When I opened my eyes, I was in my bed at the estate. For a moment, confusion clouded me.

The last thing I remembered was the rain pouring on me, my body weak and shivering, the ground cold beneath me as Victor’s car disappeared into the night.

“Madam, you should rest,” the maid said softly, adjusting the blanket over me.

I pushed myself up despite the heaviness in my chest. “How did I get here?” My voice trembled. “Who brought me home?”

For a foolish second, I thought maybe it had been Victor. Maybe guilt had finally gnawed at him enough to make him come back for me.

But the maid shook her head gently. “It wasn’t the master. A man—he said he was a stranger—he brought you here and left this number.”

She handed me a folded piece of paper. My fingers shook as I opened it and stared at the digits scrawled there.

A stranger. I dialed before I could think. The line clicked, and a familiar male voice answered, low and steady.

“Hello?”

“Who is this?” I asked, my throat dry. “Why did you help me?”

There was a pause. Then a voice I hadn’t heard in years. “Katie… it’s Nick.”

I froze, the breath sucked out of me. Nick. My childhood friend. My first safe place before everything in my life turned to ruin. And now—Victor’s rival.

Memories flooded in unbidden: summer afternoons, laughter under the trees, his hand always extended toward me whenever I stumbled. And then the bitter years that followed, when Victor entered my life, and everything between Nick and me fractured.

“Nick…” I whispered.

“I heard about what happened,” he said simply. His tone was steady, almost too calm, but I could hear the undercurrent of anger. Not at me, never at me but at Victor. “So tell me, Katie. What do you say about marrying me?”

If this had been any other day, I would have laughed, stammered, told him not to joke about such things. But today when my body ached, my soul was shattered, and my heart was nothing but ashes—his words didn’t feel like a joke. They felt like salvation.

“Fine,” I said, surprising even myself with the sharpness of my voice. “Pick me up after five days.”

And I hung up.

The silence of the room pressed against me. My hands curled into fists.

Five days. That was all I needed. Five days to bury the last of this wretched marriage.

I started packing my things that very night. The clothes, the books, the little pieces of myself I had hidden in corners of the estate.

With each fold, each bag sealed, it felt like I was reclaiming pieces of me Victor had stolen.

Then came the memories. Photographs. Gifts. The wedding album. His letters. I gathered them all and one by one, I fed them to the fire. I watched his smile curl into ashes, his promises turn to smoke.

When I picked up my wedding ring, my hands shook. It was the last chain. I clenched it so tightly it dug into my palm before I finally walked toward the trash bin.

The door burst open. Victor.

“What’s happening here?” His eyes darted to the half-packed luggage, to the faint smoke curling from the fireplace. Then his gaze fell on the ring in my hand.

“Nothing,” I said coldly. “I just want to throw it away.”

His face twisted. “Are you insane? That’s our wedding ring. Why would you throw it away?”

“Because I don’t want it anymore,” I snapped. “Let’s divorce, Victor.”

His eyes widened. “Divorce me? Are you insane? What—do you think I’d agree? Where would you go if you left me, huh? What about your mother? Your kidney transplant? You can’t leave without me. You’re bankrupt!”

“And whose fault is that?” I shot back, my voice breaking with rage. “Felicia! You promised me that you would help me find her but what’s happening now?!”

His jaw tightened, but he reached for me desperately. “I’m sorry, okay? Is this about me not going to the hospital? About missing our anniversary? Don’t—don’t be like this, Katie.” He softened his tone, his eyes pleading. “Come on. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

“Promises,” I whispered bitterly. “You’ve always been good at those.”

We were cut off by another voice.

“Are you fighting… because of me?”

Victor stiffened. My head turned sharply toward the door.

Felicia.

She stood there, her hands trembling, her face pale. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “This is wrong. I should have—”

I laughed bitterly, the sound cold even to my own ears. “You dare bring her here?” I looked at Victor, disgust rolling through me. “You dare bring your mistress into my house?”

Victor reached out helplessly. “Katie, she’s not my mistress. Like I said, I’d find her for you. She’s here to apologize, Katie—”

But I didn’t wait for her excuses. Rage boiled through me, spilling past the grief that had been rotting inside me for years. My hands shook as I lunged forward, slamming Felicia back with all the fury I had held in.

“You!” My voice cracked like thunder. “You ruined everything! My father killed himself because of you! My mother wasted away because of what you did! And now you stand here—begging? Crying?!”

Felicia stumbled, her back hitting the dresser. My hand swung before I could stop it, the slap ringing out sharp.

She gasped, stumbling further until her knee struck the corner of the bed. She crumpled down, clutching her side.

A sharp cry escaped her lips. “Victor!” Her hands trembled as she held her stomach, and when she pulled them away, I saw it—red smearing across her palms.

My breath froze.

Victor’s roar shook the walls. “Katie!” He rushed forward, catching Felicia as she collapsed into his arms, her sobs echoing. “She’s bleeding!”

He turned to me then, his eyes blazing with fury I’d never seen before. His hand shot out, shoving me backward so hard I stumbled into the polished floor with a painful crack.

“You dare harm a pregnant woman?!” His voice was venom. “Are you insane?! She’s carrying a child—and you’d attack her?!”

The damp air of the basement clung to my skin like rot. My stomach twisted with hunger, my throat dry, my veins aching from the dialysis I had missed.

My body was shutting down. I curled into myself on the cold floor, my arms hugging my knees, whispering nothing just to keep the silence from swallowing me whole.

Then footsteps. Voices above.

“Sir, please,” the maid pleaded. “Mrs. Katie hasn’t eaten in two days. She needs her dialysis. If this continues, she might die.”

But then came Victor’s voice. “I don’t care. She dares harm Felicia and her baby? When I brought Felicia here just to apologize, and she raised her hand against her? She’s evil. She deserves to rot in there!”

The maid tried again, voice trembling. “But sir, her treatment, if she misses—”

“I said enough!” Victor snapped. “No more treatment. No more kindness. Let her feel what it’s like to suffer. If she dies, so be it. She deserves every second of it. And make sure she never dares ask about her mother’s treatment again. She doesn’t deserve a family. Not after what she did.”

My body shook from the bitter laugh bubbling inside me. My mother. He still thought she was alive. He didn’t even know she was already gone, that I had begged the hospital to never let him be informed. He never cared. Not once.

Hours blurred. Maybe days. I lost count. My body gave out, and I fainted, the world dissolving into black.

When I stirred again, it wasn’t Victor’s voice I heard—it was Felicia’s.

“Please,” she whispered from the other side of the door. “Please let her out. She’ll die if she stays there.”

The click of keys. The creak of the lock. Light spilled in, and the maid’s hand gently shook me awake. I blinked up, dizzy, and saw Felicia standing there, her face wet with tears.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. Her voice broke. “Katie, I’m sorry for everything. For the money. For running away. For Victor. For everything. I never wanted to hurt you like this.”

“I will never forgive you,” I rasped, my voice weak.

Felicia flinched, but Victor’s voice cut in, furious. “Are you insane, Katie? She’s apologizing! And if it weren’t for her, you’d still be rotting in there. You think you deserve pity after what you did to her baby?! She almost lost it.”

Felicia touched his arm gently, eyes still wet. “Victor… let’s just take her to the hospital. Please. She needs help.”

Victor drove me to the hospital in silence. Felicia sat beside him, her hand resting protectively over her stomach, and every so often he reached out to squeeze it reassuringly. Not once did he glance at me.

The nurses rushed me inside when they saw my condition, attaching IVs, checking my vitals, murmuring about how close I was to collapsing again. I barely registered their voices.

Hours later, I sat propped up in bed, my body patched together but my spirit still in pieces. The nurse had left the TV on low, the sound barely audible, but then a familiar voice made my blood freeze.

“…I only ran because I was afraid,” Felicia’s voice trembled from the screen. She sat at a press conference, eyes red, hands clutching tissues as flashes from cameras lit up her face. “Katie—she hated me after what I did with the money. She said she wanted me gone. She said if I ever came back, she would kill me. That’s why I couldn’t show my face. I was terrified. That’s the truth.”

The reporters murmured, their pens scratching. Felicia dabbed her eyes delicately, every motion calculated, perfect.

“And yet,” she whispered dramatically, “I still came back. Because I wanted to apologize. I know I’ve hurt her, but she’s still my best friend. I don’t want her destroyed because of me. I love her like a sister, despite everything. I’m willing to pay for everything.”

A bitter laugh scraped my throat. This is the last straw.

By evening, when the hospital finally discharged me, I braced myself to step outside. But the moment the doors slid open, chaos swallowed me.

“Mrs. Katie! Is it true you tried to attack Felicia?”

“Did you threaten her life and her baby?”

“Why can’t you forgive her after she admitted her mistakes?”

Microphones shoved into my face, cameras flashing mercilessly, the crowd chanting accusations. I raised my arms to shield myself, dizzy from the noise, the bright lights stabbing into my tired eyes.

And then, Felicia appeared.

“Please!” she cried, pushing through the reporters, her hand outstretched toward me. “Stop this! She’s my best friend, don’t attack her like this. She doesn’t deserve this.”

The crowd softened. Felicia threw her arms around me, shielding me with her body as though she were my savior, whispering, “It’s okay, Katie. I’ve got you.”

Back at the estate, she fussed over me endlessly. But I know it was a fake concern.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, following me into the room. “I’m sorry for everything I said. I didn’t mean to hurt you like this. Please, Katie… just forgive me. We can start over.”

“I don’t care anymore, Felicia,” I whispered. “I just want to leave.”

Her face crumpled. She reached for me, but I stepped back, my gaze cold.

And then suddenly her body doubled forward.

A sharp cry tore from her lips. “Ah, my stomach, it hurts—”

Blood stained the hem of her dress, dark and spreading fast.

Victor’s voice thundered from behind me as he rushed inside. “Felicia!” He caught her as she collapsed into his arms, her face pale, her body trembling.

Her voice was weak, but still laced with guilt. “I—I think I’m losing the baby…”

“I know I made mistakes,” Felicia sobbed, “but did you really have to kill my baby, Katie? Was your hatred that strong?”

“What? No! I didn’t touch you!” My voice cracked, desperate, but it was drowned out by her pitiful wails.

Victor turned on me. “Have you seen what just happened?!” His voice thundered, echoing off the walls. “You would go this far?!”

“I didn’t kill her baby!” I screamed, tears burning my eyes. “I didn’t even lay a finger on her—”

The sharp sting of his hand cut my words short. My head snapped to the side, the taste of blood filling my mouth.

“You don’t deserve anything!” Victor’s voice shook with rage. “I regret marrying you. I regret helping you. I wish you would just die!”

I touched my stinging cheek, trembling. The words sliced me deeper than his slap ever could. For a moment, the pain in my chest eclipsed everything else.

I lifted my gaze, my voice low but steady. “I will. Soon.”

His expression flickered, but only for a heartbeat. Then he turned away, gathering Felicia into his arms.

She leaned into him, her tears soaking his shirt, while he kissed her hair and whispered promises. They left together, the door closing with a finality that rang louder than any scream.

Silence devoured the room. What was left for me now?

Hours passed, the estate eerily quiet. No one came back. But the lock clicked, and Victor’s men entered, their eyes cold, movements mechanical.

“The boss said you’re not to leave this room,” one of them muttered.

“Why?” My voice was hoarse.

“He said… you’re still going to get that kidney transplant tomorrow.” His tone was flat, as though rehearsed. “He can’t let you die easily. You need to suffer first… for what you did to Felicia and the baby.”

My heart stopped.

The men shut the door, locking it behind them. I pressed my back against the wall, my mind spinning, my body shaking. So this was it—my prison. I was nothing more than a vessel for pain.

I didn’t know how long I cried that night, only that by dawn, my body was empty.

The next day, they dragged me out, weak and exhausted, barely able to walk. My wrists trembled against their grip as they shoved me into the car.

“Hospital,” one of them said.

The engine roared to life, the scenery blurring outside the tinted windows. My chest tightened with dread. My fate was sealed. Victor wanted me alive, but only long enough to break me piece by piece.

But halfway down the road, the car jolted violently to a stop. The driver cursed, slamming on the brakes.

“What the hell—”

Before they could react, the door beside me yanked open. Sunlight flooded in and standing there was a man I hadn’t seen in years.

“Come on,” he said, his voice steady, urgent. “I’m here to pick you up.”

My heart stumbled. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming. “Nick…?”

His eyes softened briefly, but his jaw remained tight. “We don’t have time. Move.”

Before I could answer, he tossed my phone out the window. It shattered against the pavement. Moments later, we were at the airstrip. Nick helped me up the stairs, his hand never leaving mine.

As the cabin door shut, the plane rumbled forward, leaving behind everything I had ever known.

Victor’s POV

Felicia leaned against me. “Why not let her die, Victor? Why waste time with this kidney transplant when she killed our baby! She deserves nothing less than death.”

“No,” I muttered, my jaw clenched. “Death is too easy for her. I want her to suffer,” I said flatly. “Every breath she takes will remind her of the pain she caused you. And more than that, I still need her name. The company isn’t fully under my control yet. Her signature, her presence—it matters. Until then, she breathes. But only to endure.”

I downed the drink in one swallow and set the glass down with a sharp thud. “And I’ll make sure her suffering never ends. I’ll stop her mother’s treatments—let her rot with disease. When Katie wakes up, she’ll feel death pressing in from all sides. That will break her.”

But when I went to the hospital later that day, everything began to unravel.

“Stop the treatments for Mrs. Evans,” I ordered coldly.

The doctor looked at me strangely, hesitation flickering across his face. “Mr. Jones, there’s nothing to stop. Katie's mother passed away days ago. We did everything we could, but… she’s gone.”

I froze. But before I could gather myself, the doctor continued. “And as for Mrs. Katie, there will be no kidney transplant today. She cancelled it herself. She said… she wanted to die.”

My throat tightened. Cancelled?

Before I could demand more, the door burst open. My butler stumbled inside, his face pale with panic. “Sir, something’s happened!”

I straightened immediately, my heart pounding. “What is it?”

“It’s… it’s Mrs. Katie.” His voice shook. “The car, there was an accident. It crashed. And—” he faltered, lowering his head. “It seems Miss Katie… is dead.”