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.

The evening traffic in Manhattan had been brutal, turning what should have been a quick drive into a frustrating crawl. By the time I finally pulled into the hospital parking lot, the sun had already dipped low, painting the sky in deep oranges and purples. Work had kept me longer than planned—endless meetings, urgent calls, and decisions that couldn't wait. I stopped at a small diner on the way and picked up a takeaway dinner for Octavia, even though Olga had scolded me the day before about relying on restaurant food. She had offered to cook something nourishing for her, but it was too late to call her now. I didn't want to bother her.


Shopping bags with comfortable clothes for Octavia swung from my hand as I made my way to her floor. The moment I stepped off the elevator, something felt wrong. Patricia was pacing the hallway like a caged animal, her face pale and frantic, hands twisting together anxiously.


Chapter 140 - ~ 140