When Kenzie regained her consciousness, it was already noon the next day.

In the end, it was a security guard on patrol who spotted her half-dead in the underground garage and rushed her to the hospital.

The second she was conscious, she grabbed her phone and called her lawyer.

“Colton already signed the divorce papers,” she said flatly. “But I’m not sitting through some bullshit one-month cooling-off period. I want this divorce done within a week.”

Kenzie was a lawyer. She knew damn well it could be done.

On the other end of the line, Attorney Larsson went quiet for a moment.

“Alright,” he said finally. “I’ll make it happen.”

Hearing that, she hung up. Almost immediately, her phone buzzed again.

It was a message from Clarkson.

[Hey, I called you so many times last night. You didn’t pick up. Did something happen?]

[Kenzie, I’m worried sick. Please answer once you see this.]

There were dozens of messages like that.

And yet, not a single one from Colton or from her so-called brothers.

If Kinsey had so much as stubbed her toe, they sure would have shut the entire New York down looking for her.

‘So this is the difference between being loved and being hated,’ Kenzie thought bitterly.

She typed back.

[I went to bed early. I’m fine. Don’t worry.]

A lie. But she wasn’t about to let the only person who cared lose sleep over her.

Clarkson replied almost instantly, as if he’d been staring at his phone the whole time.

[As long as you’re okay. The weather’s bad right now and all flights are grounded. Once it clears up, I’ll be in New York to get you.]

She sent back one word.

[Okay.]

Just after sending it, a nurse walked in.

“Ma’am, you’ll need to contact a family member.”

Hearing the word family, Kenzie answered flatly, “Family? I’m an orphan. I don’t have one.”

The nurse hesitated, clearly recognizing her.

“Aren’t you Mrs. Parkhouse? Your husband is upstairs with your sister. You could ask him to come down and take care of the hospital bills.”

Kenzie froze. “Why the hell are they here?”

“Oh,” the nurse said casually, “your sister bit her lip while eating. Mr. Parkhouse and your brothers completely panicked. They even called in multiple specialists.”

The nurse’s face darkened as she looked back at Kenzie, clearly pissed on her behalf.

“You’re family, too, aren’t you?” she snapped. “It was barely a scratch, yet they acted like the world was ending. You almost bled to death last night, and not a single one of them came to check on you.”

Fuming, the nurse turned and stormed upstairs to call them down.

Kenzie didn’t even have time to react.

Moments later, the three men were already standing at the foot of her bed.

She looked pale. Fragile. Weak enough that even Colton couldn’t ignore it.

For the first time, guilt flickered across his face.

“You weren’t feeling well and ended up hospitalized,” he said stiffly. “Why didn’t you contact us?”

Kenzie glanced at him just once then curled her lips into a cold, mocking smile.

She didn’t answer.

That silence unsettled him.

In his memory, she had always been dependent on him. A tiny cut from cooking would have her eyes red and watery, clinging to him.

On the way down, the nurse had told him her wound had been stitched again: more than twenty stitches.

He’d expected her to cry the second she saw him. Instead, she wouldn’t even bother speaking.

For once, he lowered his head.

“I’m sorry about last night,” he said. “I thought you were faking it. If I’d known it was real, I wouldn’t have left.”

Bullshit.

He’d said the same thing countless times before.

And every single time, when forced to choose between her and Kinsey, Kenzie was the one left behind.

On their wedding day, when the crystal chandelier came crashing down, the person he shielded wasn’t his bride. It was Kinsey.

Once, when both “sisters” had severe allergic reactions and there was only one dose of medication left, he gave it to Kinsey without hesitation.

This time, Kenzie had been bleeding out on the concrete, and because it was Kinsey’s birthday, she’d been abandoned all over again.

From start to finish, Colton had never chosen her.

Whatever. A man who’d already made his choice wasn’t worth clinging to.

Kenzie was done listening. She closed her eyes, cutting them all off at once. “I’m exhausted. I want to rest. You can all leave. It’s not like this is the first time anyway.”

Whenever she needed them, they didn’t give a damn.

Now that she was done with them, they could stop pretending they ever cared.

Colton looked like he wanted to say something, his lips parting slightly, when Kobe let out a cold, mocking snort.

“Oh, cut the act,” he sneered. “If you really didn’t want to see us, why have the nurse drag us down here? We showed up, didn’t we? Learn when to stop pushing your luck. If you piss us off and we walk out, you’ll be the one crying later.”

Even now, they were convinced she couldn’t survive without them.

Their arrogance earned a soft, humorless laugh from Kenzie, but she said nothing.

That silence made something twist uncomfortably in Colton’s chest.

“Kenzie,” he asked, frowning, “you weren’t with our son last night. Who’s taking care of him?”

Before she could respond, a nurse suddenly rushed in from upstairs.

“Mr. Parkhouse! Ma’am Kinsey is very upset upstairs. Please go check on her!”

Tension snapped across all three men’s faces at once.

Kobe grabbed Colton by the arm. “Kinsey needs us. What the hell are you waiting for? Move.”

Colton hesitated just for a heartbeat. But then, like always, he chose Kinsey.

“Kinsey needs me,” he said to Kenzie. “I’ll go check on her first. Once things calm down, I’ll come back.”

Just like that, all three of them turned and walked out without looking back.

Kenzie watched their backs disappear, the bitter curve of her smile deepening.

Hah. Colton’s words were dead in under a minute.

‘Colton,’ she thought coldly, ‘our son has been gone for a long time now. And whatever future we had died with him.’

After Colton went upstairs, he never came back down.

At the doctor’s insistence, Kenzie was stuck in the hospital for four long, shitty days before they finally discharged her.

The day she left, Clarkson texted her.

[Flight booked. I’ll be there the day after tomorrow.]

She checked the date.

Perfect. Same day she’d be getting the divorce certificate.

Once that piece of paper was in her hands, she’d be gone for good.

When Kenzie returned to the villa, the second she stepped inside, she saw servants hauling her things out of the bedroom, one item after another.

Before she could ask what the hell was going on, Colton showed up.

“Kinsey’s been diagnosed with cancer,” he said solemnly. “Late stage.”

“All she wants is to spend whatever time she has left living peacefully with me. Your room gets the best sunlight. It’ll be better for her condition. You’ll need to move out for now.”

Kenzie looked at Kinsey.

Pink cheeks, clear skin, bright eyes. She looked healthier than Kenzie did.

Late-stage cancer? Sure. Only a dumbass like Colton would buy that shit.

When Kenzie didn’t agree fast enough, Colton assumed she was about to make a scene. He was already gearing up to lecture her.

Instead, she cut him off.

“Fine. I’ll move. Put my stuff in the downstairs guest room.”

It’d be easier to leave that way anyway.

Her lack of drama threw him off.

For years, every time Kinsey was involved, Kenzie had been “the problem,” “too sensitive,” “too much.”

Now, she didn’t fight back, and somehow, something felt… off.

Kenzie walked right past them, packed her things neatly, and moved everything downstairs.

Colton couldn’t explain it, but watching her leave made his chest feel strangely tight.

It felt like what separated them now wasn’t distance but something already broken beyond repair.

Still, he brushed it off.

Kenzie loved him too much. She was just forcing herself to swallow her jealousy again.

Besides, Kinsey “didn’t have long to live.” Once everything was over, he could sit down and talk things out with Kenzie properly.

That reasoning eased the discomfort he was feeling.

That night, Kenzie went to the kitchen for some water, but Kinsey stepped directly into her path.

Not in the mood for games, Kenzie turned to leave, only to have Kinsey block her again.

Finally, her patience ran out.

She lifted her eyes, cold and sharp.

“Aren’t you scared,” she said, “that I’ll tell Colton your cancer is fake as fuck?”

Kinsey smiled with open contempt. She leaned in close to her sister’s ear.

“Go ahead,” she whispered. “Let’s see whether he believes you… or me.”

Kenzie’s fingers clenched tightly at her side.

Kinsey was right.

Even if Kenzie said something, Colton would still believe Kinsey like every damn time.

After all, you can’t wake someone who’s pretending to sleep.

“Move,” Kenzie said flatly. “A decent dog knows better than to block the road.”

She didn’t want to waste another word on her.

But Kinsey wouldn’t back off. She stepped in and grabbed Kenzie’s wrist, her smile stretching wider, uglier.

“Wow,” Kinsey sneered. “Still playing tough bitch at a time like this? I’ll give you credit. You’re lucky. Most people don’t cheat death this many times.”

Suddenly, Kenzie looked her dead in the eye. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Kinsey laughed softly. “Oh? Curious now? Sure. I’ll spell it out for you. Every ugly detail.”

“The first time you found Colton’s diary?” Kinsey said lazily. “I let you. It was on purpose. I was waiting for you to demand a divorce, and you didn’t disappoint me.”

“But then that fossil of a mother of his told him if he divorced you, he’d walk away with nothing.” Kinsey clicked her tongue. “So I improvised.”

“I figured, ‘why divorce him when I could just make him a widower?’”

“Last day of the cooling-off period,” Kinsey continued casually. “I had someone stage that car accident. But damn, you’re such a pain in the ass to kill.”

“If you’d died back then,” she went on, “no matter how much Alisha adored you, she would’ve accepted it. She wouldn’t have had a choice.”

“You stole my spot as Colton’s wife. You stole my identity as the Lundbergs’s real daughter. So, Kenzie, tell me. How the fuck could I not hate you?”

Every vile thing had been done by Kinsey. And yet she stood there, wearing the face of a wronged innocent.

Kenzie felt the blood surge to her head. Her hands shook. Her teeth rattled.

She couldn’t hold back anymore. She raised her hand.

The slap hadn’t even fully landed before Kinsey, that psycho, threw herself backward.

She tumbled down the stairs, second floor to bottom, her body rolling hard.

Just before everything went dark, Kinsey looked up at Kenzie and flashed a provoking, triumphant smile.

The next second, Colton burst out like some knight in shining armor. He scooped Kinsey into his arms and spun toward Kenzie.

His eyes were filled with pure, murderous rage.

Kenzie’s heart dropped straight to her gut.

Was it because she hit Kinsey, or was this the moment Colton finally decided he wanted Kenzie dead?

Disappointment was plastered all over Colton’s face.

“Goodness, Kenzie! I really thought you’d finally learned how to act like a rational adult! Guess I overestimated you.

“Kinsey has cancer, and you’re still attacking her. Jesus Christ. She’s your sister. Do you seriously hate her that much?”

Kenzie’s face was drained of color. Then a thin, bitter smile pulled at her lips.

“Wow,” she said with a scoff. “Colton, you really are this stupid.”

“From when we were kids until right now, I’ve been the one getting hurt over and over!”

“That bitch doesn’t have cancer!” she snapped. “She’s fucking lying to your face! And you’re eating it up like always!”

“And that car accident back then. Do you even know what really—”

“That’s enough!” he cut her off sharply. “What now? Another made-up story to smear Kinsey?”

“I should’ve seen this coming,” he said coldly. “You really are a cruel person. I don’t care what it takes. You’re apologizing to Kinsey today.”

Kenzie met his gaze without flinching.

“No. I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said slowly. “You did. You can’t tell right from wrong.”

Tucked in his arms, Kinsey spoke up, her voice gentle and careful.

“Colton, please,” she murmured. “Let it go. My sister’s never liked me. She thinks I stole everything from her. You’re married. I shouldn’t have come. From now on, don’t worry about me. I’ll just disappear.”

She started to stand, but Colton immediately stopped her.

“No,” he said. “You’re staying.”

Then he turned back to Kenzie.

“I gave you a chance. Since you refuse to admit your mistake, you’re not going anywhere. Think it over.”

He left with Kinsey, ordering the bodyguards to lock Kenzie in the basement.

Kenzie had once told him how terrified she was of the dark. She had trusted all her vulnerabilities with him.

But now, he was using them against her.

When someone knows you inside out, they know exactly where to cut.

In the basement, time collapsed. No food. No water. No light. She had no idea how many days passed.

She lay there staring into the darkness, anger slowly rotting into exhaustion, then into something worse.

Regret. She regretted everything.

If she were given another chance, she wouldn’t just leave Colton. She would never have married him.

When dehydration finally dragged her under, the basement door creaked open.

Light poured in like fire; it stabbed straight into her eyes. Through the blur, she saw silhouettes of Colton and her brothers standing above her like judges.

“You’re only getting out this time because someone paid the price for you,” he said. “Don’t let it happen again.”

Her head rang.

‘Paid the price?’

She didn’t have the strength to ask what that meant. Darkness closed in again.

When she woke up, her phone was ringing nonstop. White walls. The sharp smell of disinfectant. A hospital room.

She fumbled for the phone and answered, barely conscious.

“Hello, is this Kenzie?” a woman asked professionally. “We’re calling from the funeral home. Ma’am, your mother, Miss Beth, passed away two days ago. We need to confirm cremation arrangements.”

Her fingers went numb. The phone nearly slipped in her grip.

“W-What?” she whispered. “T-That’s impossible. My mom was fine.”

The woman explained, “She suffered a cerebral infarction caused by severe blood loss after donating blood. We’ve been trying to contact you.”

Kenzie’s mind went completely blank.

Beth wasn’t just her foster mother; she was her only mother.

Kenzie dropped the phone, tore the IV from her arm, and ran barefoot out of the room.

She needed answers.

The moment she staggered into the hallway, she slammed straight into Colton.

Kinsey was still cradled in his arms.

That was when something inside Kenzie finally broke.

“What did you do to my mother?!” Her voice ripped through the corridor. “Colton! What the fuck did you do to her?!”