The car slowly stopped outside the wrought iron gate of Flynn Manor.

Carie's lower abdomen aches and aches, dull and persistent, reminding her of the emptiness within.

"I'm home."

She said softly, and then got out of the car.

She didn't turn on the light in the foyer. She groped in the familiar darkness with her memory, her hand sliding up along the mahogany handrail.

In the master bedroom, she pulls her black Rimowa suitcase from the closet.

She didn't pack everything. She didn't want everything.

She threw in jeans, sweaters, underwear. Essentials.

She looked at the dresser. Erik gave her diamond earrings on their first anniversary. Sapphire necklace for Christmas.

She left them behind. They are all lies.

She grabbed her passport from the safe. She took the folder containing her birth certificate and some old documents she had been hiding.

The headlights swept across the bedroom ceiling. The roar of the Aston Martin engine cuts through the silence.

He is back.

She didn't stop packing. Just as the bedroom door slammed open, she zipped up her suitcase.

Eric stood there. He looked disheveled, with a loose tie and his hair disheveled by the wind.

But the first thing that hits the nose is the smell.

Beneath the smell of a winter storm, he smells of hospital disinfectant water and baby powder.

Bile rushed down her throat.

"What the hell are you doing?" Eric asked. He kicked the door shut. "Julian says you're in the hospital. I called the front desk and they said you were discharged from the hospital on your own against the doctor's orders. ”

Kelly straightened up. The room was slightly dizzy, but she locked her knees.

"I'm leaving, Eric."

He let out a piercing laugh of disbelief. He walked to the dresser and began to unbutton his shirt.

"Stop acting, Kelly. It's late. Athena had a bad night with the kids. She had a nervous breakdown. I have been dealing with the doctor and her for twelve hours. ”

"Athena," Kelly repeated. The name tastes like ashes.

"Yes, Athena. She needs support. She had no one around her. "He threw his shirt on the chair." Then I got a call from Julian saying that you were running around in the emergency room yelling at me? What is it this time? Migraine? Or dysmenorrhea? ”

He turned to face her, his eyes cold and full of accusations.

"You know, the timing is questionable. Even for you. Trying to steal the show on the day my brother's child was born? ”

"That's what you think?" Kelly asked. Her voice was dangerously calm.

"I think you're trying to renegotiate the prenuptial agreement," Eric scoffed. He took a step closer to her. "Do you think I'll sympathize with you if you pretend to be a medical emergency? I know you, Kelly. You can't wait to make money. ”

Her stomach churned. The physical disgust was so strong that she took a step back.

"Do you think I'm pretending to be sick?"

"Isn't it?" He reached out and ran his fingers over the sleeves of her coat. "Take off your coat, Kelly. You can't go anywhere. ”

His touch was like an electric shock. But not that good feeling. It was like touching a live wire.

She didn't think. Her body reacts before the brain processes instructions.

She waved her right hand.

Snap!

The sound was like a gunshot in a quiet room.

Her palm, with all the strength left in her, landed heavily on his cheek.

Eric's head slammed to the side.

He froze. The silence that followed was deafening.

Slowly, he turned to look at her. A bright red handprint was blooming on his cheek. His eyes widened, filled with shock and rising anger.

"You just ...... Hit me? He touched his face, as if to check for blood.

Her hands hurt hot. It throbs with the heartbeat.

"I've had enough," Kelly said. Her voice was smooth. "We're done. I want a divorce. ”

Eric stared at her for a second, and then he smiled. It was a cruel and cruel laugh.

"Divorce? You? He shook his head. Kelly, look at yourself. You have nothing. You are nothing without me. The prenuptial agreement is ironclad. You leave this house and you will leave with nothing. You will live on the streets. ”

"I don't care," Kelly said.

She grabbed the handle of the suitcase.

She walked towards him. He blocked her way, and his tall body blocked the doorway.

"Get out of the way," she said.

"How about otherwise?"

She slammed her shoulder into his chest. It was a pathetic attempt, but sheer audacity made him stumble back.

She pushed him away and walked over.

"If you walk out of that door," Eric growled behind her, his voice trembling with anger, "you don't want to come back when you have no money! ”

She didn't look back. She walked into the hallway, the wheels of her suitcase humming on the hardwood floor.

She walked to the top of the stairs.

Brandee Flynn was standing at the bottom of the stairs with her arms crossed, blocking her way.

"Get out of the way." Carie said softly.

Carie stopped.

Brandee stands at the foot of the stairs like a drip-mouth beast in Chanel. She handed her mink coat to a maid and did not take her eyes off Carie for a moment.

Her gaze swept over the suitcase in Carie's hand, the corners of her mouth curled upwards.

"Where are you going?" She dragged her voice out and said, "Or is this another tantrum you're seeking attention?" ”

Carie didn't answer.

She held the handle of her suitcase tighter and began to walk down the stairs.

As she reached the last step, Brandy stood sideways, blocking Kali's path. She raised a manicured hand.

"Put the bag down, Carie."

"Please let me go." Carie said, trying to get around her.

She moved again, blocking her with her body. I said, put it down. The chef is off tonight. Athena needs her bone broth. Organic, grass-fed. You know the recipe. ”

Carie stared at her. "You want me to make soup?"

"This is the least you can do." Brandy said sharply, "Since you obviously can't provide an heir for this family, you can at least serve a woman who is recovering." ”

Carie looked up and looked upstairs.

Her husband, Erik, was standing at the top of the stairs, watching.

He had one hand in his pocket and even a glass of whiskey in the other.

Nausea.

Carie loosened the handle of the suitcase. The suitcase "banged" and fell on the steps.

"Okay." She said. A strange calm enveloped her. It was the calm of a hurricane's eye.

Brandi smiled sarcastically. "Good girl. Don't take too long. ”

She turned around and walked proudly to the restaurant.

Carie walks into the kitchen. It was a chef's kitchen with sparkling stainless steel and copper utensils.

On the cooking table, the ingredients are already laid out.

Expensive beef bones, organic vegetables. Heavy Le Creuset enamel pot.

She turned on the gas stove. She turned the flame up to the maximum.

She fills the pot with water. She didn't put the bones.

She just let the water heat up.

She watched the bubbles form. First small, then big, tumbling, boiling violently. Steam began to rise, blurring the windows.

In the restaurant, she heard Brandy's voice. "She's so ungrateful, Eric. After we did so much for her. ”

Carie put on insulated gloves.

The water is now boiling and tumbling, enough to cause a person to die a painful death.

She picked up the pot. Even through gloves, the pan is still heavy and hot.

She walked out of the kitchen.

Brandi sits in the main seat of a long mahogany dining table. Eric leaned against the sideboard, shaking the drink in his glass.

When she came in, they all looked up.

"It's finally here." Brandy said. Then she frowned. "That's not a soup bowl, Carie. Do you know nothing about table setting? ”

Carie walked straight to the table. She didn't stop.

She looked at Brandy. She looked at Eric.

"This is your soup." She said.

She raised the pot high and slammed it into the dining table.

Wow.

The voice was deafening. The heavy enamel pot smashed the delicate porcelain ornaments. Boiling water gushes out like a geyser.

The steam billowed out, scorching and white.

"Ah!" Brandy screamed, hot water splashed on the hem of her silk dress, and she jumped away. She hurriedly stepped away from the table and stumbled over her chair.

The whiskey glass in Eric's hand fell. The cup shattered on the ground. He protected his face when the steam hit his face.

"Are you crazy?" He roared, his eyes widening.

Carie slammed off the insulated gloves on her hands and threw them into a puddle of boiling water and broken porcelain pieces.

"You want to serve?" She screamed, her voice hoarse, "I have served you for two years!" I have you treat me like servants in my own house! ”

Her trembling fingers pointed at Brandy.

"You starve me! You forced me to drink those disgusting herbal mixtures until I spit it out, and told me that I was 'too acidic' to give birth to a boy! ”

The maids in the corridor huddled together in fright.

"You're a waste!" Brandi screamed, covering his chest, "Street garbage!" You don't belong here! ”

"You're right." Carie laughed, and that laughter sounded hysterical, "I don't belong to this incestuous, sick little kingdom you have built. ”

"Incest?" Eric's face turned purple. He pounced on her. "Shut up!"

He reached for her arm.

Carie is faster.

She grabbed the half bottle of whiskey from the sideboard.

She uncorked the bottle and splashed the amber liquid directly on his face.

"Cough!" Eric choked, and the alcohol stung his eye. He staggered back, scratching his face.

She didn't wait.

She turned around sharply and strode towards the stairs. She grabbed her suitcase.

She walked to the heavy oak gate.

She grabbed the doorknob with both hands and pulled it open suddenly.

The cold wind howls and rushes into the warm foyer, with snow and ice.

"Carie!" Brandy screamed behind her.

A blizzard bursts into the grand foyer, wrapping around her ankles and freezing the sweat from Carie's skin.

She stood at the door and looked back at them indifferently.

"If you walk out that door," screamed Brandi, supported by a maid, "I'll have the lawyer freeze all your credit cards before you get in the car!" ”

Carie slowly turned around.

She held the doorknob so hard that her fingers hurt.

Eric wiped the whiskey from his eyes and blinked quickly.

His face was red and swollen, and his eyes were full of anger and unwillingness.

"You're a madman," he spat out. "Completely out of control."

"Really?" Carie asked. Her voice was unusually calm in the howling wind. "Or am I the only one who can see the essence of this family?"

She looked at Brandi. "Do you think I can't have children because of my genes? Because I'm 'out of stock'? ”

"Look at you," Brandi sneered. "Desolate. It didn't work. ”

"I got pregnant two years ago," Carie said. The phrase hung heavy and sharp in the air.

"We know about miscarriages," Eric snapped, stepping forward. "It was an accident. The road surface is icy. Don't live in the past. ”

"It's not an accident," Carie said, her eyes locking on him. "Athena drove behind me."

Eric froze. "What?"

"She stopped at the intersection," Carie raised her voice. She waited. I saw her in the rearview mirror. She waited until I was in the middle of the corner and then picked up. She bumped into me, Eric. She pushed me against the guardrail. ”

"That's a lie!" Eric roared. "Athena has PTSD! She can hardly get in the car, let alone drive hard! She was in shock! ”

"She's a murderer," Carie said. "She killed your first child. She's been laughing at you ever since. ”

"You're such a vicious and jealous woman," Brandi growled in a low voice. "Slander a grieving widow. You should be ashamed. ”

"I saw her eyes," Carie whispered, more to herself. She didn't look shocked. She looked satisfied. ”

"Get out," Eric said. His voice was low, trembling with anger. "Get out of my house, or I'll kick you out."

He believed her. Of course it will. Athena, the fragile bird with broken wings. Carie is just a vulture circling a corpse.

"Would be happy to," Carie said.

She reached for her neck.

Diamond necklace. The Flynn family heirloom. A collar.

She hooked her fingers under the platinum chain. No clasps. It's a constant cycle.

She pulled suddenly.

Metal pierces her skin. She felt a sharp pain as the chain slashed into the back of her neck.

Snap.

The chain is broken. Warm blood runs down the neck and mixes with cold sweat.

She clenched the sparkling diamonds for a moment, feeling their sharp edges.

Then she threw it.

The thing hit Eric in the chest and fell at his feet with a snap.

"Keep the money," Carie said. "I want to take my name back."

Eric looked down at the diamond, then at the blood on her neck. His expression faltered for a moment. A hint of regret? Care?

But then Brandi moans, covering his heart, and he turns to her.

"Are you okay?"

Carie ignored them anymore. She backed away and walked into the snow.

Then like a lion, he slammed the door shut.

Bang!

The voice echoed like a tombstone seal.

She was alone.

The wind tore her clothes. The snow made her unable to open her eyes. She dragged her suitcase along the long winding lane. Within seconds, her hands were numb.

She arrived at the main road. There are no streetlights here, just the endless darkness of the Hampton winter.

She pulled out her phone. Her fingers were stiff and bluish.

She called Katie's number.

"Carie?" Katie's voice was loud, with panic. "Where are you? I've been fighting for an hour! ”

"I was completely relieved," Carie said. Her teeth trembled so much that she could barely speak. "I'll come over right away."

"I'm still sending you off, I'm waiting for you."

Carie hung up.

She stood under the lonely street lamp at the end of the road, watching the snowflakes fall. It obscures her tracks, erases the path to the house.

She took a deep breath. The air is cold, but it tastes like freedom.