I sat in the waiting room of the fertility clinic, clutching my purse. The doctor had been vague last time. "Severe trauma," he had said. "Scarring." But I needed to know. I needed to know if Carlos had truly taken my future away along with my child.
"Mrs. Rivera?" the receptionist called, her smile polite but strained.
I walked up to the desk. "Yes?"
"I'm afraid there's a problem with your card," she said, sliding the platinum credit card back across the counter. "It's been declined."
My stomach dropped. "Declined? That's impossible. It's a joint account. There's no limit."
"I tried it three times," she said, her voice dropping to a sympathetic whisper. "Maybe you want to call your husband?"
I pulled out my phone and dialed Carlos. Straight to voicemail. I tried again. Voicemail.
"I... I'll come back," I stammered, grabbing the card. Humiliation burned my cheeks as I walked out, the whispers of the other patients following me.
He had cut me off. He was starving me out.
I didn't go home. I hailed a cab and gave the driver the address of Rivera Tower. The building that used to be my father's. The building where I had grown up running through the halls.
The lobby was sleek, modern, and cold. The receptionist, a young woman I didn't recognize, looked up with a frown.
"Can I help you?"
"I'm here to see my husband," I said, lifting my chin. "Carlos Rivera."
"Do you have an appointment?" she asked, glancing at her computer.
"I'm his wife," I snapped. "I don't need an appointment."
"Mr. Rivera is in a very important meeting," she said, her tone dismissive. "He left strict instructions not to be disturbed. I can't let you up."
"I'm going up," I said, moving toward the elevators.
Two security guards stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "Ma'am, please. Don't make a scene."
I stared at them. They were new. They didn't know who I was. They didn't know that this building still had secrets.
"Fine," I said, turning on my heel. "I'll wait in the car."
I walked out the main doors, waited for the guards to look away, and then slipped around the side of the building to the service entrance. There was a small, unmarked door near the loading dock. It required a key card—my father's old master key card, which I had kept on my keychain for sentimental reasons.
I swiped it. The light turned green.
I slipped inside and made my way to the private elevator. It was a relic from my father's time, a direct line to the penthouse office that bypassed the main lobby and security. Carlos probably didn't even know it still worked.
The elevator hummed to life, carrying me up forty floors in silence. When the doors opened, I stepped into the private corridor leading to the CEO's office.
The heavy oak door was slightly ajar.
I heard a moan.
I froze.
"Carlos..." a woman's voice whimpered. "Yes... right there..."
My heart hammered against my ribs. I crept closer, my shoes silent on the plush carpet. Through the crack in the door, I saw them.
Luna was bent over my father's mahogany desk, her skirt hiked up to her waist. Carlos was behind her, thrusting into her with a desperation he had never shown me.
"Divorce her," Luna panted, her head thrown back. "Come on, Carlos. She's useless. She's nothing. You have me now."
Carlos grunted, his hands gripping her hips. "You know I can't."
"Why not?" she whined, turning her head to look at him. "You killed the baby for us. You got rid of the brat. Why can't you just leave her?"
I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle a scream. He admitted it. He didn't deny it.
"She is important to the board," Carlos said, his voice rough. "The old guard... my father's investors... they still see her as the heir. They want her name attached to the company. If I divorce her now, the stock will tank. My father will disown me."
"So we have to wait?" Luna pouted.
"Not for long," Carlos said, leaning down to kiss her neck. "Don't worry. The bitch is unstable. She's grieving. Accidents happen to people like that. Soon... she'll be gone. And we'll have it all."
"Promise?"
"I promise. Just play along for now."
He thrust into her again, hard, and she screamed his name.
I backed away. My legs were shaking so badly I thought I would collapse.
I made it out of the building without being seen. I vomited in the alleyway, my body rejecting the horror of what I had just witnessed.
I went home. I ran upstairs to the master bedroom and tore open my jewelry box. The diamond necklace he gave me for our first anniversary. The sapphire earrings for my birthday. The emerald bracelet.
I shoved them all into a bag.
I looked at my left hand. The massive diamond solitaire that had once been the envy of all my friends. I wrenched it off my finger and threw it into the bag.
I drove to a pawn shop on the other side of town, a place where no one would recognize Mrs. Carlos Rivera. I sold everything. I walked out with a hundred thousand dollars in a thick envelope. It was enough to run. But not enough to save Mateo.
I needed help.
I thought of my father's old friends. Mr. Henderson? No, he was on the board. He would tell Carlos. Mrs. Vance? She was a gossip.
I had no one.
I sat in my car, the envelope of cash heavy in my lap. I scrolled through my contacts, desperate.
And then I saw it. A name I hadn't deleted in five years.
Leo.
I remembered hearing through a mutual friend that he had gone to law school after I left him. That he was a shark now. A criminal defense attorney who took on the cases no one else would touch.
I stared at the number. The guilt was a physical weight in my chest. I had broken his heart. I had chosen Carlos and his money and his power over Leo's gentle love.
But I had no choice.
I pressed call.
It rang. Once. Twice. Three times.
"Hello?"
His voice was deeper than I remembered. Rougher.
"Leo?" I whispered, tears springing to my eyes.
Silence. A long, heavy silence.
"Katerina?" he said finally. His tone was guarded, cold.
"It's me," I said, my voice breaking. "I... I know I have no right to call you. I know I hurt you. But... I'm in trouble, Leo. Bad trouble."
"I saw the news," he said. "About the accident. I'm sorry."
"It wasn't an accident," I said quickly. "Carlos did it. And he framed Mateo. He's going to kill me, Leo. I have no one else."
I heard him sigh on the other end.
"Please," I begged. "If you ever cared about me... if there is even a shred of that love left... can you help me? Can you help me get out of this marriage?"
"Katerina..."
"I'll do anything," I sobbed. "I'll pay you. I have cash. I'll sign whatever you want. Just... please. Help me destroy him."
