Chapter 1Five months pregnant, my bestie pushed me down the stairs. I lost the baby.
My brother sued her—then got framed and thrown in prison.
In despair, I turned to my husband Quinn for help. Instead, I overheard him with his lawyer:
"Once he's locked up, Vanessa will drop the charges for Wendy."
"I'll make it up to her later. She'll never know the truth."
I staggered back.
The man I thought was my savior was actually the one dragging my family to hell!
He threw my brother in jail for her, completely ignoring the fact that she's the one who killed our baby!
Perfect, just too perfect.
I pulled out my phone. Texted my father.
"Dad, I'm in. I'll go with you. But I have one condition: I want you to tear Quinn Enterprises apart!"
Quinn, you thought you were all I had?
I have it ALL!
Hell is waiting, bastards!
---
Inside, Ethan Quinn and the lawyer were still at it.
I muted my phone and waited for my father's reply.
"But isn't this a bit much? Wendy was her best friend, yet for her sake, you let your own kid die and threw her brother in the slammer. If she finds out, I don't think she'll ever drop the lawsuit."
The lawyer actually sounded like he felt sorry for me.
Ethan's face remained dead calm, but his words cut like a goddamn knife.
"I'm not giving her another chance to sue. If Vanessa refuses to drop the case and film that video, then I guess her mother will have to 'voice some concerns' from her hospital bed."
What Ethan said made my heart stop!
My mother had been in a car accident the very day Ethan and I tied the knot.
She's been in a coma ever since. There was no way she could tell me anything.
What the hell did Ethan mean by that?
I felt like I'd been dunked in ice water.
A second later, my father called me.
I glanced at Ethan and the lawyer through the door one last time and slipped away.
My father was silent for a long beat after he picked up.
Just as my nerves were about to snap, he finally spoke.
"Vanessa, I'm so glad you're finally coming home. I've been looking for the three of you ever since your mother left me. Our family business was hit with a crisis back then, and by the time I realized what was happening, she'd already disappeared with you and Caleb."
There was nothing but regret in his voice.
I remembered those days, too.
I was six when we left. I still have flashes of that time.
Mom left because Dad screwed up.
Before Ethan, I didn't trust any man except my brother.
Then Ethan came along, and I became besties with his childhood friend, Wendy Vance.
And he chased me for three whole years.
In the end, I caved. I let him in.
I never thought the man I picked so carefully would end up stabbing me in the back.
Thinking about it made me shake like a leaf.
I forced myself to pull it together and told my father, "I can't forgive you on Mom's behalf for what happened back then. You know the state she's in. I need your help. In exchange, I'll agree to that merger-marriage you wanted. Just help me take down Quinn Enterprises and get Caleb out of jail."
That's when my father realized what was going on, and he sounded pissed.
"I only looked for another match because I knew Ethan wasn't a man you could count on. I didn't want to force you into a marriage. This is on me. I had no idea he'd sink this low."
"I'll come get you as soon as I can. But what about your marriage with Ethan? What's the play?"
My father agreed right away.
I looked at the study just down the hall, the truth ringing in my ears.
A moment later, I heard my own voice, cold as ice: "Give me seven days. I'm going to divorce Ethan and give him a lesson he'll never forget!"
Right then, I heard noise coming from the study.
Before I could duck away, Ethan caught me red-handed.
He looked at me with that gentle gaze, but there was a flicker of suspicion in his eyes.
"Vanessa? What are you doing here?"
Chapter 2
He stepped forward to help me up, acting all concerned, but I could see the doubt lurking in his eyes.
"I just came downstairs. I wanted to talk about Caleb."
I swallowed my rage and acted like I hadn't heard a thing.
The lawyer took the hint and scurried out of the villa.
Ethan looked relieved to see him go.
"Honey, I talked to the lawyer about Caleb, but..."
He trailed off, putting on a troubled face.
I gave him a look, feeling a wave of misery, and asked in a raspy voice:
"What is it? Is it bad?"
Ethan frowned but forced a smile.
"The evidence against him is rock-solid. Even with the best lawyers, I can't find a way out. Plus, Wendy had someone send us a warning. She said if you keep pushing this lawsuit, she'll cut off the funding for your mom's meds and kick her out of the hospital."
Ethan grabbed my arm as he spoke, like he was worried I'd collapse.
A sharp pain hit my chest, and I couldn't help but snap at him.
"Is Wendy really that powerful? More powerful than a top New York conglomerate like yours?"
Ethan's face stiffened for a split second before he let out a bitter laugh.
"Honey, the company hasn't been doing great lately. I'm stuck. It's my fault. But if you keep suing, god knows how much more Caleb and your mom will suffer. Losing the baby kills me too, but could you just drop the charges and film a quick video saying it was an accident? I'm at my wit's end here."
Ethan had never played the victim before me.
No matter what happened in the past, he'd always handled it on his own.
I'd never seen him act like this.
But I knew for a fact that Quinn Enterprises was doing just fine!
This whole "weak" act was just to get me to drop the case and protect his little sweetheart!
How could he be so damn cruel?
I stared straight into his eyes.
Ethan's mask was perfect. He even covered his face like he was in pain.
If I hadn't overheard the truth earlier, I would've been played like a fiddle and agreed to everything.
But now...
I forced the words out.
"Is it really that bad? Ethan, Wendy killed our child. Do you really want me to just let it go?"
I was shaking.
A flash of guilt crossed his eyes, but a second later, he didn't hesitate.
"Vanessa, I want justice for our baby as much as you do, but we have to think about Caleb and your mom first."
"I swear, as soon as we're in a better spot, I'll make her pay for our baby. Vanessa, please, just listen to me on this, okay?"
He handed me the phone, trying to charm me.
"When you record the video, just say you tripped. Say Wendy was just trying to catch you."
I saw the desperation in his eyes.
I finally saw it clearly. In Ethan's world, my brother, my mom, and even our unborn baby combined didn't mean as much to him as Wendy.
I closed my eyes in total despair and said hoarsely, "Fine. I'll drop the charges and film the video. But not for seven days."
The happy look on Ethan's face froze instantly.
"Why seven days?"
I touched my belly and let out a sad, bitter laugh.
"Because I want to give our baby a week. I want to mourn properly before I lie for her."
Seeing the look on my face, Ethan actually looked a little guilty.
"Fine. Seven days it is."
He pulled me into his arms.
His hug was still warm, but I didn't feel safe anymore. Not even a little.
Chapter 3
The next morning, as soon as I opened my eyes, Ethan dragged me to the county jail.
My brother, Caleb, was being held there, waiting for a sentence that was still up in the air.
Ethan brushed my hair back with this gentle touch, his eyes overflowing with what looked like pure devotion.
"Vanessa, promise me you won't lose it when you see him, okay? I just need you to see what Caleb's been going through these past few days."
His words sent a sudden chill down my spine. I had a really bad feeling about this.
Before I could even ask what was going on, Caleb appeared, limping painfully toward the glass.
I had never seen my brother look so broken.
His clothes were so filthy you couldn't even tell what color they used to be. His arms, his knees—basically every inch of visible skin—were covered in nasty bruises and open cuts.
Even his handsome face was swollen beyond recognition, with dried blood still crusting the corner of his mouth.
The pain in my chest was so sharp I could barely stand. I lunged at the glass partition, the physical trauma from my miscarriage flaring up again in protest.
"Who did this?! Caleb, who the hell did this to you?!"
I was shaking with pure rage.
A flash of agony crossed Caleb's eyes. He shot a quick look at Ethan standing next to me and choked out, "Nobody, Vanessa. I just... I took a fall."
Fury clouded my brain. I wanted to tear everyone in this building limb from limb.
There was no way in hell Caleb did that to himself.
I was about to scream at the guard standing over him, but Ethan suddenly yanked me back.
"Vanessa, you promised me! You promised you'd stay calm!" he whispered, his voice full of fake sympathy. "You know exactly who's behind this. It's my fault—I'm powerless to get him out right now. If you want Caleb to stop suffering like this, we need to drop the charges and film that video NOW, okay?"
"Seeing you in this much pain... it's like a knife to my heart."
As he spoke, he grabbed my hand and pressed it against his chest.
On the other side of the glass, Caleb struggled to get closer to me.
I looked at him through my tears, only to hear the guard sneer:
"You think you're still some big-shot attorney? If you don't want your other leg snapped, you better start smartening up!"
That was the last straw. I lunged forward again.
"He's innocent! You people are the ones hurting him! I'll sue every single one of you!"
Before I could finish, Ethan slammed his hand over my mouth.
"Vanessa, don't worry about me," Caleb gasped, his hands pressed against the glass as if trying to touch me. "Just do what you think is right. I can take it. I'll survive."
But a second later, the guard dragged him away without a shred of mercy.
I thrashed in Ethan's grip, but I couldn't break free. All I could do was let out a muffled, helpless wail.
When did my brother become this broken shell of a man?
He was always the star student, the brilliant attorney. If it wasn't for me, he'd never be caught up in this nightmare.
I couldn't hold it in anymore. The tears just exploded out of me.
Ethan let go of me suddenly, as if my tears were actually burning his skin.
He looked at me with that pathetic, "pitying" gaze.
"Vanessa, I know you're hurting. I'm hurting too. But Caleb's situation is out of my hands. Please, just drop the lawsuit, okay?"
I looked at him, and for the first time, my eyes were filled with nothing but pure hatred.
For the sake of Wendy, Ethan killed our baby and set my brother up.
He even paid people to beat my brother to a pulp just to rush me into signing those papers.
All of this, just because he didn't want his precious Wendy to go to jail.
But back when Ethan was in the gutter, Caleb and I were the ones who saved his life!
Thinking about that made me wish I could go back in time and just let him die in that alley.
I gritted my teeth and glared at him.
"Ethan, if I don't drop this case, are you really going to stand by and watch my brother die in there?!"
My voice was so hoarse it sounded like sandpaper on wood.
Ethan instinctively looked away.
"Vanessa, that's not up to me."
"Liar! It's YOU—"
Before I could scream the truth at him, his phone rang.
He jumped at the distraction, answering it immediately. "Vanessa, look, I'm gonna go see if I can pull some more strings. Take care of yourself, okay?"
With that, he ditched me and bolted out of there.
I stood there alone, the tears streaming down my face.
I saw the screen. It was Wendy.
Ethan was lying to me again.
