Alexis Brandt POV:

I woke with a gasp, the taste of salt still in my mouth. My eyes fluttered open to a familiar ceiling, a familiar room. Austin' s bedroom. The drapes, the furniture, the scent of expensive wood and faint cologne – it was all exactly as I remembered. For a moment, a fleeting, treacherous moment, I almost believed the last five years were a nightmare.

The door creaked open, pulling me back to the brutal reality. Austin stood there, his eyes flitting away from mine the moment they met. A flicker of something – guilt? embarrassment? – crossed his face, but it was quickly masked.

"Eva… she had some complications," Austin said, his voice flat, devoid of emotion. "She needs to rest. You'll bring her some porridge." It wasn't a request. It was an order.

My blood ran cold. He wanted me to serve her? The woman who had stolen my life, who had just tried to drown me? The humiliation was a raw wound. I wanted to scream, to shatter something. What was he doing? Was this some twisted punishment?

"Your temper," Austin continued, his voice hardening, "it always gets you into trouble. You shouldn't have shown up."

His words were a punch to the gut. He used to say my stubbornness was what he loved about me, that it made me strong. Now it was a flaw. A reason for his cruelty. I felt a chill spread through me, numbing my limbs. There was no point in arguing. No strength left to fight.

I rose slowly, my body aching, and picked up the tray. The porridge steamed, innocent and bland. I walked towards the guest room Austin had prepared for Eva.

The door was ajar. Eva lay propped against silken pillows, a picture of delicate suffering. She glanced up as I entered, a smirk playing on her lips before she twisted it into a pained grimace. "Oh, Alexis. It's so sweet of you to bring me food after everything. My poor baby, it's been such a fright." Her voice, though soft, carried a subtle note of triumph.

I placed the tray on the bedside table. As I reached for the bowl, Eva' s hand shot out. It wasn't an accident. She deliberately knocked the bowl, sending scalding hot porridge splashing over my forearm. A sharp cry escaped me as the heat seared my skin. A fiery red patch bloomed instantly.

Eva shrieked, a theatrical performance. "Oh, Alexis! How could you?! You tried to hurt me! My baby!" She clutched her stomach, her eyes wide with feigned terror.

Austin burst into the room, his face contorted with rage. He rushed to Eva' s side, his hands gently checking her. "Are you alright, my love? What happened?"

"She... she tried to burn me," Eva sobbed, pointing a trembling finger at me. "She's so jealous, Austin. She wants to hurt me and our baby."

His head snapped up, his eyes blazing. "Alexis!" he roared, his voice laced with venom. "How could you be so vicious? You' re an animal!"

My face was pale, my arm throbbing. "I didn't," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "She did it on purpose."

But he wasn't listening. His rage eclipsed everything. "Get out!" he yelled, grabbing my arm, his fingers digging into my raw skin. He shoved me out of the room, slamming the door shut with a resounding thud. "Go to my study! Stand there and think about what you've done!"

The impact sent a fresh wave of agony through my arm. I stumbled, the skin tearing, a new blister forming. In the study, I leaned against the cold wall, my head swimming. I peeled back my sleeve. The burn was angry, already festering. I could hear Austin's muffled words of comfort to Eva from the next room. His gentle voice, soothing her, while I stood alone, bleeding.

A dark, desperate impulse seized me. I touched the wound, pressing down, welcoming the sharp pain. It was a distraction, a shield against the deeper, invisible wounds. The world spun. My legs gave out. Darkness consumed me.

Alexis Brandt POV:

My dreams were a cruel replay of the past. I saw myself, fresh out of college, crossing paths with a struggling Austin. He was just a kid then, ambitious but lost. I' d offered him my meager savings, believed in his crazy dreams. He swore he' d repay me, that he' d make me his queen. Then he found me, years later, a self-made billionaire. We built Aether Corp together. Every late night, every impossible line of code, every victory was ours. And then… the scandal. The insider trading. My choice. My sacrifice.

"Marry me, Alexis," he' d pleaded in the sterile courtroom, his eyes filled with tears, "I' ll wait for you. Five years, a lifetime, it doesn' t matter. You' re my everything."

I woke up, my face drenched in tears, the phantom pain of his betrayal a fresh ache. My arm throbbed, the burn from Eva' s porridge a constant, fiery reminder. My body felt heavy, bruised, and used. What a fool I' d been.

I dragged myself out of bed. The house was silent. Austin and Eva were gone. On my bedside table, a folded napkin. Austin' s scrawl. "Alexis, as long as you behave and keep Eva calm, anything you want is yours. We can be a family."

A family. I scoffed, a dry, humorless sound. I tore the napkin into tiny pieces, flushing them down the toilet. Family? With that viper and her parasitic child? Never.

My arm screamed with pain. I needed a doctor. I called a taxi, giving the driver the address of a small, discreet clinic I knew. The doctor, a kind older woman, cleaned and bandaged the wound without asking too many questions. As I was paying, the nurse handed me a file. "Mr. Alexander's medical report," she said. "He left it here last month."

My hand trembled as I took it. Why would Austin leave his medical report here? Curiosity, morbid and defiant, pricked at me. I fumbled with the clasp, and the folder sprang open, papers scattering across the floor. My eyes landed on a bold, damning phrase: "Azoospermia – permanent infertility."

My breath hitched. Infertility. Austin was sterile. Eva' s baby… it wasn' t his.

The realization hit me like a physical blow. All the lies, the manipulation, the pain he'd inflicted on me for a child that wasn't even his! My mind flashed back to Austin' s furious face, his accusations, his cold dismissal. All for a lie. The irony was so immense, so cruel, I almost laughed. But the laugh caught in my throat, turning into a choked sob that burned my eyes.

This was his karma. This was his reckoning.

I carefully gathered the papers, folded the report, and slipped it back into the file. I needed to be calm. I needed to be smart.

My phone buzzed. Austin. I answered, my voice surprisingly steady. "I'm at the clinic," I stated, offering no further explanation.

"Get over here now, Alexis." His voice was sharp, impatient. "I need you."

I felt a surge of disgust. He needed me. Always needed me. But never saw me. The emptiness in my heart solidified into cold resolve. He was a blind fool, led by the nose by a cunning snake. And I, the loyal one, had paid the price. I was done paying. It was time for him to.

Alexis Brandt POV:

Austin's security detail drove me to a secluded mountain temple, nestled in the Hollywood Hills. As I stepped out of the car, I saw them. Eva, draped dramatically against Austin, her head resting on his shoulder, looking pale and fragile. Disgust churned in my stomach.

"Oh, Alexis," Eva purred, her voice sickly sweet. "My poor baby must have been so frightened. We came here to pray, but I'm just too weak. Austin, darling, perhaps Alexis could pray for us? For our child's well-being?"

My brows shot up. My blood ran cold, hot fury bubbling beneath my skin. She wanted me, the real victim, to pray for her and her illegitimate child? I yanked my arm away from her touch, the flimsy pretense of civility vanishing.

Eva stumbled, a calculated sway that sent Austin's arm immediately around her waist. "Alexis!" Austin hissed, his voice lethal. "What are you doing? Eva is fragile. Go pray. Go beg for forgiveness. For your sins."

"My sins?" I choked, a bitter laugh escaping me. "The only sinners here are you and your whore."

Eva clutched Austin's arm, her eyes wide with feigned hurt. "Austin, don't! She's upset. Let me do it. I'll pray for our baby." She began to sink to her knees, a pathetic, manipulative display.

Austin's grip on her tightened, but his eyes were fixed on me, dark and menacing. "Don't push me, Alexis," he warned, his voice low and dangerous. "Don't make me use other means to make you obey."

I met his gaze, my own eyes cold and empty. A faint smile touched my lips. "Fine," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "I'll pray."

I turned, my back to them, and began to ascend the ancient stone steps. My knees hit the rough stone, sending a jolt of pain through me. One step. Two steps. Each one a deliberate, agonizing act of submission. I heard Austin's sharp intake of breath, a flicker of something in his eyes. Was it guilt? Regret? I didn't care.

He watched me go, Eva clinging to him, her triumphant smirk hidden from his view. Step by painful step, I disappeared into the winding mountain path, the rising sun casting long, twisted shadows. My knees were numb, my forehead bleeding, but I kept going. It was a pilgrimage of penance, not for my sins, but for his.

By the time I reached the summit, the sky was a bruised purple and orange. Austin and Eva stood waiting at the temple doors, their faces impassive. I staggered, my legs barely holding me up. My voice was hoarse, ragged. "Is this enough, Austin?"

Eva, still not satisfied, piped up. "Perhaps a few hours of chanting, darling? For extra blessings?"

Austin snapped. His face contorted with a sudden, violent rage. "Enough!" he roared, cutting her off.

Eva flinched, startled by his unexpected outburst. The world swam before my eyes. My body swayed, then gave way. I collapsed.

Austin's face contorted with alarm. He rushed forward, catching me before I hit the ground. His arms were surprisingly gentle as he scooped me up, his panic palpable. "Alexis!" he cried, his voice laced with genuine fear. He hurried down the mountain, carrying me, shouting for his car.