Chapter 3

The digital clock on the bedside table read 8:00 AM.

Elias stood by the mirror, perfectly knotting his silk tie.

"This European merger is going to be a bloodbath," he sighed, kissing my forehead. "I'll be in meetings all morning."

I watched him walk out, playing the exhausted, devoted husband flawlessly.

The penthouse fell silent.

A sharp ping suddenly echoed from the kitchen island.

It was Elias's backup iPad. He only used it for financial reports, entirely oblivious that his personal iCloud photos synced to it.

As I walked over, the screen glowed against the dark marble.

A new photo had just been uploaded.

It was a black-and-white sonogram. A tiny, twelve-week fetus.

Because it was a Live Photo, my finger resting on the screen brought the frozen image to life.

The rapid, rhythmic thump-thump-thump of a fetal heartbeat filled the quiet kitchen.

Then came Chloe's soft voice. "Are you crying, Elias?"

"He's perfect," Elias's voice answered. It was thick with genuine, overwhelming emotion. "I've waited for this my whole life, Chloe. We're finally a real family."

A real family.

The iPad slipped from my fingers.

Because of the heavy immunosuppressants keeping my remaining kidney from failing, pregnancy would be a fatal risk to my body.

Seven years ago, Elias had held me while I cried over my ruined organs.

"I don't care about kids, Nora. You are my only family."

It was all a lie.

He didn't despise the idea of children. He just despised the idea of having them with a broken, sterile safety net.

I was just the donor who kept him alive long enough to find his real wife.

My phone vibrated on the counter. Elias calling.

He was walking out of the fertility clinic, immediately dialing his life support machine to maintain his alibi.

"Hey, baby," Elias sighed into the phone. "Just stepped out of the boardroom. Everyone is at each other's throats."

"You sound out of breath," I said. My voice was a dead, flat line.

"Just stressed. I was just thinking about how much I need you. You're my anchor, Nora."

He was staring at the sonogram of his child, feeding me the exact lies needed to keep me chained to his altar.

The terrifying depth of his sociopathy was finally staring me in the face.

"I have to go, Elias," I said softly.

"I'll see you tonight at the Gala. I love you."

"Goodbye."

I hung up.

Pulling out a burner phone, I dialed a secure number.

"Ms. Vance," the cold voice of the shadow agency representative answered. "The Erasure Protocol is scheduled for tonight at 8:00 PM."

"Change it," I said, staring at the sonogram on the iPad. "Execute it right now."

A brief pause on the other end.

"Understood. Erasing all traces in five minutes."

Walking into the master closet, I passed the rows of Chanel dresses and Hermès bags Elias bought with my blood money.

I put on a faded winter coat from seven years ago.

My left hand reached for my ring finger.

I pulled the custom platinum wedding band off. Underneath, the skin was pale and permanently deformed.

I walked back to the kitchen and left the ring right on top of the glowing iPad screen.

The private elevator chimed as the doors opened.

Stepping inside, I left the billionaire's penthouse behind forever.

Elias thought he was coming home to his safety net tonight.

Instead, he was coming home to a ghost.