CHAPTER THREE
Sara
Blackwood Industries hadn't changed.
The glass skyscraper still towered over the city like it owned the skyline, its polished exterior reflecting the morning sun until it almost looked untouchable. Employees hurried through the revolving doors with takeaway coffees and leather briefcases.
I stepped out of the black sedan and adjusted the sleeve of my cream blazer before closing the door behind me. My heels clicked against the pavement with deliberate confidence.
People stared, the news of Damien's ghost wife already circulating. I smiled bitterly. Let them whisper. People had whispered at my funeral too. The revolving doors parted, cool air rushed over my skin as I stepped into the marble lobby. The receptionist behind the front desk looked up automatically, offering the practiced smile reserved for visitors. The smile disappeared almost instantly. Her eyes widened. "Mrs... Mrs. Blackwood?"
I removed my sunglasses slowly, hooking them onto the neckline of my blouse. "I see you still remember me, Vanessa." Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
Three years ago, Vanessa had never bothered hiding how much she disliked me. To her, I was nothing more than the ordinary woman who had somehow convinced the city's most eligible billionaire to marry her. It used to bother me. Vanessa finally found her voice but I was already walking past her. "Mr. Blackwood is in a board meeting."
"That's fine."
"You'll need an appointment."
"No, I won't." I laughed.
She hurried around the reception desk, placing herself directly in my path. "You can't just walk into the CEO's office."
I looked at her. Just long enough for her confidence to begin crumbling. "Move."
The single word landed between us with surprising weight. Then, she stepped aside. I smiled as I walked past her. "Good decision." Behind me, I heard her scrambling for the telephone. No doubt to warn him. Perfect. The executive floor was exactly as I remembered. . Everything screamed Damian. As I approached the double doors leading to the boardroom, voices drifted through the thick wood. "...the Carter merger will stabilize the international expansion."
I didn't bother knocking. The doors swung open. Silence fell instantly. Every head turned toward me. Around the long conference table sat nearly twenty executives, all frozen in varying degrees of disbelief. And at the head of the table...Damian.
He looked up in front of him. His eyes locked onto mine, and for a long moment neither of us moved. His gaze drifted over me slowly the way he always used to do, some things never changed.
My husband had the power to strip me naked with his gaze no matter where we were. His eyes lingered on my face, studying every familiar feature and then something flickered across his expression. I folded my arms. "Finished staring?"
A few executives exchanged uncomfortable glances. Damien blinked once, suddenly aware of our surroundings. "Everyone out." Chairs scraped across the polished floor as executives gathered laptops and files with almost comical urgency.
He was the first to speak. Sara..." His voice cracked on my name. "How are you alive?..." He rubbed a hand over his face. " And yesterday, you just disappeared again, I searched for you everywhere."
I let out a quiet laugh. "You looked for me?" He nodded. "And was this before your wedding night..." I looked him up and down."... or after?" He took a step towards me. "I didn't marry her." I scoffed, taking another step back before he trapped me again. "Well, you should have, after all she seems like your type."
His eyes never left mine. "Where have you been?"
I ignored him. Instead, I wandered casually around the boardroom, trailing my fingertips across the back of one leather chair before stopping beside the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. "The view is still impressive." I said.
"Sara." The warning in his voice only made me smile. He came even closer. "Answer me."
I turned to face him. "You have some nerve to even ask me that!" I said, exasperated.
"I've been somewhere you couldn't finish the job."
His composure cracked, he was angry now. In one swift motion, he stormed towards me, realizing I wouldn't step back again, he stopped himself. "Enough." "I never tried to kill you." I laughed again.
Hearing him deny it was almost insulting. "You really expect me to believe that?"
"We ended badly." He swallowed. "Worse than badly." "But I would never try to hurt you. Never, you have to believe me." He looked distressed. "And did you believe me, when I begged and cried that I was telling you the truth?" His expression darkened.
"Even now, you still wouldn't believe me, so why should I, huh?." I pointed a finger at him. "My father died believing his only daughter had burned to death."
He lowered his head, closing his eyes for the briefest moment. "I know. I was there."
"Don't you dare pretend you cared." I swallowed the lump rising in my throat. "I wasn't there for his last moments, because I was stuck at a hospital with tubes and wires sticking out of me."
"I'm sorry." He said quietly.
I smiled bitterly moving out of his way once again. "If you think I'm here because I want an apology..." I shook my head slowly.
"...then you've learned nothing about me."
He frowned. "Then why are you here?" I held his gaze for several long seconds.
"To watch you lose everything." His breathing hitched. "And this time..." I picked up my sunglasses from the table and slid them back on. "I'll make sure you're alive to see it."
Without another word, I turned and walked toward the door. My heels echoed through the silent boardroom. I didn't look back. I could feel his eyes following me all the way out. Outside, the elevator doors closed, shutting out Blackwood Industries and the man I'd once believed I could build a life with. Only then did I allow myself a slow breath. The revenge had begun. But the truth was... Walking back into his life had hurt far more than I'd expected. Because despite everything... A small, foolish part of me had hated seeing the confusion in his eyes. It almost looked genuine. I closed my eyes briefly as the elevator descended. No. I wasn't here to question myself.
Three years ago, that explosion had taken more than my marriage. It had taken my father. My home. My identity. Everything I had ever called mine. Someone had made sure the world believed Sara Blackwood died in that fire. And for three years... I had let them believe it. Now... The waiting was over. All that was left was revenge.
