When my eyes opened again, the ceiling wavered above me, blurred and shifting. My body felt impossibly heavy, my limbs trembling so violently I could barely move. Even lifting a finger felt like a monumental effort, as if my bones might snap with the slightest motion. But I forced myself. I had no choice.
With every scrap of strength left, I stretched toward the nightstand. My hand shook uncontrollably, nearly dropping the phone, but I clutched it tightly enough to dial the one number that could change everything.
The line rang once. Twice. Then a calm, familiar voice answered. “Ms. Valeria?”
I swallowed, my throat raw, my voice almost a whisper. “Transfer everything. Every asset. All the money in my name… send it to Dominic.”
A sharp intake of breath followed. “Dominic? Are you certain? And your brothers? Victor? This is—”
“They’ll manage,” I rasped, forcing the words out through the burning ache in my chest. “Father left them more than enough. But everything under me—my inheritance, all of it—goes to Dominic. If I leave this world, I’ll make sure they feel the loss too. Not just me. All of them. That’s the last gift I can give.”
“Valeria…” His hesitation was heavy, almost pleading. “Once this is done, it can’t be undone.”
“Do it,” I said. My fingers loosened around the phone, and it slipped from my trembling hands, clattering to the floor. I couldn’t bend to retrieve it even if I wanted to.
The door creaked open.
“What’s going on?” Adrian’s sharp, suspicious voice cut through the silence. He bent down and snatched the phone. “Who’s Dominic?”
Leo followed behind him, his face twisted with rage. “Are you calling another man while lying sick in bed? Cheating on Victor?”
I tried to speak, to explain. “It’s not—”
But Victor appeared then, his shadow swallowing the room. His gaze locked on me, piercing and cold. “Who is Dominic?”
I shook my head weakly. “Nothing. Just… nothing.”
“She’s lying,” Leo hissed.
Adrian smirked, indifferent. “Doesn’t matter. She’s fragile. Let her eat for now—we’ll get what we need later.”
“No…” I whispered, pushing against the weight pressing me down. “I can’t… I’m too weak…”
They didn’t care.
Leo shoved a stack of papers toward me. “Sign these. Hospital forms. Don’t bother reading.”
I blinked, vision hazy, but I could still make out the words—the inheritance transfer, the legal clauses my father always warned me to watch. They thought I was helpless.
Fine. I picked up the pen with trembling hands and signed. Because I knew already—Dominic had everything. Whatever they tried to claim would be gone.
Victor leaned down, brushing his lips mockingly against my forehead. “Good girl. Rest now. Once you’re strong again, the wedding will happen.”
A wedding? With him? I almost laughed. He could starve me, bleed me dry, try to break me—but he would never have me willingly.
The day passed in a blur of exhaustion until I managed to rise. I asked the nurse where Marcella was. She pointed toward the east wing.
I found her on her bed, eyes wide, innocence painted on her face. “Valeria! You shouldn’t be up. Are you okay? I never—”
“Spare me,” I croaked, my voice raw but sharp with anger. “I’m not here for your lies. I came to say goodbye.”
Before she could respond, I lifted the glass of water in my hand and flung it at her.
Her scream rang out, hands clawing at her soaked hair. “You—how dare you!”
I didn’t hesitate. I slapped her across the face. The sharp crack echoed, and for the first time, I felt no remorse.
I turned and ran. Her screams followed me.
“Adrian! Leo! Victor! She—she attacked me!”
Footsteps thundered behind me. Victor’s voice shouted my name, but I didn’t stop.
“Punish her!” Marcella shrieked. “Stop her!”
My legs wobbled, but adrenaline carried me. I burst through the front door into the street. A taxi slowed just in time, and I was about to climb in when a familiar, steady hand gripped mine.
I froze. “Dominic?”
He smiled, small but determined, eyes blazing. “I’ve got you. Let’s go.”
He opened the door, guiding me inside. My heart pounded as the city lights blurred behind us. We drove fast, away from the screaming house, away from Victor, my brothers, Marcella.
Hours later, the lights of a private airstrip appeared. A plane waited, engines humming.
Dominic squeezed my hand as he helped me onto the steps. “From this moment, Valeria, no one will ever hurt you again.”
I took a steady breath, pulling out my phone. I stared at the unanswered calls, the unread messages. Then, finally, I pulled the SIM card and tossed it into the night.
---
Victor’s POV
“She slapped me!” Marcella shrieked. “She threw water at me! I told you she’d do this one day!”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, fighting the headache creeping behind my eyes. Everything was spiraling.
Adrian and Leo muttered angrily in the corner about Valeria’s defiance.
“Enough,” I snapped. “We’ll handle this.”
“She’s weak before,” Adrian said, “we should’ve drained more blood when we had the chance.”
Leo clenched his jaw. “She can’t have gone far. We’ll find her.”
I turned to the butler, nervous by the doorway. “Where is she? Did you see where she went?”
Marcella buried her face in her hands. “She hates me. She’ll ruin everything, Victor! You have to stop her!”
Then footsteps pounded the floor. The butler returned, ashen, sweat dripping from his brow.
“Sir…” His voice trembled. “I just received a call. From the highway patrol.”
“What?” My stomach dropped.
He swallowed hard. “There’s been… an accident. Miss Valeria… she… she’s dead. She jumped off the bridge…”
