I refused to believe the stranger in the Maybach. Not entirely.
"Isaac is just blind," I muttered to myself as I pushed open the heavy mahogany door of my villa. "Tina manipulated him. He just needs to see the truth."
Tina stood in the foyer, wearing my favorite cashmere sweater. She froze, dropping a crystal vase. It shattered on the marble floor.
"Crystal!" Tina gasped. She shrank back against the wall, covering her mouth. Fake tears instantly welled in her eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Isaac rushed out of the kitchen. He wrapped his arm around Tina's waist, pulling her flush against him.
"What are you doing here?" Isaac snapped, glaring at me. "The hospital called. They said you ran away. You need to be in bed."
"I don't need a bed, Isaac," I said, marching toward them. "I need an explanation."
I slammed the thick manila envelope onto the glass console table. "I know everything. Read it. She’s been playing you. She’s playing both of us."
Tina buried her face in Isaac’s chest. "Make her stop, Isaac! She’s having another episode. She keeps saying we’re sleeping together. Now she thinks I want her shares. I’m so scared."
"Stop lying!" I screamed, pointing toward the living room. "I saw you on the couch last night! I heard you talking about my company!"
"You were hallucinating," Isaac said calmly. "The doctors warned me this might happen."
"I was not hallucinating! You told her you were going to ruin me!"
Isaac didn't even glance at the papers. He snatched the envelope and ripped it in half. He tore it again, tossing the shreds into the air. The pieces fluttered to the floor like dirty snow.
"What are you doing?" I lunged forward, trying to catch the falling papers. "That was the proof!"
He shoved me back. His large hands hit my shoulders hard. "Stop this insanity, Crystal. You’ve completely lost your mind."
"That file proves you two have been together for five years!" I yelled, my voice cracking. "It proves she killed my mother!"
Tina let out a dramatic sob. "Isaac, she's accusing me of murder now! Call someone. Please!"
"You have severe paranoia," Isaac said, his tone turning to ice. "I already filed the paperwork with the court this morning. You are medically unfit to manage Dawson Enterprises."
My stomach dropped. "You can't do that. I own fifty-one percent."
"Not anymore. A judge granted me emergency conservatorship over your assets."
"He had no right!"
"He had every right," a new voice echoed through the hallway.
I spun around. My father, Arthur, stood in the open doorway. Two large men in white scrubs flanked him.
"Dad, tell him!" I pleaded, rushing toward Arthur. "Tell him he can't take my company. They are stealing everything!"
Arthur adjusted his cuffs, refusing to meet my gaze. "I signed the medical certificate myself, Crystal. You need serious psychiatric help."
"No." I backed away, my chest tightening. "You’re in on this. You knew about them. You want Tina to have my shares."
"You are sick," Arthur stated flatly. "Your mother suffered from the same delusions before she died. I won't let you destroy this family."
"I am not sick! I am your daughter!"
"Restrain her," Arthur ordered the men.
The orderlies lunged. Rough hands gripped my wrists, twisting my arms behind my back.
"Let go of me!" I thrashed, kicking my legs. My shoe connected with one man's shin, but he didn't flinch.
A needle pierced my upper arm. A cold burn spread through my veins.
My knees buckled. I slumped against the orderly, the room spinning.
Isaac stepped forward. He held a clipboard, quickly scribbling his signature on the bottom line.
"Come back when you're normal," Isaac said.
He dropped the pen onto my chest. He reached out and laced his fingers through Tina's.
"Let's go home, baby," Isaac whispered to her.
"Thank you for protecting me," Tina cooed, leaning her head on his shoulder.
They turned and walked toward the living room, never looking back. Not even when I screamed his name.
The edges of my vision darkened. The last thing I saw was the torn paternity test scattered across the floor.
***
The next four days blurred into a nightmare of locked doors and forced pills.
"Swallow it," the nurse demanded, holding a small paper cup to my lips.
"I am not crazy," I said, clenching my jaw. "My husband is stealing my company. Call my lawyer."
"Paranoid delusions," the doctor muttered, writing on a chart. "Patient believes family members are conspiring against her. Increase the dosage."
"Check the security cameras at my house!" I yelled at the doctor. "Ask my assistant for the board meeting minutes! Just make one phone call!"
"Restrain her," the doctor sighed.
"Don't touch me!" I screamed as two nurses grabbed my shoulders.
They pinned me down onto the stiff mattress. They forced the pills down my throat, holding my nose until I had to swallow. The bitter taste coated my tongue.
Every time I spoke the truth, they marked it as a psychotic break. My husband, my father, and my sister had locked me in a cage to steal my life. My hope turned to ash. I stopped speaking entirely. I just stared at the blank white wall, waiting for the drugs to pull me under.
A loud crash outside my room shattered the silence.
Heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor. Voices overlapped in a panicked frenzy.
"Sir, you can't go in there!" a nurse yelled.
"Watch me," a deep voice replied.
The metal door swung open, slamming against the wall.
The hospital director scrambled into the room, sweating profusely. He bowed his head repeatedly toward the doorway.
Evan stepped inside.
He wore a crisp black suit today, the jacket unbuttoned. His icy blue eyes scanned the barren room before locking onto me. He held a thick stack of legal documents.
"What is the meaning of this?" I croaked, my throat raw from days of screaming.
Evan tossed the papers onto my narrow cot. "From now on, I own this hospital. No one can lock you up anymore."
The director wrung his hands. "Mr. Evan, we didn't know she was affiliated with you. The Dawson family paid us to—"
"Get out," Evan interrupted, not breaking eye contact with me.
The director hesitated. "But her father has legal guardianship—"
Evan turned his head slightly. "If you are still standing in this room in three seconds, I will buy your medical license and shred it."
The director fled, pulling the door shut behind him.
Evan stepped closer. He reached down and unbuckled the heavy leather strap pinning my left wrist to the bed rail. He moved to the right side and freed my other arm.
I rubbed my chafed skin, staring at the red marks. "Why are you doing this? You don't even know me."
"Because you've shed enough tears for people who aren't worth it," Evan said. His gaze darkened, sharp and dangerous. "I will help you take back your company. I will help you crush them."
I stared at him. The betrayal still burned in my chest, but looking at Evan, a new fire ignited. "What do you want in return? Men like you don't do favors for free."
"You are absolutely right," he said, extending his hand. "You just need to agree to work with me. We share a common enemy."
I looked at the open door. Freedom. Revenge.
I didn't hesitate this time.
I placed my hand in his. "Okay," I said, my voice steadying. "I'll go with you."
Evan’s fingers closed around mine, pulling me up from the mattress.
"Good," he murmured. "Because your husband is currently hosting a press conference to announce your permanent institutionalization. And we are going to crash it."
