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 human mind is a fascinating thing when it snaps.


I sat back comfortably in my chair, silently studying the precise moment Bella's carefully constructed reality shattered into a thousand jagged pieces. The blood completely drained from her face. Her eyes, which had been manic and wide with triumphant malice just a second ago, were now darting erratically around my office as if searching for a hidden exit from her own nightmare.


"Y-You're lying," she stammered, her voice dropping an octave, losing its sharp edge as she gripped the edge of my desk to steady her trembling hands. "You're just trying to save face. You didn't know. Franklin wouldn't... he wouldn't tell you something like this!… he doesn't even know. You're bluffing!"


A soft, genuine laugh escaped my lips. I adjusted my posture, resting my elbows on the desk and steepling my fingers.


Chapter 244 - ~ 244