“I know I made mistakes,” Felicia sobbed, “but did you really have to kill my baby, Katie? Was your hatred that strong?”
“What? No! I didn’t touch you!” My voice cracked, desperate, but it was drowned out by her pitiful wails.
Victor turned on me. “Have you seen what just happened?!” His voice thundered, echoing off the walls. “You would go this far?!”
“I didn’t kill her baby!” I screamed, tears burning my eyes. “I didn’t even lay a finger on her—”
The sharp sting of his hand cut my words short. My head snapped to the side, the taste of blood filling my mouth.
“You don’t deserve anything!” Victor’s voice shook with rage. “I regret marrying you. I regret helping you. I wish you would just die!”
I touched my stinging cheek, trembling. The words sliced me deeper than his slap ever could. For a moment, the pain in my chest eclipsed everything else.
I lifted my gaze, my voice low but steady. “I will. Soon.”
His expression flickered, but only for a heartbeat. Then he turned away, gathering Felicia into his arms.
She leaned into him, her tears soaking his shirt, while he kissed her hair and whispered promises. They left together, the door closing with a finality that rang louder than any scream.
Silence devoured the room. What was left for me now?
Hours passed, the estate eerily quiet. No one came back. But the lock clicked, and Victor’s men entered, their eyes cold, movements mechanical.
“The boss said you’re not to leave this room,” one of them muttered.
“Why?” My voice was hoarse.
“He said… you’re still going to get that kidney transplant tomorrow.” His tone was flat, as though rehearsed. “He can’t let you die easily. You need to suffer first… for what you did to Felicia and the baby.”
My heart stopped.
The men shut the door, locking it behind them. I pressed my back against the wall, my mind spinning, my body shaking. So this was it—my prison. I was nothing more than a vessel for pain.
I didn’t know how long I cried that night, only that by dawn, my body was empty.
The next day, they dragged me out, weak and exhausted, barely able to walk. My wrists trembled against their grip as they shoved me into the car.
“Hospital,” one of them said.
The engine roared to life, the scenery blurring outside the tinted windows. My chest tightened with dread. My fate was sealed. Victor wanted me alive, but only long enough to break me piece by piece.
But halfway down the road, the car jolted violently to a stop. The driver cursed, slamming on the brakes.
“What the hell—”
Before they could react, the door beside me yanked open. Sunlight flooded in and standing there was a man I hadn’t seen in years.
“Come on,” he said, his voice steady, urgent. “I’m here to pick you up.”
My heart stumbled. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming. “Nick…?”
His eyes softened briefly, but his jaw remained tight. “We don’t have time. Move.”
Before I could answer, he tossed my phone out the window. It shattered against the pavement. Moments later, we were at the airstrip. Nick helped me up the stairs, his hand never leaving mine.
As the cabin door shut, the plane rumbled forward, leaving behind everything I had ever known.
Victor’s POV
Felicia leaned against me. “Why not let her die, Victor? Why waste time with this kidney transplant when she killed our baby! She deserves nothing less than death.”
“No,” I muttered, my jaw clenched. “Death is too easy for her. I want her to suffer,” I said flatly. “Every breath she takes will remind her of the pain she caused you. And more than that, I still need her name. The company isn’t fully under my control yet. Her signature, her presence—it matters. Until then, she breathes. But only to endure.”
I downed the drink in one swallow and set the glass down with a sharp thud. “And I’ll make sure her suffering never ends. I’ll stop her mother’s treatments—let her rot with disease. When Katie wakes up, she’ll feel death pressing in from all sides. That will break her.”
But when I went to the hospital later that day, everything began to unravel.
“Stop the treatments for Mrs. Evans,” I ordered coldly.
The doctor looked at me strangely, hesitation flickering across his face. “Mr. Jones, there’s nothing to stop. Katie's mother passed away days ago. We did everything we could, but… she’s gone.”
I froze. But before I could gather myself, the doctor continued. “And as for Mrs. Katie, there will be no kidney transplant today. She cancelled it herself. She said… she wanted to die.”
My throat tightened. Cancelled?
Before I could demand more, the door burst open. My butler stumbled inside, his face pale with panic. “Sir, something’s happened!”
I straightened immediately, my heart pounding. “What is it?”
“It’s… it’s Mrs. Katie.” His voice shook. “The car, there was an accident. It crashed. And—” he faltered, lowering his head. “It seems Miss Katie… is dead.”
