son

l had left me there, just as he had left me in every other way imaginable. Minutes stretched into hours, the silence of the

me a glass of water, his face a mask of weary

zed. He glanced at it, and a flicker of something, urgency, crossed his fa

throom. I lay there, too weak to move, too heartbroken to care. The physical pain was a dull throb, but the emotion

lably, my lips blue. She helped me out, her face etched with concern. S

he' d be back soon,"

t bothered to stay even a moment when my body

ensive care. They transferred me to a different hospital w

ound Kaia' s waist, his head bent, murmuring something to her. She giggled, a bright, carefree sound that shredded my last nerve. She was wea

y looked up, saw me. Gabriel' s smile faltered. Kaia' s eyes widened, then

ice flat. He pulled Kaia closer,

othing left to give, twisted in agony. A sharp, searing pain tore through me, like a thousand tiny needles piercing my flesh. I felt lighth

quickly pushed the wheelchair pas

urse whispered, her hand briefly touch

protect her, cherish her, right in front of me, after he had just murdered our child and left me bleeding. He had seen my pain, my humiliation, my brokenness, and

sorry about... everything," he said, his eyes avoiding mine. "But you need to understand. Kaia... s

ll spinning the narrative. Still

erson downstairs, the one you hired... Leo. What was that

s a professional stand-in. I needed

ned. "A role? What k

, watching his face. There was no jealousy, no anger this time. Just a vacant look.

paused, then stood. "I have to

facade dropped the moment he realized I was n

ety contacts. He was investing heavily in her, grooming her to be the face of their future, not just professionally, but persona

The hidden accounts. The assets I' d meticulously secured, piece by piece, under the ra

development scene. Until the whispers started. Whispers about her lavish spending. Whispers about the company' s mysteriously dwindling funds. Whispers that turned into shouts when a major charity eve

incompetence, but at the public scandal. He blamed me, of course

tarily committed to a psychiatric facility. "For observation," he said, his vo

ried to break me. But in the quiet, padde

es, he looked triumphant. "Feeling better, Allison?" he asked, a cruel smirk playing on his l

d, my voice raspy, but steady. "Yo

g. She makes mistakes. You

"Gabriel, she tried to replace me. She attack

nderstood. And you' re just jealous." He leaned in, his voice dropping to a dangerous wh

t. "Why her? Why did you throw away ev

lison, you were... comfortable. Predictable. Kai

hat was left of it, felt nothing. No pain, no anger. Just a profound

cutting through the sterile air. "I w

don' t be foolish. We have too much tied u

Gabriel," I said, my voice gaining strengt

les had changed. And he h