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 paced the length of the darkened living room, the plush carpet soft beneath my bare feet. The heavy drapes were drawn tight, blocking out the harsh sun outside. I liked the dark. It suited me. It gave me the room I needed to breathe, to think, and to map out the ruin of those who thought they had destroyed me.


I stopped in front of the mirror hanging in the hallway, staring at my reflection. I looked thin and unhealthy. I had to turn myself to this for now, I had a plan in mind and my current state was going to make it believable. 


With a slow, calculated smirk, I popped two prenatal vitamins into my mouth and washed them down with a sip of bottled water.


My hand dropped to my lower abdomen, smoothing over the faint, almost imperceptible curve beneath my silk robe.


"You are my absolute masterpiece baby," I whispered to the quiet room, my eyes locking onto my own glittering reflection.


Chapter 229 - ~ 229