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.

I decided to spend my weekend at the one place that had always felt like a reset button for my soul: St. Mary's Orphanage. It had been years since my last visit—my twenty-third birthday, to be exact—and stepping through those wrought-iron gates felt like coming home.


The sunlight filtered through the stained glass in the foyer, and the distant, melodic sound of children's laughter pulled a genuine smile from my face for the first time in weeks. I clutched a bag overflowing with toys and snacks, determined to leave the shadows of the Flemington-Harrington war at the gate.


Mother Superior met me in the hall, her expression as serene as ever. "My, my, Octavia. It has been far too long." She took my hands in hers, her eyes twinkling. "We are so grateful for your heart, dear."


"I've missed this place, Mother," I whispered.


Chapter 62 - ~ 62