Chapter 2
I sat on the hard plastic chair in the waiting area, shivering all over.
Lily Lane?
Hearing that name was like getting stabbed in the ear with a poisoned needle.
My stomach twisted into knots.
My phone buzzed again.
It was another video.
The timestamp showed it was from even earlier.
Same private room, same smoky, sleazy vibe.
Someone, slurring his words, asked, "Victor, you've been flying overseas every week for the past two years to see Lily. Didn't your wife ever get suspicious?
"And Lily is so possessive. She leaves marks all over you. How does your wife not see them?"
Victor blew out a smoke ring, letting out a low, sickeningly proud laugh.
He said, "I got her pregnant so I don't have to sleep with her for a whole year. How's she going to figure it out?
"Once the kid's born and I get the inheritance, I'll go get snipped."
He flicked his cigarette ash, talking like it was just small talk.
"Feels way better without a damn condom."
My stomach turned over.
I couldn't hold it in anymore. I clapped a hand over my mouth and bolted for the nearest trash can, puking up every last bit of acid from my stomach.
Leaning against the cold wall, I tried to catch my breath.
Tears streamed down my face, and I couldn't stop them.
It wasn't sadness.
It was disgust.
A disgust that went straight to my bones.
The man I'd shared a bed with for three years was rotten all the way through, and the smell of it came off him.
Like a walking corpse, I dragged myself back to that cold, empty villa I was supposed to call home.
I sat by the massive floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, staring out at the perfectly manicured garden that now looked more like a graveyard than anything alive.
Night fell, then morning came.
Victor came back, smelling strongly of a perfume that definitely wasn't mine.
He wrapped his arms around me from behind, holding me so tight I could barely breathe, the sharp scent of her perfume almost suffocating me.
"Hazel," his voice was rough from last night's drinking, his breath hot against my ear. "Was the baby good today?
"I've got the cruise all set up. We'll celebrate our anniversary out at sea.
"You've always wanted to go to the beach, right? So cheer up, okay?"
His voice used to make me feel safe and warm.
But now, it was like a snake's tongue, slithering over my skin.
Just thinking about that disgusting bet, about those sleazy faces in the video, made my skin crawl.
I went stiff as a board.
"Three years together and you're still this shy?" he chuckled, clearly pleased with my "shyness."
He shoved a paper bag into my hand.
"Here, it's the new mango flavor from Sweet Treats. Try it."
Mango.
I looked down at the pretty little bag, and something cold closed around my heart.
Three years.
He still never bothered to remember that I was severely allergic to mangoes.
It could literally kill me.
Expressionless, I stood up, walked to the trash can, and dropped it in.
That expensive dessert fell in like it was nothing but garbage.
I didn't even spare him a glance.
I walked straight into the back of the walk-in closet, shoved aside the heavy coats, and dug out a dusty black velvet box from the most hidden corner.
I opened it.
Inside was a thin document that felt impossibly heavy, like it carried the weight of my entire world.
Victor's grandfather, Arthur Lewis, had pressed it into my hands himself in his last days.
It was a prenuptial agreement.
A prenup that could bring Victor crashing down to earth and ruin him completely.
I ran my fingers over the cold paper, picked up the pen, and signed my name without one second of hesitation.
[Hazel Grant.]
Then, I dialed that old, forgotten number.
"Mr. Foster," I said, and my voice came out calm, with something close to relief in it. "I've changed my mind.
"I signed the prenup. I've sent you a photo of it to your email.
"But I need your help with something."
I paused and looked at my own pale, hard face in the mirror.
"Wait three days before you make it public."
Three days from then was our wedding anniversary.
Victor wanted to use me as a chip on his table.
Fine.
I'd give him a gift he'd never forget.