Before the doctor could finish, Lucia grabbed the test tubes and hurled them to the floor.

"I said I don't want to have his child."

Her face was pale, but her eyes were stone cold.

"No matter what Jared paid you, I'll pay ten times more. Just don't tell him."

The doctor freaked. "But... if Mr. Dawson asks—"

"Then wait till he does."

She was done. If she was walking away, she'd burn every bridge on her way out.

Lucia stared at the broken glass on the floor, a dull ache tightening in her chest.

Once, she'd dreamed of having Jared's baby.

Now?

Her lips twisted into a bitter smile. She turned and walked out—never looking back.

***

Lucia checked herself out of the hospital on her own.

Back home, the scent of Jared still clung to every room. It was suffocating.

She needed air—needed space. So she headed to the hunting grounds.

Back in Italvia, riding and hunting had been her escape. Khelmark didn't have much for that at first, but when Francesca found out, she bought a whole mountain, turned it into a private hunting estate, and handed it over to Lucia.

Whenever things got heavy, this was where Lucia went to breathe.

Now, it was a hotspot for Khelmark's elite—state-of-the-art, exclusive, and entirely hers.

She pulled up to the gates—and froze.

A familiar black Maybach was already parked outside.

The door opened. Jared stepped out, carrying Alice like some fairytale prince.

"Jared, put me down," Alice said, all coy and breathy. "I can walk."

"It just rained. The ground's wet," he said.

Alice flushed deeper, pleased—until he set her down and she spotted Lucia.

She stiffened. "Lucia?"

Only then did Jared look up—and see her.

His frown kicked in instantly.

He remembered the call from the doctor—something about Lucia having a stress reaction.

She wasn't in danger, so he didn't bother checking in.

Didn't expect to run into her here.

Noticing how pale she still looked, a strange wave of irritation crept up his spine.

"What are you doing here?"

She blinked, steady and cool.

"I came to ride."

Alice and Jared hadn't shown up alone—they brought their usual crew of rich brats.

The second Lucia answered, the jeering started.

"Horseback riding? Lucia, do you even KNOW how to ride?"

"You think hunting on horseback's like riding a donkey back in the sticks? Don't snap your neck!"

Lucia had always kept quiet about her background. With her adoptive parents tied to serious power in Italvia—and whispered mafia rumors—she stayed lowkey. Even the Lynch family barely knew the full story.

So the crowd just assumed she was some bumpkin who lucked into wealth.

Jared's guys started whistling, loud and gross.

"No stress if you can't ride, Lucia. I'll take you. Front or back?"

"Back, obviously. Those two big ones bouncing against me? Man, that'd wake ANYONE up."

The group roared with laughter, eyes crawling all over her like they had zero shame.

Jared's fists clenched. His jaw tightened, gaze turning ice-cold.

Then Alice stepped in, soft and sweet.

"Alright, don't say that about my sister."

The fake little defense only made it worse.

One of the girls scoffed, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Well, no wonder people talk, Alice. Your sister's got the face of a total seductress."

Another jumped in, smirking.

"Yeah, twins? Please. Lucia looks nothing like you. She just screams cheap."

When the Lynch family found Lucia, her real parents—Michael and Joanne—couldn't bring themselves to let go of Alice. So they spun the perfect story—both girls were their biological daughters, separated at birth in a hospital mix-up.

Everyone bought it. Lucia and Alice—'twins.'

Alice shot a nervous glance at Lucia, afraid she'd finally spill the truth.

But Lucia didn't say a word.

She just turned and walked into the hunting grounds without looking back.

Only then did Alice exhale and quickly shift gears.

"Anyway, enough about that. Let's go hunting! I heard there's a white fox out here," she said, voice light and sweet. "Legend says if you catch one and gift it to your beloved, you'll never be apart."

She looked at Jared, all shy smiles.

The group geared up and headed into the mountains.

Lucia took a separate trail, wanting nothing to do with them. But the skies turned fast—rain started falling hard.

The mountain was risky in weather like this. Landslides weren't rare.

Lucia turned back fast.

When she got to the lodge, chaos had already broken out.

Alice and the others were in full panic mode.

No sign of Jared.

Lucia walked over, brows tight. "What's going on?"

"It's bad, Lucia!" Alice sobbed. "Jared's trapped in the mountain!"

Lucia froze. "How did he get trapped in the mountain?"

Through her sobs, Alice spilled it.

They'd spotted a white fox. Jared ignored the rain, chased it alone, and the mountain gave out. He got buried in a landslide.

"This is insane." Lucia's eyes narrowed. "This mountain's notorious for landslides. Wolves come out at night too. Is he trying to get himself killed?"

One of Jared's friends snapped, "Why are you yelling? Got a better plan? We already talked to staff—the fastest rescue team's at least six hours out... Lucia, what are you—!"

Gasps rippled through the group.

Lucia had already swung onto a horse like she was born in the saddle.

"I'm going to get him," she said, voice like ice.

Then she was gone—riding off without a glance back.

"Lucia can RIDE... like that?" someone whispered.

Alice went pale, her fists clenched tight.

***

Lucia knew the terrain like the back of her hand. She found a safe trail and pushed into the mountains without hesitation.

She wasn't doing this just for show.

First—this land was under her name. If someone died out here, she'd be the one held liable. Walking away clean from Khelmark? Not gonna happen.

Second—she owed Jared her life.

Back when she'd just returned to the Lynch family, she and Alice were kidnapped. The kidnappers made the family choose.

Michael and Joanne chose Alice.

The daughter they weren't related to.

Lucia had been left to die.

Jared was the one who'd come for her—alone. Took three stab wounds and nearly bled out that night.

That debt... she'd never forgotten.

And today, she was here to settle it.

Lucia rode through the storm for five brutal hours before she found him.

He was out cold in a cave, clutching the white fox like it was treasure. Whispering under his breath—

"Alice... for you... this is for you..."

Her face darkened.

So he nearly died—for a fox? A gift for Alice?

She gave a bitter smile and reached for him.

Then her eyes caught something—dozens of glowing green dots in the dark.

Wolves.

She hadn't planned for this, but she didn't hesitate. Raised her rifle and stood her ground.

An hour later, the cave was silent. Every wolf—dead.

She'd been bitten three times.

'Three... same as the number of wounds Jared took for me back then.'

Bleeding and shaking, she dragged him onto the horse and took off.

When they reached the lodge, everyone went pale.

Lucia—soaked in blood—barely held herself up. She slid off the horse and shoved Jared into Alice's arms.

"Tell Jared Dawson—he's repaid," she muttered.

Then everything went dark.

***

Lucia woke up in a hospital bed, her wounds bandaged.

She turned to the nurse. "Where's the man who came in with me?"

After getting Jared's room number, she headed down the hall.

Just as her hand touched the door, she froze.

From inside, she heard one of Jared's buddies say,

"Jared, it was ALICE who braved the storm to save you. She really does love you!"

Lucia's hand tightened on the handle.

She had saved him. How did Alice steal that too?

Then came Alice's soft, shy voice.

"Jared only went after the white fox because of me. Saving you was the least I could do, but..."

Her tone shifted—just a little darker.

"You didn't have to bring me a white fox to cheer me up. I know the truth... You've always loved Lucia. That's why you risked everything to save her from the kidnappers back then..."

"That's not true!" one of Jared's friends snapped, voice sharp. "That whole kidnapping? Jared planned it!"

"What?" Alice gasped.

But Jared's buddies kept going.

"Yeah, Jared set the whole thing up to make the Lynches realize which of their daughters they love more. He paid people to stage the kidnapping, grabbed both you and Lucia."

"That rescue stunt? Totally planned. He saved Lucia on purpose—played the hero so she'd fall for him and say yes to the marriage."

"But don't stress, Alice. Jared only married her for the family deal—and to get revenge for you. He's already got the divorce lined up. Right, Jared?"

Silence. Heavy.

Then Jared's voice came through, flat and sure.

"That's right."

Outside the door, Lucia staggered back.

Even the kidnapping—one of the only things she thought was real—had been a setup.

Her phone buzzed, snapping her out of the spiral.

She answered. Francesca's voice came through.

"Sweetheart, the jet I arranged takes off tomorrow at noon. Make sure you're at the airport on time."

"Got it, Mom."

She hung up and glanced back at the hospital room door, lips twisting into a bitter smile.

Maybe this was how it was always meant to end.

She didn't owe Jared a thing. Not after this.

Nothing between them but a useless piece of paper.

There never had been.

And there never would be.

***

Lucia had stuff to wrap up before she bounced.

First stop? Her lawyer—divorce papers signed, sealed, done.

Next, she hit a downtown club to meet Cole Carter, an old classmate. Italvian guy, but he'd been killing it in Khelmark's asset game for years.

Back when Lucia first moved there, Giovanni and Francesca had low-key freaked out she'd get screwed over. So they stashed a bunch of assets under her name—like that massive hunting estate. And yeah, turns out the biggest clients of Lynch Corp and Dawson Corp were actually hers. She just never said anything.

Now that she was peacing out, someone had to take the wheel. Cole was it.

Catching up with old friends meant drinks, obviously.

Cole got a little buzzed before he finally leaned in. "You seriously cutting off Lynch Corp and Dawson Corp? They're still big names, but let's be real—they've been sinking. If you pull out, they'll bleed."

Lucia didn't hesitate. "I'm sure."

He let out a low whistle. "Then let 'em bleed. Should've known what they had."

She had a flight to catch, so they wrapped things up early. But on their way down the stairs, Lucia suddenly stumbled. Cole caught her.

"Sorry," she muttered.

They were standing close—like, really close—when she looked up and froze. Jared and his crew were walking out of a nearby private room.

His friends spotted her and immediately started mouthing off.

"Yo, what's this? Jared, your girl's got a new guy?"

"No way! And a guy like him? Lucia, really? Didn't know you were into that."