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.

That afternoon, sunlight slanted through the hospital windows in soft, golden shafts as I made my way down the familiar corridor to Octavia's ward. The air carried the faint, sterile tang of antiseptic mixed with the subtle floral notes from a nearby nurses' station bouquet. My steps felt lighter than they had in days, buoyed by the quiet hope that had taken root since her MRI results. But outside the door, I paused when I spotted her father, Ben, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, a gentle smile softening the lines of exhaustion on his face.


"She remembered Nola, her cat," he said without preamble, his voice warm with quiet wonder. "And Victoria, her best friend from college who is her colleague at work. Just like that—fragments coming back in a rush this morning." He smiled wider, eyes crinkling at the corners. "Isn't that great?"


Chapter 124 - ~ 124