

But then something inside me snapped. I wasn't going to die like this. Not here. Not now. Not after everything he had already taken from me.

I brought my knee up as hard as I could, right between his legs.

"Ahhhhh!" Alex screamed and let go of my throat, doubling over in pain.

I didn't wait. I couldn't wait. I ran for the front door, gasping for air, my throat burning and raw.

"You stupid witch!" Sarah screamed behind me. "Alex, go after her!"

But I was already outside, running down the street in my hospital clothes, my feet bare on the cold pavement. I didn't know where I was going. I just knew I had to get away.

Car horns were honking. People were yelling. The city was alive around me, but I felt like I was dying inside.

I kept running until my lungs burned and my legs gave out. I had no idea where I was. Some street in Manhattan with bright lights and busy traffic. I looked back, but Alex wasn't following me. He probably didn't care enough to chase after me.

A truck came speeding around the corner, and I realized too late that I was standing in the middle of the road. The driver honked and slammed on his brakes, but the truck was coming straight at me.

I threw myself to the side, rolling across the pavement and scraping my arms and legs. The truck missed me by inches.

"Are you crazy, lady?" the driver yelled out his window. "Watch where you're going!"

I lay there on the cold ground, shaking all over. I had almost died. Twice in one night. And honestly, I wasn't sure if I cared anymore.

I picked myself up and walked to the sidewalk, where I sat down on the curb. It was getting dark now, maybe around 9 PM. The streets were busy with people going home from work, going out for dinner, living their normal lives.

But I had nowhere to go. No home. No family. No friends. No money except for the twenty dollars in my pocket.

I started crying again. Hot, angry tears that I couldn't control. Everything I had worked for, everything I had loved, was gone. My husband, my home, my baby. All gone.

A car pulled up in front of me. A fancy car. A Lamborghini. The kind of car I had only seen in movies.

The window rolled down, and I looked up to see a man inside. A handsome man in an expensive suit. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place him.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice deep and kind.

I wiped my eyes, embarrassed. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"You don't look fine. You look like you've been through hell."

I laughed, but it came out more like a sob. "That's a pretty good description of my day."

He got out of the car, and that's when I recognized him. Tony Stark. The billionaire. His face was on magazines and billboards all over the city. He owned half of Manhattan, and the other half wanted to work for him.

"You're Tony Stark," I said stupidly.

He smiled. "Guilty. And you're sitting on a curb in the middle of Manhattan, crying and bleeding. Want to tell me what happened?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

I looked up at him. He seemed genuinely concerned, which was more than I could say for anyone else in my life right now.

"My husband just tried to kill me," I said quietly.

Tony's face went serious. "Are you safe now?"

"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore."

"Where do you live? I can give you a ride home."

I started crying again. "I don't have a home. He threw me out. He's living there with his girlfriend now."

"Girlfriend?"

"Fiancée. They're getting married next month. Right after our divorce is final." The words tasted bitter in my mouth.

Tony was quiet for a moment, studying my face. "Get in the car."

"What?"

"Get in the car. You can't sit out here all night."

"I have nowhere to go."

"Then you'll come with me."

I shook my head. "I can't. I don't even know you."

"My name is Tony Stark. I'm 35 years old. I own Stark Industries. I have a mansion in Upper East Side, and I promise you, I'm not going to hurt you." He opened the passenger door. "What's your name?"

"Lily. Lily Williams."

"Nice to meet you, Lily Williams. Now get in the car before you freeze to death."

I hesitated. Getting into a car with a stranger wasn't smart. But what choice did I have? Sleep on the street? Go back to Alex?

I got in the car.

The inside was all leather and luxury. It smelled like expensive cologne and money. Tony got in beside me and started driving.

"So, Lily Williams, tell me about this husband of yours."

"Ex-husband. Or soon-to-be ex-husband." I leaned back in the seat, suddenly exhausted. "He's a monster. I just didn't see it until today."

"What happened today?"

I told him everything. About the divorce, about Sarah, about the baby I lost, about finding them in my bed. About Alex trying to strangle me. Tony listened without interrupting, his jaw getting tighter with every word.

When I finished, he was quiet for a long time.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"My house. You need a safe place to stay tonight."

"I can't pay you."

"I'm not asking you to."

We drove through the city, past buildings that got bigger and fancier. Finally, we pulled up to a mansion that looked like something out of a fairy tale. Gates, security guards, manicured lawns.

"This is where you live?" I asked.

"Home sweet home." He parked the car and got out. "Come on."

The inside of the house was even more incredible than the outside. Marble floors, crystal chandeliers, artwork that probably cost more than I made in a year.

"Maria!" Tony called out. "We have a guest!"

A woman in a maid's uniform appeared. "Yes, Mr. Stark?"

"This is Lily. She's going to be staying with us for a while. Can you get her settled in the blue room? And maybe find her some clothes?"

"Of course, sir. Right this way, miss."

I followed Maria upstairs to a bedroom that was bigger than my entire apartment had been before I married Alex. There was a king-sized bed, a walk-in closet, and a bathroom with a tub that could fit three people.

"There are clothes in the closet," Maria said kindly. "Take whatever you need. Dinner will be ready in an hour if you'd like to join Mr. Stark."

After she left, I took a long, hot shower. The first time I had felt clean in days. I found a simple dress in the closet that fit me perfectly and went downstairs.

Tony was waiting in what looked like a library, sitting in a leather chair with a glass of wine.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Much. Thank you. For everything."

"Sit." He gestured to the chair across from him. "I want to hear more about your husband."

I sat down and told him everything again. Every cruel word, every moment of humiliation, every lie Alex had told me.

"Seven years," Tony said when I finished. "Seven years of marriage, and he was cheating on you for eight months of it."

"Apparently, he never loved me at all. I was just a placeholder until Sarah was ready to marry him."

"And now they're living in your house."

"His house. Apparently, everything was his. The house, the car, the furniture. Even the money I helped earn was his because he 'gave it to me.'"

Tony leaned forward, his eyes intense. "What if I told you there was a way to get back at him? A way to make him pay for what he did to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean revenge, Lily. Sweet, satisfying revenge."

I stared at him. "I don't understand."

Tony set down his wine glass and looked at me seriously. "I have a proposition for you. It might sound crazy, but hear me out."

"Okay."

"Marry me."

The words hung in the air between us like a bomb that had just gone off. I stared at him, sure I had heard him wrong.

"What did you say?"

"Marry me. Not for love, not for real. Think of it as a business arrangement. You marry me, and I help you destroy your ex-husband."

"I... I don't understand. Why would you want to do that?"

Tony smiled, but it wasn't a nice smile. It was dangerous. "Because I hate men who hurt women. And because I have the money and power to make Alex's life a living hell."

"But marriage? That's... that's crazy."

"Is it? You have nothing left to lose, Lily. He took everything from you. Your home, your dignity, your baby. Wouldn't you like to take something from him?"

I thought about Alex and Sarah in my bed. About the way they laughed at me. About the baby I lost because of Alex's cruelty.

"What exactly are you proposing?"

"A contract marriage. One year. You be my wife in name only, attend social events with me, play the part of the happy couple. In return, I'll give you everything you need to make Alex regret the day he ever met you."

"And after the year?"

"Clean divorce. No strings attached. Plus, you'll have enough money to start over anywhere you want."

I stared at this man who was offering me everything I had ever dreamed of. Revenge. Security. A chance to show Alex that I wasn't pathetic after all.

But marrying a stranger? Even for revenge?

"I need to think about it," I said quietly.

Tony nodded. "Take all the time you need. But Lily?"

"Yes?"

"Don't you think it's time you stopped being the victim and started being the villain?”