"Unreasonable?" I choked out, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. The metallic taste of the stamp still coated my tongue, a constant reminder of the humiliation. "You want me to be reasonable after this? After she marked me, after you defended her?"

Josiah sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, let's just clean you up. It's just a silly stamp." He reached out, his fingers brushing my cheek.

His touch, once a comfort, now felt like a violation. I flinched, pulling away. The red dye, instead of fading, seemed to spread, smearing across my skin, making the grotesque words even more prominent. I imagined myself in a funhouse mirror, a distorted reflection of my former self, a walking billboard for betrayal.

Karma, still hovering near the door, let out a snicker she quickly tried to mask with a cough. "Josiah, darling," she purred, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness, "don't forget that charity gala tonight. They're expecting you. And me, of course."

Josiah's attention snapped instantly from me to her. His eyes lit up, the annoyance fading, replaced by a glint of excitement. "Right! The gala. I almost forgot." He turned to me, his expression softening slightly, a practiced veneer of concern. "Avery, you should just go home and rest. I'll handle this. We can talk later, okay? When you've calmed down."

"Calmed down?" I repeated, my voice rising. "You want me to calm down? After everything?"

He waved a dismissive hand. "Yes, calm down. You're making a spectacle. Go home. We'll discuss this when you're thinking clearly."

He took Karma's hand, his gaze fixed on her with an intensity that burned my soul. She shot me a smug, triumphant look over her shoulder as they walked towards the exit.

"Don't worry, Avery," Karma's voice, sickly sweet, drifted back to me. "I'll take good care of your husband tonight. He needs someone to appreciate him."

They disappeared through the door, leaving me standing alone in the sterile, silent office. My home. My husband. Gone.

"You'll regret this, Josiah!" I screamed, my voice raw, echoing in the empty room. "You'll regret everything!"

A moment later, Josiah's head poked back in, his face etched with a mix of exasperation and pity. "Avery, please. Stop this. You're just making things harder for yourself." He sighed. "I'll call you later, okay? Just... try to be reasonable." And then he was gone again, the door clicking shut behind him, sealing me in.

Through the closed door, I heard Karma's voice, hushed and trembling. "Josiah, she's so angry. I'm scared. What if she tries to hurt me again?"

Josiah's response was a low rumble, laced with reassurance. "Don't worry, Karma. I won't let her touch you. You're safe with me."

His words, intended for her, sliced through me like a thousand knives. He was protecting her. From me. His wife.

As I slowly made my way out of the office, Brenda, the secretary, looked up, her expression a mix of sympathy and fear. "Mrs. Chase, are you... are you okay?"

I managed a weak smile. "I'll be fine, Brenda. Thank you."

I walked past her, my head held high, though my heart was shattering into a million pieces.

I reached my car, my hands shaking as I fumbled with the keys. I stared at my reflection in the rearview mirror. The red stamp stared back, a badge of shame. I would not forget this. I would not forgive this.

I pulled out my phone, my fingers flying across the screen. "Retrieve the dress Josiah commissioned for me. The couture one. And I need a novelty stamp. 'USDA PRIME.' Make it unique. And permanent."

The car glided smoothly through the New York traffic, a silent cocoon separating me from the bustling world outside. My world, however, was in chaos. As the gates of the Elliott estate swung open, a familiar figure emerged from the grand entrance.

"Mrs. Chase," Higgins, our long-serving butler, bowed slightly, his face lined with concern. He always knew when something was amiss. "I trust your day wasn't too taxing?"

His eyes, discreetly, flickered to the lingering red smudge on my cheek. I knew it was still there, a ghost of the morning's humiliation.

"Just another day, Higgins," I replied, trying to steady my voice.

He hesitated, then cleared his throat. "Mrs. Chase, there's something you should know. Mr. Chase... he was here earlier. He took something."

My heart pounded. "What did he take, Higgins?"

Higgins shifted uncomfortably. "The gown, Mrs. Chase. The couture gown you had custom-made for the charity gala. He said he needed it for tonight."

A cold wave washed over me, colder than the New York winter. Not just any gown. The gown. The one I had painstakingly designed with the atelier, the one woven with threads of silver and moonlight, a masterpiece meant to symbolize our seven years of marriage, our shared journey to the pinnacle of New York society. It wasn't just fabric; it was a promise, a dream. It was a testament to the belief I had in him, the support I had poured into building his empire.

I remembered his ecstatic face when I first showed him the sketches, the way he' d kissed my hand and vowed eternal devotion.

"Avery," he' d whispered, his eyes shining, "This gown, it' s like our love. Exquisite. Timeless. You are my queen, and I will always cherish you."

Now, that exquisite gown, that symbol of our once-unbreakable bond, was in Karma' s possession. He had given her my future. He had given her my dream. The memory of his words, once a comfort, now twisted into a cruel mockery.

The world tilted. My vision blurred. How could a man change so completely? How could he forget everything we shared, everything we built, for a fleeting dalliance with an intern? The pain in my chest was a physical ache, a hollow space where hope used to reside. My carefully constructed composure threatened to shatter.

"Mrs. Chase?" Higgins' voice was gentle, pulling me back from the precipice of despair.

I nodded, forcing a smile. "Thank you, Higgins. I'll manage."

I walked past him, my legs feeling like lead. A maid, seeing me, rushed forward with a damp cloth. "Madam, let me help you with that mark."

She dabbed gently, but the crimson dye stubbornly clung to my skin, a permanent stain, just like the betrayal on my heart.

My phone buzzed incessantly. Friends, well-meaning and bewildered, were flooding my inbox. They had seen something.

I opened the notifications. It wasn't just something. It was everything. Photos of me, in Josiah's office, with the "USDA PRIME" stamp emblazoned on my face, were circulating online. Karma had live-streamed it, her caption a snide, "Some people just can't handle a little competition."

The comments were a mixture of outrage and pity. "Poor Avery, after all she did for him." "What a humiliation! His own wife!"

My best friend, Cassandra, called, her voice trembling with fury. "Avery, darling, are you okay? I just saw... that slut! How dare she! And Josiah! I swear I'm going to rip them both apart!"

"I'm fine, Cass," I said, my voice eerily calm, though my hands were shaking. "I'll handle it."

"Handle it? Avery, your face is all over the internet! Everyone's talking! That hussy is practically celebrating!"

"Let them talk," I said, a dangerous glint entering my eyes. "Let them celebrate. They won't be celebrating for long."

Just then, the front door burst open. Two burly men in dark suits entered, their expressions grim. They dragged a struggling, terrified Karma Clements behind them. She had clearly been snatched directly from the gala. Her couture gown, the one meant for me, was rumpled and torn, her carefully applied makeup smeared.

"Let me go! What is this? Josiah! Josiah, help me!" she shrieked, thrashing against their grip. She stumbled, falling to her knees on the polished marble floor.

"You can't do this! Do you know who I am? I'm carrying Josiah's child!" she cried, her eyes wide with fear. "You're just a jealous old hag, Avery Elliott! You're nothing without your family name!"

I stepped forward, my voice calm, almost serene. "Karma, darling, do you know what the name Elliott means? It means I own this city. It means I built Josiah. And it means I can unbuild him just as easily."

Her face went pale, her defiance faltering. "You... you can't. He loves me. He chose me."

I smiled, a chilling, humorless smile. "He chose convenience. You chose greed. And you both chose to humiliate me. Big mistake, darling. A very big mistake."

The two men dragged Karma to the center of the foyer. The specially crafted stamp, a custom-made replica of "USDA PRIME," was brought forward. It was larger, more imposing, and the ink was a vibrant, indelible red.

Karma watched, her eyes wide with terror, as the men held her down. A piercing scream tore from her throat as the stamp descended, once, twice, three times, across her arms, her legs, her chest. Each press left a clear, undeniable mark.

She writhed, sobbed, and pleaded, but I remained unmoved. The "USDA PRIME" marks spread across her body like a grotesque tattoo.

When they were done, I picked up a silk handkerchief and calmly wiped my hands. "Don't worry, Karma," I said, my voice as cold as ice. "That's permanent. Just like the mark you left on me. And just like the mark you'll leave on Josiah."

"You... you monster!" she sobbed, her voice hoarse. "This isn't fair! You're just doing this to get back at me!"

I tilted my head, a shadow crossing my face. "Fair? Darling, life isn't fair. But I'll make sure it's balanced."

Karma's wails echoed through the opulent foyer as the men dragged her away. Her cries slowly faded, replaced by the distant rumble of a familiar engine. Josiah. He was here.

The front door swung open, and he stepped inside, a forced, reassuring smile plastered on his face. He held a small, velvet box in his hand.

"Avery, darling, I'm so sorry about earlier," he began, his voice smooth and practiced. He approached me, holding out the box. "I brought you something to make up for it. A little something to remind you how much I adore you."

He reached for me, his hand brushing my arm. The faint, cloying scent of Karma's perfume, sweet and artificial, wafted from his clothes. My stomach churned.

"I love you, Avery," he whispered, attempting to pull me into an embrace.

The lie hung heavy in the air, thick and suffocating. The scent of her, mixing with his fraudulent words, made my gorge rise.

"Get away from me!" I choked out, pushing him back, my hand flying to my mouth.

Just then, Karma, her eyes red-rimmed and swollen, burst back into the foyer, having escaped her captors. "Josiah!" she shrieked, throwing herself into his arms.

"She's a lunatic! A madwoman!," Karma cried, pointing a trembling finger at me. "Look what she did to me! She branded me! She's trying to ruin us, Josiah! She's trying to hurt our baby!"

Josiah's face, initially concerned, hardened into a mask of fury. "Avery, what have you done?" he demanded, his voice low and dangerous. He pulled Karma closer, shielding her. "I told you to calm down. I told you I'd handle it. Why do you always have to make things worse?"

Karma clung to him, her voice a theatrical whisper. "You promised me, Josiah. You promised you'd protect me. You promised we'd have a future, a family."

Josiah's breath hitched, his jaw tightening. His eyes, now blazing with anger, fixed on me. "Avery, what is wrong with you? You've become so cruel, so vindictive! Is this what you want? To destroy her life? Her future?" He took a step forward, his voice a harsh whisper. "Are you really going to ruin a young woman's life just because of your petty jealousies?"

"My petty jealousies?" I finally found my voice, a tremor running through it. "What about me, Josiah? What about what you did to me?"

He didn't answer. He just stared, his face a canvas of conflicting emotions: anger, frustration, and a flicker of something I couldn't quite decipher.

Karma, sensing his hesitation, let out a dramatic sob. "Josiah, I... I think I'm bleeding. Our baby..."

"Our baby?" I repeated, my voice barely a whisper. My mind reeled.

Karma nodded vigorously, tears streaming down her face. "Yes! Your baby, Josiah! I'm pregnant!"

Silence descended, heavy and suffocating. My world spun faster, threatening to swallow me whole. Pregnant. She was pregnant.

A strange flicker of something-not just shock, but perhaps a nascent joy-crossed Josiah's face. He looked at Karma, then back at me, a complex mixture of fear and excitement in his eyes.

"We need to go to the hospital, Karma," Josiah said, his voice softer than I had heard it in weeks. He carefully scooped her into his arms, holding her as if she were made of fragile glass. A genuine smile, one I hadn't seen directed at me in a long time, touched his lips as he looked at her.

"Josiah, you can't just leave," I managed to say, my voice hoarse. "We need to talk."

He ignored me, his gaze fixed on Karma, who was now nestled securely in his arms, a triumphant smirk flashing across her face before she buried it in his shoulder.

"Wait for me at the hospital," he called over his shoulder as he strode past me, not even a glance in my direction. "And don't do anything stupid, Avery. We'll sort this out later."

As soon as the door slammed shut behind him, the imposing figures of my legal team entered the foyer, led by my formidable attorney, Robert Sterling. He carried a thick folder, his expression grim.

"Mr. Chase neglected to sign this earlier, Mrs. Chase," Robert said, his voice calm and precise, "but I believe the situation has now clarified sufficiently for him to understand the gravity of his actions."

He handed a document to Josiah, who had paused at the threshold, clearly angered by the interruption.

"What is this, Robert?" Josiah demanded, his voice tight with impatience, still cradling Karma. "I told you, I'm busy. This can wait."

"I assure you, Mr. Chase, it cannot," Robert replied, his voice unwavering. "This is a court order. As of this moment, all your shares in Chase Innovations, along with any other assets acquired during your marriage, are frozen."