He threw money on the bed after our one-night stand.
I threw it back in his face at his own inauguration.
By sundown, we were engaged. By the week's end — married.
Franklin Flemington needed a wife to secure his empire. I needed a miracle to save my family. For two years, we played our parts flawlessly — the golden couple the whole city envied.
Behind closed doors, I was invisible to him.
When the two years were up, I handed him divorce papers without blinking.
He stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "I've given you everything a husband should. What more do you want from me, Octavia?"
I smiled, signed my name, and walked out.
I thought that was the end. I thought I'd finally won.
I forgot one thing — Franklin Flemington has never lost anything in his life. And he has no intention of starting with me.
Game on.

Back in my office, the silence was deafening. I sat in my swivel chair, staring at the wall as the reality of Bella's betrayal sank in. She hadn't just broken my heart; she had treated me like a target. My phone buzzed on the desk—Bella. I hit ignore.


With a surge of cold finality, I blocked her number. I needed to breathe. I needed my sanity. Looking back, the signs were everywhere, but I had let lust and a desperate need for a connection blind me. Had I ever truly loved her, or was I just in love with the version of her she performed for me?


I was pulled from my spiral by Anthony, my secretary, reminding me of a crucial lunch meeting with JeffTech. I forced myself into a professional headspace, though the anger was still simmering just beneath the surface.


Walter drove me to the JeffTech headquarters.


 As we pulled up to the curb, a silver car was already parked there.


Chapter 49 - ~ 49