Chapter 3

Ayla Warner POV:

My heart leaped, a flicker of hope amidst the desolation. Was it Kenneth, somehow knowing I needed him? Or Maria, my ever-loyal assistant?

I turned my head towards the door, a sudden surge of adrenaline coursing through me.

The door opened slowly, revealing a figure leaning heavily against the frame. Ashley Riddle. Her face was pale, almost translucent, her eyes shadowed. She looked fragile, genuinely weak.

"Craig, darling... I couldn't sleep without you." Her voice was a soft, trembling whisper, like a wilting flower seeking sunlight. "May I come in?"

Craig's face, which had been frozen in a mask of anger and confusion from my divorce declaration, instantly softened. His eyes, moments ago cold and distant, now filled with an almost frantic concern.

He sprang from my bedside, rushing to Ashley's side. "Ashley, my love! What are you doing out of bed? You shouldn't be walking around. You're still unwell."

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, a tender embrace that twisted a knife in my gut. He cradled her cheek, his thumb gently stroking her temple. "You scared me, wandering around like this."

The bitterness rose in my throat. His love for her was so palpable, so consuming. The same passionate intensity he once reserved for me. It was transferable. Replicable. My heart, already a fractured mess, felt a cold, final click.

"Get out," I said, my voice flat, devoid of emotion. "Both of you. Get out of my room."

Craig looked up, his eyes narrowing. "Ayla, what has gotten into you?"

Before he could continue, a harried figure burst through the doorway, almost colliding with Ashley. It was my lawyer, Mr. Henderson, his face flushed, his usually neat hair disheveled.

"Dr. Warner! I got here as fast as I could!" he puffed, clutching a briefcase.

Craig and Ashley, startled by the sudden intrusion, stumbled back. Ashley whimpered, pressing herself further into Craig's side.

I pushed myself up, pulling out the IV drip in a swift, decisive move. A tiny bead of blood welled on my skin, but I ignored it. I swung my legs off the bed, planting my bare feet firmly on the cold tile floor. Each step was a testament to my resolve.

"Mr. Henderson," I said, my voice clearer now, stronger. "The papers, please."

He quickly handed me a thick folder. It contained the divorce petition and something else-a document outlining a substantial investment agreement.

"Craig," I said, my gaze unwavering as I met his eyes. "You owe me this. The initial venture capital you invested in my lab. You promised me an additional ten million in funding for the Phase III trials, remember? Consider this your final payment."

Ashley gasped, her pale face turning even whiter. "Ten million? For her lab? Craig, you can't!" Her voice was shrill, laced with a desperate greed.

I smirked, a hollow, bitter feeling. "Oh, the little intern thinks she knows the value of groundbreaking neurological research, does she? Or is it just the zeroes that excite you, Ashley?" My gaze flicked to Craig. "Don't tell me you haven't explained to her the complexities of advanced target therapy. Or perhaps she's too busy learning how to manipulate men to grasp actual science."

Craig's brow furrowed slightly as he looked down at Ashley. Her eyes, usually so calculating, were now wide with an almost childlike avarice, completely missing the insult.

Ashley, seemingly oblivious, clung to Craig. "Craig, she's trying to take advantage of you! She's greedy! She's always been jealous of me!" Tears welled in her eyes. "She wants to ruin me! And now she wants to ruin you too!"

Then, with a dramatic gasp, she clutched her chest. "My heart! It's starting again! I can't breathe! Oh, Craig, I think I'm going to collapse!" She swayed precariously, her eyes rolling back. "It's too much. The stress. I can't take it! I think I'm going to jump out the window!"

Craig's face instantly darkened. His earlier flicker of annoyance vanished, replaced by furious concern. He steadied Ashley, murmuring reassurances. Then, his eyes, blazing with anger, turned to me.

"Ayla, what the hell are you doing to her?" he snarled. "Are you trying to kill her? Apologize. Now."

A cold, dead sensation spread through my chest. Apologize? To this conniving snake? For the first time, I felt nothing. No pain, no anger, just a chilling void.

"Apology accepted," I said, my voice devoid of warmth. I pushed the folder into Craig' s hands. "Sign this. Now. And then get out of my life." My only desire was to sever every tie, to be free of this toxic charade.

Craig stared at the papers, his jaw tight. "You think you can threaten me, Ayla?"

"Threaten?" I snatched the folder back. "Fine. If you won't sign, I'll just go to the press. With all the evidence of Ashley's plagiarism. And the cyberbullying campaign that led to my sister's suicide. I'm sure the media would love to hear about the tech mogul who covers up for a murderer." My finger hovered over a contact on my phone-a journalist I trusted.

Craig' s eyes widened, a flicker of genuine fear in their depths. He snatched the papers back, his gaze darting between the divorce petition and the investment agreement. For a moment, his perfect facade cracked.

I watched him, my heart hammering. This was it. The moment of truth.

Suddenly, Ashley shrieked, clutching her chest again. "My heart! It's really bad this time! Craig, I think I'm dying!" She began to hyperventilate, her body convulsing. "I can't breathe! Help me!"

Craig's focus snapped back to her. His face contorted with panic. "Ashley! My God!" He fumbled for a pen, his eyes still fixed on her. He scribbled his signature across both documents with a shaky hand, barely glancing at what he was signing. He then scooped Ashley into his arms. "I'm taking her to the ICU!"

He glared at me one last time, his voice a low, furious growl. "Don't you dare touch her, Ayla. Don't you dare."

Then, he was gone, carrying Ashley out of the room, leaving behind the scent of his cologne and the stench of his betrayal.

I handed the signed documents to Mr. Henderson. "Thank you," I said, my voice trembling. It was done.

"Dr. Warner," Mr. Henderson said, his expression grave. "Are you sure about this? About the divorce? And... about ending your pregnancy?"

My blood ran cold. He knew about the baby. I hadn't told anyone.

"Yes," I whispered, my voice thick with unshed tears. "I am sure. I cannot bring a child into a world with a father like him. A child who would be raised by a man who protects a murderer, a child whose father would allow his mistress to destroy its mother's life work." The thought alone was unbearable. The tiny life inside me, gone. A fresh wave of grief washed over me, but it was mingled with resolve.

The next day, I discharged myself from the hospital. The first place I went was my lab. My data. My research. I had to see if anything could be salvaged.

The lab was a sterile wasteland. My team, demoralized and defeated, stood among the empty servers and shattered equipment. Ashley' s dirty canape sat on the floor, a mocking stain.

"Dr. Warner!" Maria rushed to me, her eyes red-rimmed. "It's all gone. They wiped everything. We tried to recover it, but it's completely unrecoverable."

My heart sank. Years. Gone. All of it.

Just then, the door burst open. Ashley Riddle skipped in, a bright, triumphant smile on her face. She was carrying a tray of donuts and coffee.

"Morning, everyone!" she chirped, her voice sickeningly sweet. "Craig said I should bring some treats for everyone working so hard! It's so quiet in here. Oh, is Dr. Warner back?"