Chapter 4

Alexander showed up that night.

He was wearing a tailored suit, but the dark bags under his eyes made him look like he hadn't slept in days.

"Erin."

I didn't answer.

He looked at me, his expression tight.

"Sterling Holdings is tanking. Investors are pulling out. Banks are tightening credit lines. Her father's company can't take the hit."

"And?"

He took a deep breath.

"You need to put out a statement."

I stared at him.

"What statement?"

He pulled out his phone, pulled up a pre-written draft, and handed it to me.

I read it line by line.

[I want to clarify the recent rumors. Alexander and I dated years ago. We broke up after he married Victoria in 2022. I was the one who couldn't let go. I harassed him. I got pregnant on purpose to force a divorce. Victoria found out and rightfully defended her marriage. This is entirely my fault. Alexander and Victoria are innocent.]

I looked up at him.

"You want me to post this?"

"The Sterlings need a scapegoat. You post this, Victoria becomes the victim—the legal wife harassed by the crazy ex. Their reputation recovers, the stock stabilizes, and the investors come back."

"And if I don't?"

"You are the only one who can end this crisis right now." His voice dropped a few degrees.

"You post this, the Sterlings back off, and I keep funding your father's company. You don't, and this ends badly for everyone."

He gave me three days to think about it.

Three days later, he texted:

[Erin, have you made your decision?]

I didn't reply.

He called. I sent it to voicemail.

He texted again:

[Erin, do you really want to force my hand?]

I still didn't respond.

I was gambling.

Gambling on our eight years together. Gambling that he had a shred of conscience left.

I lost.

On the seventh day, materials submitted by Victoria's camp were handed over to state regulators and federal investigators.

Following a preliminary review, agencies launched probes into tax evasion, accounting discrepancies, and commercial fraud.

With funding pulled, my father's company defaulted. Creditors filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition. A court-appointed trustee seized the books. Liquidation began.

When David called me that night, his voice was completely shredded.

"Erin, the company is gone."

I stood by the window, gripping my phone.

"Dad..."

"They took the ledgers and the servers. The lawyers said they're going to keep digging. They might even..." He couldn't finish.

"Dad, don't panic. I'll figure something out—"

"Erin." He cut me off. His voice was suddenly eerily calm. "Tell me the truth."

My heart plummeted.

"What?"

"Is this because of Alexander?"

I couldn't speak.

"The day the company first went under was the day you broke up with him. Then the project miraculously came back to life the day you agreed to keep the baby. And now this..."

His voice started to shake.

"Erin, did he use my company to blackmail you?"

I opened my mouth, but the words wouldn't come.

"Dad—"

"Don't lie to me."

I squeezed my eyes shut.

"...Yes."

Dead silence on the other end of the line.

A long, agonizing silence.

Then he said:

"Okay, Erin. I understand."

"Dad, listen to me, I have another way—"

The call disconnected.

I couldn't sleep that night.

I lay in bed staring at the ceiling until 3:00 AM.

My phone suddenly rang.

It was my father's number.

I answered, but it wasn't his voice.

I heard shouting, sirens, and chaotic background noise.

Then, a strange man's voice, low and urgent:

"Hello? Are you the daughter of the owner of this phone?"

"Yes. Where is my dad? What happened?"

A one-second pause.

"Your father fell from the roof of his office building. He's..."

I didn't hear the rest.

The phone slipped from my hand and smashed against the floor.

I ran out the door barefoot.

It was still dark when I got to the hospital.

The hallway was packed.

Police officers, nurses, and staff I didn't recognize.

My mother was sitting on a bench, hunched over, completely motionless.

I walked over and knelt in front of her.

"Mom."

She looked up.

Her eyes were terrifyingly hollow.

"Erin. Your father is gone."

The next second, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed backward.

"Mom! Mom!"

Nurses rushed over.

The monitors started screaming.

"Clear the way! She's in cardiac arrest! Get her to the ER!"

I watched them wheel my mother through those double doors.

The red light flashed on.

I stood frozen.

The corridor was long, the fluorescent lights blindingly pale.

I looked down and realized I was barefoot.

The soles of my feet were covered in blood. I must have stepped on something sharp, but I didn't know when.

I couldn't feel the pain.

They tried to resuscitate my mother for four hours.

She didn't make it.

When Alexander rushed into the hospital, I was standing in the morgue's holding area, keeping watch over my parents' bodies.

He ran toward me, panting heavily, his suit jacket buttoned wrong.

"I'm sorry, Erin. I didn't know it would go this far. I swear I didn't know..."

"Alexander."

I turned to look at him.

"You have nothing left to threaten me with."

He froze.

I looked at this man.

I had loved him for eight years. I had hated him for two months.

But now, looking at him, I felt absolutely nothing.

I took a step forward.

He took a step back.

"Now, I'm going to make you pay for every single thing you've done."

Chapter 4

Alexander showed up that night.

He was wearing a tailored suit, but the dark bags under his eyes made him look like he hadn't slept in days.

"Erin."

I didn't answer.

He looked at me, his expression tight.

"Sterling Holdings is tanking. Investors are pulling out. Banks are tightening credit lines. Her father's company can't take the hit."

"And?"

He took a deep breath.

"You need to put out a statement."

I stared at him.

"What statement?"

He pulled out his phone, pulled up a pre-written draft, and handed it to me.

I read it line by line.

I looked up at him.

"You want me to post this?"

"The Sterlings need a scapegoat. You post this, Victoria becomes the victim—the legal wife harassed by the crazy ex. Their reputation recovers, the stock stabilizes, and the investors come back."

"And if I don't?"

"You are the only one who can end this crisis right now." His voice dropped a few degrees.

"You post this, the Sterlings back off, and I keep funding your father's company. You don't, and this ends badly for everyone."

He gave me three days to think about it.

Three days later, he texted:

[Erin, have you made your decision?]

I didn't reply.

He called. I sent it to voicemail.

He texted again:

[Erin, do you really want to force my hand?]

I still didn't respond.

I was gambling.

Gambling on our eight years together. Gambling that he had a shred of conscience left.

I lost.

On the seventh day, materials submitted by Victoria's camp were handed over to state regulators and federal investigators.

Following a preliminary review, agencies launched probes into tax evasion, accounting discrepancies, and commercial fraud.

With funding pulled, my father's company defaulted. Creditors filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition. A court-appointed trustee seized the books. Liquidation began.

When David called me that night, his voice was completely shredded.

"Erin, the company is gone."

I stood by the window, gripping my phone.

"Dad..."

"They took the ledgers and the servers. The lawyers said they're going to keep digging. They might even..." He couldn't finish.

"Dad, don't panic. I'll figure something out—"

"Erin." He cut me off. His voice was suddenly eerily calm. "Tell me the truth."

My heart plummeted.

"What?"

"Is this because of Alexander?"

I couldn't speak.

"The day the company first went under was the day you broke up with him. Then the project miraculously came back to life the day you agreed to keep the baby. And now this..."

His voice started to shake.

"Erin, did he use my company to blackmail you?"

I opened my mouth, but the words wouldn't come.

"Dad—"

"Don't lie to me."

I squeezed my eyes shut.

"...Yes."

Dead silence on the other end of the line.

A long, agonizing silence.

Then he said:

"Okay, Erin. I understand."

"Dad, listen to me, I have another way—"

The call disconnected.

I couldn't sleep that night.

I lay in bed staring at the ceiling until 3:00 AM.

My phone suddenly rang.

It was my father's number.

I answered, but it wasn't his voice.

I heard shouting, sirens, and chaotic background noise.

Then, a strange man's voice, low and urgent:

"Hello? Are you the daughter of the owner of this phone?"

"Yes. Where is my dad? What happened?"

A one-second pause.

"Your father fell from the roof of his office building. He's..."

I didn't hear the rest.

The phone slipped from my hand and smashed against the floor.

I ran out the door barefoot.

It was still dark when I got to the hospital.

The hallway was packed.

Police officers, nurses, and staff I didn't recognize.

My mother was sitting on a bench, hunched over, completely motionless.

I walked over and knelt in front of her.

"Mom."

She looked up.

Her eyes were terrifyingly hollow.

"Erin. Your father is gone."

The next second, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed backward.

"Mom! Mom!"

Nurses rushed over.

The monitors started screaming.

"Clear the way! She's in cardiac arrest! Get her to the ER!"

I watched them wheel my mother through those double doors.

The red light flashed on.

I stood frozen.

The corridor was long, the fluorescent lights blindingly pale.

I looked down and realized I was barefoot.

The soles of my feet were covered in blood. I must have stepped on something sharp, but I didn't know when.

I couldn't feel the pain.

They tried to resuscitate my mother for four hours.

She didn't make it.

When Alexander rushed into the hospital, I was standing in the morgue's holding area, keeping watch over my parents' bodies.

He ran toward me, panting heavily, his suit jacket buttoned wrong.

"I'm sorry, Erin. I didn't know it would go this far. I swear I didn't know..."

"Alexander."

I turned to look at him.

"You have nothing left to threaten me with."

He froze.

I looked at this man.

I had loved him for eight years. I had hated him for two months.

But now, looking at him, I felt absolutely nothing.

I took a step forward.

He took a step back.

"Now, I'm going to make you pay for every single thing you've done."