The slap I gave Brielle cracked through the air like lightning splitting a storm.
She didn’t hesitate. Her hand flew back at me, stinging across my cheek, and suddenly we were grabbing, shoving, clawing — years of betrayal and humiliation erupting all at once into chaos.
“You don’t deserve a single thing in this world!” she spat, nails scraping at my forearm.
I pushed her away hard. “And you’re about to get exactly what you earned.”
Heavy footsteps thundered down the stairs.
“What is happening in here?!” Luther shouted, eyes wild.
Before I could even open my mouth, Brielle spun toward him, tears appearing out of nowhere as she stumbled dramatically into his arms.
“She attacked me!” she wailed, voice trembling like she’d practiced it. “I tried being kind, I tried helping her adjust, and she just— she hates me and Jaxon—”
“That’s a lie!” I yelled, rage burning up my throat.
It didn’t matter.
Luther’s stare turned venomous instantly. “You put hands on her again? After all she’s been through?!”
He didn’t wait for an answer. His hand struck my face once. Then again. My jaw snapped sideways with the force, but I remained standing — I wouldn’t give him tears again.
“You’re finished,” he hissed. “Go to your room. Lock yourself in and finish every detail for tomorrow’s investment pitch. If you screw this up, your father dies. Simple.”
They dragged me upstairs and locked the door — the click sharp, familiar, final.
But this time, I didn’t collapse. I didn’t crumble.
Instead, I opened my laptop, pulled out the flash drive, and reviewed the documents calmly. Then I typed a message with steady fingers.
Nikolai,
Enclosed are the investor files. Take them. Let him lose everything. He doesn’t deserve this company — I built half of it anyway.
His response came seconds later.
Always. Anything for you. See you tomorrow.
Hours passed before the door opened again. Brielle leaned casually against the frame, arms crossed.
“Oh good, you’re still up,” she said, bored. “Luther says you can come out. But don’t think it’s freedom.”
I didn’t budge. Didn’t speak.
A blur rushed past her — Jaxon. He was holding a juice box and a sandwich, both smeared with sticky fingerprints.
“Say hi,” Brielle chirped sweetly. “Your nanny is waiting.”
Before I could react, Jaxon hurled the sandwich straight into my chest. Ketchup smeared across my blouse like blood.
“You’re evil!” he shrieked. “I hate you!”
I blinked rapidly, swallowing the pain rising like smoke in my lungs.
Brielle gave a little shrug. “Kids are honest. Anyway— I need to review strategy with Luther. You watch him. That’s all you’re good for now.”
And with a final satisfied smirk, she vanished, laughter trailing after her like perfume.
That night, I stayed with their child — the child she weaponized against me — and waited for dawn with a quiet that unnerved even me.
Morning arrived like a blade.
Luther strutted out in a tailored charcoal suit, sharp and smug. “Everything prepared?”
“Yes,” I said, handing him the flash drive. “Your talking points and the presentation files are loaded.”
He snatched it. “Brielle and I are leaving first. Follow in the second car. The investors need perfection today — don’t ruin it.”
“Understood,” I replied, lips curling into something that only resembled a smile.
As soon as they were gone, I walked upstairs — not to pack, not to cry — but to breathe freely for the first time in years.
---
Third-person POV
Luther adjusted his cufflinks, confident, electric. Today would solidify his future.
Until he plugged in the flash drive.
Instead of graphs, color palettes, and projections — the speakers burst alive with breathy moans.
His.
Brielle’s.
Bodies tangled on a hotel bed.
Dates visible.
Angles undeniable.
“Sir?” a staff member peeked into the conference room, horrified. “We tried the backup file — it’s empty. Completely wiped.”
Another assistant rushed in, pale. “The investors… they left. They said they won’t associate with Velencia Group anymore.”
Luther’s jaw flexed so hard a vein pulsed. “Get Claire on the phone. Now.”
Calls. Texts. Panic.
Where are you? What did you do? Get back here immediately.
No reply.
Instead — an envelope delivered to his hands. Black. Elegant. Deadly.
Inside lay her resignation. And beneath it — divorce papers, already signed.
He roared, overturning the conference table, sending papers and laptops crashing.
“Find her! NOW! Check the gates! Call the drivers! MOVE!”
Minutes later, the butler returned, voice trembling.
“She’s gone, sir. She left the property hours ago.”
Luther’s eyes turned feral. “Cut off her father’s treatment. Let her crawl back to beg.”
Another call came immediately — from the hospital.
“We can’t. A special medical team collected him with legal authorization last night. He has a new sponsor. You no longer have access.”
His world began collapsing — violently, loudly, piece by piece.
And then Brielle burst through the doors, breathless, terrified.
“Luther!” she screamed, eyes wide with real panic for once. “Jaxon—he’s gone! Our son is gone!”
