I stared out the hospital window that night, watching the stars blink coldly back at me.
No calls. No texts. Not even a courtesy visit from my husband after our child had been murdered.
Kallus was probably tucked away with Hannah, playing happy family with their son while mine lay cold in the hospital morgue.
My fingers clutched the thin hospital blanket.
The emptiness inside me threatened to swallow me whole.
For a moment, I thought about how easy it would be to just... end it all. To escape this nightmare.
But no.
My baby deserved justice. If I died now, his murder would go unpunished. Kallus would win. I couldn't let that happen.
…
I watched the sky lighten from black to blue as morning arrived.
The door opened, and the doctor who had pronounced my son dead walked in, clipboard in hand.
"Mrs. Luma, how are you feeling this morning?"
"I want to leave."
He blinked, caught off guard. "I'd recommend at least two more days of rest and observation. The trauma you've experienced—"
I was already swinging my legs over the side of the bed. "I watched my son get murdered in front of me, doctor. Dealing with physical pain is easier than that."
"Mrs. Luma, please—"
"I'm leaving. Get me the discharge papers."
Twenty minutes later, I stood outside the hospital entrance in clothes a nurse had helped me find.
My body ached, but I ignored it. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found the number of Patricia Goldman, a lawyer I'd met at one of Kallus's corporate functions.
She answered on the third ring.
"Patricia, it's Donna Shaux. I need to file for divorce."
"Donna? I—this is unexpected. Are you sure—"
"I also want to file murder charges against my husband."
Silence stretched across the line.
"Murder?" Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"My newborn son was killed yesterday on Kallus's orders. I have no physical evidence yet, but I will get it. I heard him confess on a video call."
"Donna, these are extremely serious allegations—"
"I'll send you everything I gather in the next few days. Can you prepare the paperwork?"
Patricia's professional composure returned. "Of course. Once you send the evidence copies, I'll file everything immediately."
"Thank you."
I ended the call just as a sleek black car with tinted windows pulled up to the curb in front of me.
My stomach twisted as the driver's door opened and Kallus stepped out, a bouquet of white roses in his hand, his face arranged in an expression of grief.
Fake. Everything about him was fake.
He strode toward me, arms outstretched for a hug. I stepped back.
"Don't touch me. I'm still in pain."
He lowered his arms, his eyes narrowing for a split second before the concerned mask slipped back into place.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, darling. I got caught up with... work matters. The news about our son... I can't believe it." He reached for my hand.
"I promise I'll find the men who did this and make them pay."
I stared at him, keeping my face carefully blank.
The audacity of this monster, pretending to grieve for the child HE ordered to be killed.
"Okay."
My simple response threw him off. He stuttered slightly, then cleared his throat.
"Let's get you home. The car's waiting."
He guided me toward the vehicle, opening the back door rather than the passenger side where he usually wanted me to sit.
As I slid inside, I froze.
Hannah sat in the front passenger seat, her blonde hair perfectly styled, makeup flawless, not a hint of sleep deprivation or grief on her face.
"Hi, Donna." Her voice dripped with fake sympathy. "I'm so sorry for your loss."
I said nothing, turning to Kallus as he settled into the driver's seat.
"What is she doing here?"
Kallus glanced at me in the rearview mirror. "About that. Hannah will be moving in with us from now on. She's offered to help look after you while you recover."
I stared at them both, amazed by their audacity. They killed my child to protect their secret relationship, and now they were bringing it right into my home?
"No thanks. It's not necessary. She doesn't have to bother herself."
Hannah turned in her seat, her face a mask of concern. "But I care about you, Donna. I want to help."
Something snapped inside me. The image of my baby's tiny limbs going still flashed before my eyes.
"I don't care about that bitch! Go fuck yourself!"
The car went silent. Then Kallus's face transformed, his carefully cultivated mask falling away to reveal the monster beneath.
"Who said what you say matters?" he roared, slamming his hand against the steering wheel. "I call the shots here, and don't you dare shout at Hannah!"
I shrank back against the seat, genuinely shocked.
In five years of marriage, he'd never raised his voice at me like this—and certainly never in defense of another woman.
"She will be moving in, and that's final," he continued, his voice cold and controlled now.
"You're mentally unwell. I will not be taking your opinion into account."
Mentally unwell? After watching my child murdered on his orders?
Hannah caught my eye in the rear view mirror and smiled, it was a small, victorious smile that enraged me even more.
"You will listen to me, and only me," Kallus said, starting the engine. "You have no one else to go to, Donna. You couldn't protect our son. You can't even protect yourself. You're better off doing what I say."
I nodded meekly, lowering my eyes. "Yes, Kallus."
As the car pulled away from the hospital, I slipped my phone from my pocket and carefully, without drawing attention, snapped a photo of what I could see from my angle..
Kallus's hand resting possessively on Hannah's thigh.
Evidence.
This was going to be the first piece in the case I would build to destroy him.
