Alexis Brandt POV:

I woke to the sterile scent of antiseptic, the soft hum of hospital machinery. Austin sat beside my bed, his face etched with concern, but his presence felt like a violation.

"Alexis? How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice soft, almost tender. He reached for my hand.

My heart was a block of ice. I pulled my hand away. His tenderness felt false, a cruel parody of the man I once knew. I remembered countless mornings like this, him hovering, bringing me breakfast in bed, brushing my hair from my face. Those memories were poisoned now.

"I'm hungry," I said, my voice flat, emotionless. "I want the steamed buns from that place on the west side of the city." It was a test. Our favorite place, miles away, always a special treat.

Austin paused, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, then nodded. "I'll go get them," he said, rising.

The moment he left, a suffocating feeling choked me. I needed air. Needed to escape the confines of this room, the memories it evoked. My body was still weak, but I forced myself out of bed, my feet dragging. The corridor was empty. I needed to clear my head.

As I rounded the stairwell, I heard voices. Eva's, loud and triumphant. I froze.

"He actually believes it!" Eva crowed, her voice dripping with malice. "He's so stupid. He'll never check!"

Another voice, a man's, low and cautious. "Don't be careless, Eva. He's not as foolish as you think."

"Oh, please. You brought me to him, Julian. You'll make sure everything works out, won't you?" Eva giggled. "He' s so obsessed with Alexis, he just needed a replacement. And I'm the perfect one. Once I drain Aether Corp dry, we'll be set for life!"

My heart hammered against my ribs. Aether Corp. My company. My sacrifice. This was a setup. A corporate espionage plot. And I was the pawn. My hands trembled, but I fumbled for my phone, hitting record. Every word, every poisonous confession, was being captured.

A tin can, carelessly placed on the floor, clattered as my foot grazed it. Eva' s head snapped up. Her eyes, devoid of their usual sweetness, were sharp, predatory. "Who's there?"

I stepped out, my face a mask of feigned innocence. "No one," I whispered, trying to walk away.

But Eva was faster. Her true colors showed, a venomous flash. "Oh, Alexis," she hissed, her voice a cruel parody of her usual sweetness. "Just the person I wanted to see. I was wondering how to get rid of you."

Before I could react, she lunged, grabbing my arm. Then, with sickening precision, she feigned another stumble, dragging me with her. We tumbled down the long, unforgiving hospital stairwell. My head hit the concrete steps, sending stars exploding behind my eyes. Pain seared through my body.

Austin, steamed buns in hand, appeared at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes wide with horror. He saw me standing, then Eva tumbling. His face contorted, a primal rage erupting. "Eva!" he roared, dropping the food, rushing to her side.

Eva, clutching her stomach, wailed. "My baby! Alexis... she pushed me! She tried to kill us!"

Austin's head snapped up, his gaze burning through me, hotter than any fire. "You evil bitch!" he screamed, his voice laced with pure hatred. "You're a monster! You're worse than an animal!"

I stood there, blood trickling from a cut on my forehead, my body a mangled mess of pain. I touched my chest, my heart strangely numb. There were no words. Only this crushing emptiness.

Alexis Brandt POV:

I walked out of the hospital, my body aching, my mind a blank. The city lights blurred into a meaningless haze. My life here was a dead end. There was nothing left but pain. One last thing. I had to say goodbye. To my mother.

I bought a bouquet of her favorite white lilies, their petals soft and pure, a stark contrast to the ugliness swirling inside me. The cemetery was quiet, peaceful. But as I approached her grave, my breath caught in my throat. The stone was shattered, split in two. The earth was disturbed, dug up, desecrated.

A guttural cry tore from my throat. My mother's grave. My mother. Fury, cold and absolute, washed over me, eclipsing every other emotion. It could only be her. Eva. That monster.

My wounds screamed as I stumbled, collapsing onto the ravaged earth. I wept, raw, primal sobs that tore at my throat. My mother. My only comfort, even in death, had been violated.

I scrambled to my feet, a new, terrifying resolve burning inside me. I had to make her pay. I raced back to the hospital, my legs pumping, fueled by pure rage.

Eva lay in her bed, serene, a smug smirk twisting her lips as I burst in. "Did you miss me, Alexis?" she purred, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

"You bitch!" I screamed, my voice hoarse, raw. "Did you dig up my mother's grave?"

Her smirk widened. "Oh, yes," she whispered, her voice dripping with venom. "I thought you and your dear departed mother might enjoy some quality time together. Un-rest."

A cold dread spread through me. My hands shot out, grabbing her by the collar of her gown. "I'll tell Austin everything," I hissed, leaning close, my voice trembling with fury. "About the baby. About Julian. About the whole plot to destroy his company."

Eva just laughed, a cruel, mocking sound. "And who do you think he'll believe, Alexis? The crazy ex-con or his pregnant fiancée?"

Something in me snapped. The last threads of my sanity unraveled. My hands tightened around her throat. I squeezed, the urge to silence her forever overwhelming. Eva gasped, her eyes wide with terror, clawing at my hands, thrashing wildly.

The door burst open. Austin. His face was a mask of pure, unadulterated fury. He lunged, tearing my hands from Eva's throat, throwing me across the room. My head slammed against the sharp edge of the bedside table. Blood streamed into my eyes, blurring my vision.

Eva sobbed, clutching Austin, pointing at me. "She tried to kill me, Austin! And our baby! She's a psychopath!"

Austin looked at her red-marked neck, then at me, lying in a pool of my own blood. His eyes were colder than ice. "You're insane, Alexis," he spat, his voice laced with disgust. "You're beyond redemption."

"She desecrated my mother's grave," I whispered, my voice barely audible past the pain. "She did this, Austin. All of it."

He didn't even hear me. He turned to his guards. "Get her out of my sight. Lock her up. Now."

I laid there, staring up at him, the blood running into my hair. A slow, chilling laugh bubbled up from my chest. It was a laugh filled with bitter irony, with the profound sadness of a soul utterly broken.

Alexis Brandt POV:

Five days confined to a dark, isolated room. Five days of silence, of my own thoughts, echoing and re-echoing the bitter truths. When Austin finally opened the door, his eyes, for a fleeting moment, held a flicker of something that looked like regret. My body felt brittle, my face gaunt.

"Alexis," he said, his voice hesitant, almost formal. "I didn't mean to push you so hard. But you messed things up. You always do." He paused, avoiding my gaze. "Once the baby is born, we'll have a proper wedding. Grand, just like you always wanted. My wife, Mrs. Alexander, that's what you'll be. Just… behave. Understand?"

I stared through him, not at him. His words were a meaningless drone. I recoiled when he tried to touch my arm. A knot of frustration tightened in his jaw.

"What do you want, Alexis?" he asked, a hint of desperation in his voice. "Just tell me. Anything."

"I want to go out," I said, my voice surprisingly steady. "And I want a welcome-back dinner. In the city. At our old spots."

He blinked, taken aback by my simple request. But then, he saw it. The faint spark in my eyes. The ghost of our past. He nodded. "Alright, Alexis. Tonight."

He drove me around the city, showing me all our old haunts. The tiny coffee shop where we' d first met, the park bench where he' d proposed, the bookstore where we' d spent hours lost in words. But each place felt hollow, a stage set for a play that had ended years ago. My face remained blank, my eyes empty. The memories were just that – memories. They no longer hurt.

As we drove past the Huangpu River, I pointed. "Let's have dinner there," I said, my voice flat. "A farewell dinner."

Austin looked at me, a strange expression on his face, but he agreed.

On the way home, his phone rang. He hesitated, glancing at me. "I need to take this," he said, his voice strained. "I'll drop you off."

"Go," I said quietly, already opening the door.

I walked into the silent house. The study door was ajar. Inside, a mess. An old cardboard box had been overturned, spilling its contents. Photos. Our photos. Austin and me, laughing, holding hands, our faces young and full of hope. My fingers traced the faded images. The memories, once so cherished, now felt like a crushing weight.

I sank to the floor, clutching the photos, tears streaming down my face. I sobbed until my throat was raw, until there were no more tears left. Then, slowly, painfully, I got up. I found a metal bucket, a lighter. One by one, I fed the photos to the flames, watching them curl and blacken, turning to ash. The past. All of it. Gone. It no longer mattered. Austin no longer mattered. My heart was a stone.