Chapter 3

"I'm waiting," Edward said, his voice eerily calm as he loomed over me.

I tried to push myself up, but a sharp kick to my ribs sent me sprawling back down. The pain was blinding, stealing my breath and sending black spots dancing across my vision. Edward's expensive leather shoe connected with my side again, each impact like a hammer against my bones.

"The copies," he demanded, punctuating each word with another kick. "Where. Are. They?"

I curled into myself, trying to protect my vital organs as blow after blow rained down. Through the haze of pain, I heard Zoe's laughter, high and delighted, like she was watching an entertaining show rather than a woman being beaten by her husband.

"Hold her up," Edward commanded, and suddenly Eric's hands were on me, yanking me upward by my hair.

The pain was excruciating as he slammed my head against the wall, my vision swimming with the impact. Something warm trickled down my temple—blood, I realized distantly. My own blood.

"You know what your problem is, Wendy?" Eric hissed in my ear, his breath hot against my skin. "You never knew your place. Always thought you were better than us because Daddy had money."

He slammed my head against the wall again, and I heard rather than felt the dull thud of my skull against the plaster. The room tilted and spun around me.

"Look at her," Evan laughed, his voice seeming to come from very far away. "Not so high and mighty now, is she?"

Through swollen eyes, I could just make out Edward's face, contorted with a rage I'd never seen before. This wasn't the man I married. Perhaps he never had been.

"Last chance," Edward said, grabbing my chin roughly. "Where are the copies?"

I summoned what little strength I had left and spat a mouthful of blood directly into his face. It wasn't much of a victory, but in that moment, it was all I had.

Edward recoiled, wiping the blood from his cheek with disgust. When he looked at me again, there was nothing human in his eyes.

"Get her out of my house," he said coldly.

Eric and Evan grabbed me by my arms, dragging me across the floor toward the front door. My body screamed in protest, every movement sending fresh waves of agony through me. I tried to struggle, but my limbs wouldn't cooperate, my consciousness fading in and out like a bad radio signal.

"Wait," Edward called, and for a brief, absurd moment, I thought he might have had a change of heart. Instead, he crouched beside me, yanking the wedding ring from my finger with such force that I felt something tear.

"Family heirloom," he explained with a cruel smile. "Never really suited you anyway."

The front door opened, and cold night air rushed in, making me shiver despite the fire of pain burning through my body. With a final heave, the brothers threw me out onto the hard concrete of the front steps. I tumbled down, unable to catch myself, each impact sending fresh pain shooting through my battered body until I finally came to rest on the cold sidewalk.

"Consider this your eviction notice," Edward called from the doorway, his silhouette framed by the warm light of what had once been our home. "My lawyer will be in touch."

The door slammed shut with finality, leaving me alone in the darkness. I lay there, the rough concrete pressing against my cheek, tasting blood and defeat. Through my tears, I could just make out Zoe's face at the window, watching me with a satisfied smile before she pulled the curtains closed.

I don't know how long I remained there, drifting in and out of consciousness. Minutes? Hours? Time had lost all meaning. The night air chilled my broken body, and I shivered uncontrollably, each tremor sending fresh waves of pain through me.

Eventually, I managed to drag myself to a sitting position, leaning against a nearby tree for support. My head throbbed with each heartbeat, and I could feel the sticky warmth of blood matting my hair. My ribs screamed in protest with every shallow breath. I needed help, but where could I go? Who could I turn to?

With trembling hands, I reached for my phone, only to realize it wasn't there. Of course—it was still inside, along with everything else I owned. I had nothing but the clothes on my back, now torn and bloodied.

A metallic clicking sound drew my attention back to the house. Even through my blurred vision, I could see Edward methodically changing the locks on the front door, ensuring I couldn't return even if I wanted to.

The reality of my situation crashed over me like a tidal wave. I was homeless. Penniless. Beaten and broken, with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. The man I had loved, had built a life with, had not only betrayed me but had physically assaulted me and thrown me away like garbage.

A sob tore from my throat, quickly followed by another, until I was weeping openly on the sidewalk, my entire body shaking with the force of my grief and pain. Everything I had believed about my life had been a lie. Every tender moment, every whispered promise, every plan for the future—all of it constructed to get my father's money.

As dawn began to break over the horizon, casting long shadows across the street, a courier arrived at the house. I watched through swollen eyes as he handed Edward a thick envelope. Edward glanced in my direction, a cold smile playing on his lips as he waved the envelope at me.

"Legal documents," he called out, his voice carrying easily in the quiet morning air. "Just making it official that this house belongs to the Coleman family. Always has, really. You were just... temporarily occupying it."

He disappeared back inside, leaving me to absorb this final blow. Not only had he taken my dignity, my safety, and my belief in love—now he was taking the roof over my head, claiming even that had never truly been mine.

I closed my eyes, exhaustion and despair threatening to pull me under completely. In the distance, I heard a door slam and the sound of a car engine starting. Opening my eyes, I saw Edward's black BMW pulling out of the driveway, not even slowing as it passed by where I sat broken on the sidewalk.

As the car disappeared around the corner, a terrible clarity settled over me. I had nothing left to lose. And people with nothing left to lose are the most dangerous of all.