L

rt my reven

t felt in years. I stood at the foot of my bed, my breathing shallo

d always pretended to have. The same crisis he'd used as a pathetic excuse for his late nights, hi

at muscles that had grown stiff from ye

f I were gripping the throat of every future mistake I intended to rectify. W

him finding out

abinet and unlocked it. From the hidden compartment inside, I pul

urmured under my breath, f

hese for a man? Worse, a

shing back th

yself, while opening the bag. I

ncrypted contents. I navigated to the dark web without a second of delay, setting th

ped on a familiar group icon and

ll

from my wrists until they clicked, notifications began

dness, Nux

is th

years too long

e back,

ft my lips. Welc

ousewife Shawn and his toxic family demanded. I had softened my edges and dulled

gotten in retur

ct. A cold-bl

e with a sudden, fierce protective instinct

s. At least I had

etter one from the ash. I would make absolutely sure my baby never gre

I typed, a ghost of a predator

he chat. Sticker

What do you want?

, my eyes narrowing. I ty

at would expose sensitive customer data, shake every ounce of investor confidence, and drag

ake him truly

r it don

or of this comp

y knew the

y fingers hovering over

sappoint. My p

ke S

initive snap. Then I rose and walked out of the room, my stride humming wi

m every single thing

before the entire company collapsed under the

blow. My jaw tightened so hard it ached as I moved to his computer, knowing I had

ime to dawdle

my laptop to

made my skin tingle. Through an anonymous profile I'd kept hidden

e as Managing Director and approved the

ion flashed on my screen: Th

aped me, a weight lift

e, I decided to snoop th

rruption I found lurking beneath h

tter. Embezzling funds. Laundering money. I saw chats where he spoke comfortably with me

rp smile. So this was the man who h

every shred of proof-to my private system. Then I logge

eased to every major news outlet e

d to drug me and destroy my re

ront-row seats to his

nd left his office withou

I stepped back into th

fathe

oming with your husband... we

hed my lips as I

c image than anything else, but he was also the only person in that ent

t could I give him

randson was unfit to rule a

there. Happy birthday

r thing, I walked to my wardrobe

wore... a dress too big, too dull, the drab uniform of a dutiful, i

ed, feeling a strange, electr

gown hanging at the far end of the wa

fec

've always longed to. Better

e shadows for a man