Chapter 2 The Heiress Returns

My fingers trembled as I dialed the number I had sworn never to call again.

"It's time I came back home to take my position as the heiress to the fortune." My voice came out louder than I'd intended.

"Elena!" My mother's voice cracked with disbelief. There was a long pause, then I heard her crying softly. "Just know your father and I will be waiting for you."

My father. The mention of Lucas Alfred sent a chill down my spine.

I had walked away from him five years ago. Abandoned the Alfred empire for Leo despite my father's warnings. He'd seen through Leo's lies from the very beginning, and I had called him controlling. Called him overbearing. Walked out on him.

"Yes, Mother," I whispered, swallowing the lump in my throat.

Five years. I had given up my inheritance, my family, my identity. All for Leo.

And the only repayment was a death sentence wrapped in an insurance policy.

I hung up and stared at the phone in my shaking hands.

Through the glass door, I saw Leo pacing in the hallway. His voice was sharp, urgent. He was on his phone, his face twisted in frustration.

Without a single glance my way, he stormed off down the corridor, abandoning me once again.

My weak body protested as I forced myself out of bed. Each step sent sharp pain coursing through the surgical wound. I looked down and saw fresh blood seeping through the bandages.

But I had to know.

I followed him down the corridor, my legs barely holding me upright. My heart hammered against my ribs. I used the wall for support, leaving a faint trail of blood behind me.

The sight that greeted me made my soul crumble.

Leo had Lydia pressed against the wall in an empty hospital room. His hands roamed her body while she moaned against him. Their mouths were locked together, desperate and hungry.

"I was so scared you'd forgotten about me," Lydia murmured, clinging to him. "You've been so busy with her..."

"Never," Leo cut her off, kissing her forehead. "In five days, this nightmare will be over. I will never leave you again."

"Is that a promise?" Her voice trembled.

"I promise, baby," he assured her. "Just five more days."

My soul shattered. Each word was a dagger twisting deeper into my heart.

Five days. Until what? Until I grew cold in my grave?

I stared at Lydia's face as she clung to him. She was glowing, radiant, with perfect skin and rosy cheeks. Full of life.

Then I caught my reflection in the window beside them. Pale, hollow eyed, broken. A ghost.

Who was really sick between us?

"Excuse me, dear."

I spun around, my heart nearly leaping from my chest. A nurse stood behind me, smiling warmly.

"I couldn't help but notice you watching." She gestured toward Leo and Lydia. "That's so sweet how you're happy for them."

My blood froze.

"He's such a wonderful husband," the nurse continued, her voice filled with admiration. "Always bringing her fresh flowers. Making sure she eats every meal. He'd move heaven and earth for that woman."

Husband.

The word hit like a dagger through my chest.

My knees buckled. The earth tilted beneath my feet.

"His... wife?" I choked out, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh yes! They're the perfect couple. You can see how much he loves her." The nurse sighed dreamily, then walked away, leaving me frozen in the hallway.

Heaven and earth. For her.

While I had moved my very organs for him.

A courier arrived with a massive bouquet of white roses and a designer shopping bag.

"I got something special for you," Leo said, his voice overflowing with tenderness I'd never heard him use with me.

White roses. My favorite flowers. The ones he had never once bought me in five years of marriage.

I remembered our first anniversary. I'd mentioned how much I loved white roses. He nodded, said "that's nice," and bought me chocolates instead. Every year after that, chocolates or nothing at all.

But for Lydia? White roses. Designer bags. Paris trips for macarons. While I'd made myself a bowl of instant noodles when I was down with fever because he was "too busy" to come home.

Each memory cut deeper than the last.

The pain in my chest became unbearable as I watched him shower her with the love I'd always craved. Then Lydia's gaze wandered over his shoulder and locked directly onto mine.

The moment our eyes met, her expression shifted. A slow, cold smirk spread across her face. She was savoring every moment of my pain.

"Hold me tighter, Leo," she purred, her gaze never leaving mine. "Promise me you'll never let anyone come between us again."

"Never, baby," Leo responded without hesitation. "In five days, nothing will ever separate us again. I promise you another round tonight. You can ride me as long as you want."

"I can't wait to have you inside me," Lydia moaned, wrapping her legs around him as she ground against him shamelessly.

Round. Ride.

Leo was cheating on me. Right here, in the open. In a hospital corridor where anyone could see. The realization hit me like a truck.

Five days. Said like a love promise. Like a countdown to freedom.

My freedom. My death. I turned slowly and made my way back to my room. Each step was agony. Blood continued to seep through my bandages, but I barely felt it anymore.

I collapsed onto the hospital bed, my body convulsing with silent sobs that came from the depths of my shattered soul.

Every promise. Every kiss. Every tender moment. All of it had been part of his plan to kill me for the insurance money.

My chest felt crushed, like someone was squeezing my heart until I couldn't draw a full breath.

Throughout the entire day, Leo never came to check on me. Not once.

While I lay there bleeding both from my surgery and my broken heart, he was with Lydia. She had all his attention. All his care. All his love.

I meant nothing. As darkness filled the room, the final piece of the puzzle clicked into place with terrifying clarity. How could I have been this blind?

A year ago, Leo had insisted on getting me life insurance. I remembered that day so clearly now. Tears streamed down his face as he talked about "protection for our growing family."

His voice trembled. "What if something happens to you, Elena? I can't lose you. At least this way, I'd have something to help me through the grief."

I'd cried too, touched by his concern. I'd signed the papers without even reading them carefully.

Now I understand. The insurance wasn't protection. It was a death trap.

He had planned this from the very beginning. Every tear had been calculated. Every sob, rehearsed. Every loving word, a lie.

My body had been nothing but a vessel to heal the woman he truly loved. And my death would be the final gift to fund their happily ever after.

But they had made one fatal mistake. They had let me live long enough to uncover their web of lies. And now? Now I was done being the victim.

They would pay for every drop of blood, every stolen breath, every shattered dream. I would make sure of it.