He laughed, a bitter, broken sound. “You think I’m joking?”
I said nothing.
He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
That night, divorce papers were thrown in front of me. I would leave with nothing.
I picked up the pen, ready to sign.
He grabbed my wrist. “Think carefully before you sign this.”
“I have,” I said, nodding.
Then, I slowly began to write my name, the pressure of my hand dragging his along with it. The moment finished, he snatched the papers away, a childish, spiteful gesture.
He loomed over me. “I was wrong about you.”
I closed my eyes.
That day, I was thrown out of the estate. With no money to my name, I found a tiny, 300-square-foot rental.
And I waited. I waited for the day of judgment.
I could almost see it: the day I died, the day Rick was finally brought to justice. My breath hitched, my hands trembling. On that day, I could finally face Lily with a clear conscience.
But that moment didn’t come. What came instead were Damian’s bodyguards.
They dragged me back to the mansion.
The first thing I saw was Sienna, lying on the bed, covered in blood. The swell of her stomach was gone.
Damian’s eyes were sunken and bruised, as if he hadn’t slept in days. The moment he saw me, he slapped
me, hard.
“You said you didn’t care if she had the baby! You said you could accept anything! So why did you hire men to assault her until she miscarried?”
I was stunned.
Sienna’s body shook with sobs. “Elara… if you didn’t want me to have the child, I would have gotten rid of it. Why… why did you have to torture my baby out of me in such a cruel way?”
I looked at her torn clothes, the blood soaking the sheets, and I understood what she was claiming had hap-
pened.
Damian kicked the back of my knees, forcing me to the ground. He pinned me there. “I will find the thugs you hired. I’ll make sure those animals who did this to Sienna, who took my child from me, suffer a fate worse
than death!
7/8
16:06
16.06
Chapter 1
“But you… I can give you one more chance.” He yanked my chin up, his fingers digging into my jaw until it felt like the bone would crack. “Testify. Go to court and testify, and I’ll have my legal team defend you. Get you a reduced sentence.”
Cold sweat beaded on my forehead. I struggled to speak. “I’m afraid… I can’t.”
“What did you say?”
“Because I’m going to die.”
He let out a derisive, angry laugh. “You’re still protecting Rick, even now? I’m telling you, this is your last cha nce. You will be a witness, whether you want to or not!”
He grabbed my hand and, with a sickening crack, bent my ring finger back until it broke. The wedding banc was still on it.
A gut-wrenching scream tore from my lungs.
“Are you going to talk?” he snarled, squeezing my jaw. “What did Rick do to my sister that night?”
My body was slick with sweat. “When I’m dead… you’ll know.”
His eyes were a terrifying shade of red. He seemed to think I was taunting him.
“You really think I can’t bring myself to kill you?”
My index finger. Another snap.
“Talk!”
“Just kill me,” I sobbed, tears streaming down my face. “Kill me, and you’ll know everything.”
His eyes were wild. He nodded. “Fine. I’ll grant your wish.”
