The room was filled with shouting when I walked in. Adrian’s voice cut sharp through the air.
“How could you do this, Vivienne?” he roared. “You sent the police? To arrest Seraphine?”
I clenched my hands, fighting to stay calm. “She tried to kill me, Adrian! What was I supposed to do—thank her?”
Before he could respond, my father’s voice sliced through the chaos. “Enough!” Cold, firm, commanding. He stood by the window, arms crossed, disappointment etched into every line of his face. “Do you realize what you’ve done? This is a scandal, Vivienne. People are already talking. Seraphine is willing to apologize, and you—”
“Apologize?” I whispered, disbelief choking me. “She almost strangled me to death.”
He shot me a look sharp enough to cut. “And yet she’s the reasonable one. Learn from her, Vivienne. Don’t make this worse than it already is.”
I turned to him, chest tight. “Dad, she—”
“Not another word,” he snapped. “You’re going to end this. No more police. No more drama.”
Seraphine, standing beside Adrian, sniffled delicately, a fake bandage wrapped around her wrist. Her eyes glistened with well-practiced tears.
“Vivienne,” she said weakly, “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was just scared. I… I lost control.”
I clenched my fists, suppressing a scream.
My father’s gaze hardened. “Hear that? She’s apologizing. Now, you do the same.”
“I—”
“Now, Vivienne.”
Something inside me gave up. Tired. Exhausted. Sick of being cast as the villain in their story. I nodded slowly. “Fine. I’ll apologize.”
Adrian’s expression softened slightly, though his voice remained cold. “Good. You’ll apologize to her—and to Elias.”
“Elias?” My voice cracked.
“Yes,” he said. “You scared him. He saw you and Seraphine fighting. He won’t stop crying. He thinks you’re dangerous.”
My throat tightened. “Adrian, that’s not fair—”
“Enough,” he interrupted again. “You’ll do it.”
So I did. Seraphine sat on the couch, pretending to be fragile. Elias sat beside her, little arms crossed, face cold.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly. “For everything that happened.”
Seraphine nodded, eyes lowered like the saint she pretended to be. “It’s alright, Vivienne. We all make mistakes.”
Elias glared at me. “Fine,” he muttered. Then, he picked up a pillow and threw it at me. “But I still hate you!”
“Elias!” Adrian barked.
I didn’t react. The pillow landed at my feet. I forced a faint smile. “It’s okay,” I whispered. “I understand.”
When they left, the silence of the house pressed down on me, heavier than ever.
That night, my phone buzzed with a message from my father.
Dad: It’s an act. I believe you. Don’t worry — I’ll handle the divorce. Go home to your mother. I sent Adrian and Seraphine on a business trip. You can leave while they’re gone.
I stared at the message for a long moment before a single tear slipped down my cheek. Relief—quiet, soft, almost unbelievable—flooded me. For the first time in months, my father believed me. He finally saw the truth.
Two days later, the doctor discharged me. Adrian arrived, flowers in hand, charm in full force.
“Vivienne,” he said softly, “I’m sorry. I was angry, emotional. The business… it’s been hard lately.”
I stared at the red roses—the same ones he had given me the first time he lied.
He placed them on the bedside table and reached for my hand. “Please, let’s start over. I’ll focus on work. You can take care of Elias for now. He needs you.”
I nodded faintly. “Alright.”
He smiled, pressed a kiss to my forehead. “That’s my wife.”
But in my heart, I knew he wasn’t. Not really.
Then I saw her. Seraphine. Waiting in the hallway, arms crossed, expression smug and cold.
“So,” she said softly, venom in her voice, “you’re really still here.”
I didn’t answer. I just stared at her, tired, empty.
She smirked. “Once I come back from this trip, you better not be here anymore.” Leaning closer, her perfume sharp, heavy: “If I find you still breathing the same air as me, I’ll make you regret it.”
I met her eyes, calm, hollow smile forced onto my lips. “Yeah. Sure. You won’t have to see me again.”
Seraphine straightened, satisfied with the fear she thought she’d planted. “Good,” she said, brushing imaginary dust from her coat. “Next time, I won’t be so patient.”
That night, I made the call.
Two nights later, the plan unfolded quietly. The hospital issued a false report: Elias Calder, deceased. Kidney failure.
But Elias wasn’t gone. He slept in my arms, small and safe, wrapped in a blanket, unaware of the chaos we’d left behind. My mother had arranged everything—forged documents, private jet, new identity.
Because if they thought they could be happy with me gone, they were wrong. I would take my son with me.
As the plane ascended, city lights fading below, my heart ached—not from betrayal this time, but from the bittersweet relief of freedom.
Outside the window, the sky stretched wide, endless. A new beginning painted in gold and gray.
Meanwhile, back in the city, Adrian stormed into the hospital room where Elias’s bed should have been. His face drained of color, voice trembling.
“Where’s my son?” he demanded.
The nurse’s voice shook. “I’m sorry, Mr. Calder… he… he didn’t make it.”
