I was forced onto my knees before I even had a chance to explain.
The polished floor felt like ice beneath me. My arms were pinned behind my back while metal handcuffs dug painfully into my wrists.
"There was a spider!" I cried out, struggling against the officers. My throat felt torn raw from shouting. "I wasn't trying to hurt him! The spider was crawling on him!"
No one paid attention.
Not the police.
Not Miranda.
And certainly not Victor.
My husband stared down at me as though I disgusted him. Nearby, Miranda was clutching Theo protectively against her chest, sobbing dramatically while peeking at me through her tears.
"She came at him with her hand raised!" Miranda cried. "I saw it with my own eyes. She's completely unstable. Victor, she frightened my son!"
"That's not what happened!" I shouted.
My gaze darted desperately toward Victor.
"Please, just check Theo's arm. There may be a bite mark. I saw the spider crawling toward his neck. I was trying to get it off him."
Victor let out a humorless laugh.
"That's your excuse?"
His expression remained completely devoid of sympathy.
"You can't stand seeing another child alive while Caleb is gone."
The accusation struck me speechless.
"How could you even say that?"
"You resent Theo because he survived," Victor continued. "That's the truth."
Tears blurred my vision.
"No," I whispered. "I would never hurt a child. I swear it. I swear it on Caleb—"
His face darkened instantly.
"Don't use our son's name to defend yourself."
The venom in his voice made me flinch.
Victor turned toward the officers.
"Remove her from my property."
One of them shifted uneasily.
"Sir, perhaps we should investigate first—"
"I said take her away."
His roar echoed through the hallway.
"If you value your careers, you'll do exactly what I told you."
That ended the discussion.
The officers dragged me outside despite my protests.
I begged.
I pleaded.
I screamed for them to inspect Theo's arm.
Nobody cared.
A moment later I was shoved into the back seat of a police cruiser.
The door slammed shut.
The sound felt final.
Like another prison cell closing around me.
I spent the entire night behind bars.
The holding cell was filthy.
The stale odor of urine lingered in the air, mixed with hopelessness and neglect.
Curled up in the corner, I hugged my knees to my chest and shivered beneath the thin hospital gown.
Sleep never came.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Caleb.
His smile.
His laughter.
His tiny body lying motionless in that hospital bed.
Then the memories shifted.
The spider.
Miranda's screams.
The brief flash of satisfaction I'd glimpsed behind her crocodile tears.
They had planned everything perfectly.
And they had left me there to suffer alone.
Morning finally arrived.
The sound of keys rattling broke the silence.
A guard unlocked the cell door and glanced at me.
"You're being released."
I blinked.
"What?"
"Someone posted bail."
My stiff muscles protested as I pushed myself to my feet.
Outside, sunlight stabbed into my eyes.
Everything hurt.
My body.
My head.
My heart.
A sleek black sedan was parked near the curb.
The rear window slid down.
Victor sat inside.
His expression remained unreadable.
"Get in."
I stared at him.
Every instinct told me to turn around and run.
But where would I go?
My parents were gone.
My bank accounts had been frozen.
I had nowhere left to hide.
Slowly, I climbed into the car.
The journey back to the mansion passed in complete silence.
Neither of us spoke.
The tension inside the vehicle felt thick enough to choke on.
When we arrived, Miranda was already waiting outside.
She looked refreshed.
Perfect.
Not a trace of stress marred her appearance.
Dressed in flowing white fabric, she looked like innocence itself.
The moment I stepped out of the vehicle, she descended the front steps.
Victor emerged behind me.
"Tell her you're sorry."
I frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
He crossed his arms.
"You owe Miranda an apology."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"For what?"
His expression hardened.
"She's the reason you're standing here right now. She withdrew the complaint. If she hadn't, you'd still be sitting in a jail cell."
My gaze shifted toward Miranda.
She offered me a gentle smile.
The same smile that always hid poison beneath its sweetness.
"He's right," she said softly. "I convinced them not to pursue the matter further. You should be grateful."
The nerve of her.
"You know I didn't touch Theo."
My voice shook.
"I was trying to protect him."
Victor's patience snapped.
"Enough."
His tone cracked like a whip.
"Stop lying and apologize."
"No."
The answer came immediately.
Miranda's smile stiffened.
"Vivian," she said patiently, as though speaking to a difficult child. "Why are you making this harder than it needs to be?"
A bitter laugh escaped me.
Harder?
She had stolen my husband.
Her son was living with my child's heart.
And she expected gratitude.
"You destroyed my life."
Before I could stop myself, my hand moved.
The slap echoed loudly across the front lawn.
Miranda staggered sideways.
One hand flew to her cheek.
For a brief moment, shock replaced her carefully crafted innocence.
Then pain exploded across my scalp.
Victor had grabbed a fistful of my hair.
Before I could react, he jerked me backward.
A scream escaped my lips.
The next second, I was thrown onto the gravel driveway.
Sharp stones tore into my palms and knees.
"Have you completely lost your mind?"
Victor's voice thundered above me.
A brutal kick landed against my ribs.
Air rushed from my lungs.
I curled instinctively into myself.
"Victor!"
Miranda rushed forward.
Her voice overflowed with concern.
Or what she wanted everyone to believe was concern.
"Please stop."
She placed a hand on his arm.
"She's not thinking clearly. She's suffered a terrible loss."
Then she looked down at me.
Pity coated every word that followed.
"She's confused. That's all."
I wanted to laugh.
Or vomit.
Maybe both.
Victor's expression softened immediately as he looked at her.
The adoration in his eyes was unmistakable.
"You always see the best in people."
His voice gentled.
"Miranda, you're too kind."
Then he looked back at me.
All that warmth vanished.
Only hatred remained.
"If it weren't for her," he said coldly, "you'd already be out on the street."
I remained on the ground.
Dirt clung to my skin.
Tears rolled silently down my cheeks.
I felt hollow.
Completely hollow.
"Please."
My voice barely emerged above a whisper.
"Just let me leave."
Victor laughed.
"No."
The answer came instantly.
He crouched slightly, lowering his voice.
The threat in it chilled me.
"You're staying exactly where you are."
I looked up at him.
His expression was calculating.
Cruel.
"You've proven that I can't trust you anymore."
He adjusted his cufflinks before continuing.
"Since you can no longer behave like the lady of this house, you'll stop living as one."
A terrible feeling settled in my stomach.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying your position here has changed."
He straightened.
"Starting today, you'll work."
I stared at him.
"You'll clean this house."
My stomach dropped.
"You'll prepare meals."
The blood drained from my face.
"You'll handle whatever Miranda and Theo need."
The humiliation burned worse than any injury.
I could barely speak.
"You want me to become a servant?"
Miranda clasped her hands together.
"I think it could be beneficial."
The smile she gave me was unbearable.
"Hard work teaches discipline. Besides, it will keep your mind occupied instead of dwelling on things that never happened."
She tilted her head.
"Honestly, Vivian, where would you be right now if I hadn't shown you mercy?"
The weeks that followed were worse than any nightmare.
I scrubbed floors until my knees became raw and bloody.
I washed endless piles of dishes until the skin on my hands cracked.
I cooked meals I was never allowed to enjoy.
Every evening, Victor and Miranda sat together at my dining table while I stood nearby waiting to clear their plates.
They acted like husband and wife.
Like I no longer existed.
The cruelest part came after dinner.
Victor would turn on the television and force me to watch.
"Look closely," he'd say.
"See what a real family looks like."
The screen would fill with images of him and Miranda.
Charity events.
Galas.
Public appearances.
Photographers adored them.
In every picture, Victor had his arm wrapped possessively around her waist.
And Miranda wore jewelry that once belonged to me.
My diamonds.
My gifts.
My life.
At first, every image felt like another knife wound.
But gradually, something inside me began to change.
The sorrow never disappeared.
Neither did the grief.
Caleb remained in my thoughts every second of every day.
Yet fear slowly faded.
In its place, something stronger emerged.
Something colder.
Determination.
One evening, I rose from the floor where I'd been sitting and staring at the television.
The room was empty.
For once, nobody was watching me.
"I'm finished being afraid."
The words barely left my lips.
I crossed the room and opened the drawer where my mail was kept.
A large envelope waited inside.
It had arrived earlier that morning.
The return address belonged to a law firm.
My pulse quickened.
With trembling fingers, I tore it open.
A stack of legal documents slid into my hands.
My eyes immediately found the title.
Petition for Dissolution of Marriage.
For the first time in weeks, I smiled.
Elias had finally made his move.
And our revenge was officially beginning.
