a

hed tears. Chris had annulled our seven-year marriage. Seven years, legally erased as if it never happened. My father's f

ed, his voice detached. "That he was defrauded into marriage. It's

being erased. The depth of his depravity was boundless. It was worse than I could have imagined. I had poured my heart, my soul, my family's legacy into him

tight it ached. This wasn't just about betrayal anymore. This was about absolute dehumanization.

deceit. The gates swung open, a silent welcome to my humiliation. I saw it immediately: a

soft glow of the fireplace. Kimberli was perched on Chris' s lap, her head thrown back, her perfectly coiffed hair a stark contrast to my disheveled appearance. He

d on nothing in particular. My heart was a frozen stone in my

re you doing here?" He gently pushed Kimberli off his lap, a hint

e, Chris? A padded cell? A grave?" My voice was flat, devoid

You know you brought this upon yourself. You

his. "My father is dead, Chris. Because of you. Be

her poor father. It's so sad." Her eyes, however, sparkled with something akin to triumph.

a bitter sarcasm. "Like ordering the removal of his life suppo

ling, she's distressed. She doesn't know what she's saying." She turned back to me, her voice sickening

with suppressed rage. "He was perfectly h

ting Kimberli." He looked at me, his eyes cold and hard. "Your father's death is on you.

ted evil of it all, left me speechless. I stared at him, at the man I had once loved, and felt nothing but a profound,

ace. "Excuse me, darling. Business call. I'll be right back." He kissed Kimber

ate gold locket from her pocket. My locket. The one my father had given me on my eighteenth birthday, with his picture inside. "Looking for this,

easured possession, a piece of my father.

ut it's mine now, Ava. Just like everything els

.. my embryo?" The word

ine. You were merely the vessel. A very expensive, very expendible vessel." She laughed again, a high, mocking sound. "And now

by I had grieved for, the child I imagined holding, had been theirs. A surrogate pregnancy, without my

my vision. I lunged at her, no longer caring about anyt

lling to my knees. She kicked me, a sharp, precise blow to my side. "Stay down, bitch," s

dramatically clutching her side, a tearful sniffle escaping her lips. "Oh, Chris! She attacked me agai

mberli. "Ava!" he roared, his voice shaking the foundations of the house. "What the hell is wrong wit

iled, holding up the locket. "My beaut

ere cold, filled with disdain. "It's hers now, Ava

my voice raw with pain and fury.

s said, his voice flat. "Everythin

yes. "Chris, darling, maybe I should just go. I don't want to ca