“T-Therese?” His voice cracked the air like a bone.
He stood there in the doorway, keys in hand, an expensive coat still draped over his arm. For a split second, Dominic looked like a man who’d seen a ghost.
I didn’t move. I wanted him to feel it. The weight of seeing me breathing. The last time he saw me, I was unconscious in a burning car. I was helpless but he left me there. Ruthless.
“You’re not…” he stepped forward slowly. “You’re—how are you—?”
“Alive,” I said. “Surprised to see the woman you killed on our supposed anniversary?”
He stared at me like the word tasted wrong in his mouth. “They told me there were no survivors.”
“You mean—you told them to stop looking for me.”
He didn’t deny it. Silence wrapped the room in something cold and sharp. He dropped his coat on a nearby chair. His hands trembled slightly. I placed my palm flat on the documents laid on the table.
“These are yours. Divorce. Resignation. Both signed on my end.”
“You came back just for this?” he asked, smirking.
I tilted my head. “No, Dominic. I came back to give you the ending you wanted. Just not the one you planned.”
He walked toward me, slow, calculated. The charm still coated every move, like cologne over rot.
“I didn’t want to hurt you,” he said. “Things got complicated.”
“Complicated?” I let out a small laugh. “You paid off my medical records. Staged my death. And got engaged to Isabelle Tan while the ink on my death certificate was still drying.”
“You were never supposed to be in that car—”
“Stop lying.”
He flinched.
“I was the easy solution, wasn’t I?” I continued. “The quiet wife. The invisible one. The one who wouldn’t scream.” I stepped closer. “But here I am…Breathing and alive.”
His expression tightened. He looked down at the divorce papers, then back at me. “Do you know what will happen if this gets out?”
“Of course,” I said, chuckling. “Your empire burns. Your engagement collapses. And everyone finally sees who you really are.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
I smiled, sharp as glass. “I didn’t survive a car crash just to whisper.”
He grabbed the documents, flipping through the pages. “You really think you can walk away clean?”
“No,” I said. “But I can walk away free.” I turned toward the door. “You owe me, Dominic. But I’m not here to collect.”
His voice chased after me. “Wait. Therese…Please don’t do this…”
I paused in the doorway.
“I’ll sign them,” he said, quieter. “But you need to understand—none of this was personal.”
That was the moment I knew he still didn’t get it.
“You set me on fire,” I whispered. “That’s as personal as it gets.”
Then I walked out.
Let him sit in the ashes.
Because it's payback time!
