Chapter 13

The pain was suffocating. He’d never known how much Reese had suffered. And when she needed him most, he was sleeping with Val… and Reese had seen everything. Then he’d believed Val’s lies and helped torment his own wife.

His assistant dug up all the dirt—every nasty message Val had sent Reese. After reading them, Hudson just sat there looking wrecked, like he’d aged ten years overnight.

Finally, his voice cracked: “Release a statement. I’m cutting ties with my mother. Leon has no connection to the Montclairs.”

“Stop all payments to Val and Leon. Get back every asset I ever gave them. If Val won’t return them… If Val won’t give it back? Don’t care if she ends up broken or dead—whatever gets the job done…”

“Whatever. She made Reese leave. Time to pay up.”

The assistant flinched. This would make Leon a bastard with no claim to anything.

After he left, the doctor called.

“Mr. Montclair, how are your wife’s wounds healing? Don’t forget her follow-ups.”

“She won’t be coming.”

“What?”

Hudson choked up. “She found out about Noah and the surgery. Tried to leave. Plane went down.”

Silence. Then a sigh.

“There’s something else. During surgery, her mouth was bleeding. When I checked… her teeth were broken.”

“I thought the attacker did it, but… she must be immune to anesthesia. She bit through her own teeth to stay quiet when she heard everything. Can’t imagine that pain…”

Hudson broke. “Just… stop. Please…”

Don’t remind me what a monster I am. What I’ve lost.

09:32

The Black Swan’s Final…

Chapter 13

But the doctor wasn’t finished: “Mr. Montclair, the fact that Search and Rescue hasn’t found anything… might be a good sign. Your wife’s a fighter. She wouldn’t check out that easily.”

“But dead or alive? She’ll never forgive you.”

After hanging up, Hudson sat there dead-eyed, tears falling.

Finally, staring into nothing: “You’re right… my Reese is a fighter. Always has been. She can’t be… she wouldn’t just be out there…”

“But baby, where’d you go…?”

Revenge Pirouette: The 99th G Was