Chapter 9

I stared at him silently, my carefully constructed composure crumbling. So he'd known everything. Known his mother had threatened me with divorce behind his back. Known the staff mocked me as "jailbird" when they thought I couldn't hear. He'd known. But since I wasn't the precious Laria, he'd chosen to ignore it.

I took a deep breath. "Sure, Hektor," I said, my voice glacial. "I'll forgive you—right after you clear my name and resurrect my mother from the dead."

"Since we both know that's impossible," I continued, "do us both a favor and stay away from me. Your presence makes me ill."

Hektor stumbled backward, as if struck. Raw anguish filled his dark eyes as he stared at me wordlessly. After a long silence, he whispered, "I love you, Yunifer. I swear I'll find a way to make this right."

Then he turned and walked away, his once proud silhouette now hunched and defeated.

Kira exhausted every connection, but we found no concrete proof of his orchestration of my downfall. We were aimlessly browsing shops to clear our heads when, unbelievably, the mall's central screen cut to footage of Hektor and Laria having sex in his office.

Kira and I exchanged stunned glances, immediately suspecting Hektor's involvement. The explicit footage, given Hektor's position as Reed CEO and Laria's marriage to Julian Davidson—not to mention their supposed sibling relationship—exploded into an instant scandal. Within hours, it dominated every social media platform, news outlet, and conversation in the country.

Kira gleefully tracked every development, updating me in real time. Julian Davidson filed for divorce immediately. Laria begged to stay, but Julian's mother had her forcibly removed from the estate despite the pouring rain. Footage of Laria sobbing outside the Davidson mansion gates promptly went viral.

The next day, Laria sought refuge at the Reed estate. But Hektor's mother, who had raised Laria, collapsed upon learning of her betrayal and refused her entry. Left with nowhere to go, Laria was abducted that evening by two masked men, hustled into an unmarked van in full view of security cameras.

The footage spread across social media within minutes. While people expressed shock at the brazen kidnapping, most commented that she'd gotten what she deserved.

Just as the scandal began to fade, another video appeared online—showing Laria taunting my mother and me, then smashing a vase over my mother's head.

I couldn't understand Hektor's strategy. He'd worshipped Laria for years. He'd forced me to terminate my pregnancy to protect her feelings. How could he so completely turn on her?

"Looks like your ex is going full scorched earth to prove himself to you," Kira observed, raising her eyebrows. "The question is—if he crawls back begging for forgiveness, would you take him back?"

Chapter 10