Chapter 3

Vicky' s revenge started the next morning.

A call from my supervisor at the paramedic service.

"Ethan, there' s been a serious complaint. Allegations of malpractice. Regarding Victoria Belmont."

"That' s a lie," I said, my stomach tightening.

"The Belmonts have lawyers, Ethan. Powerful ones. We have to suspend you pending an investigation."

Suspended. Effectively fired.

Then Mom called, her voice trembling.

"Ethan, the agency... they let me go. They said... they said I was involved in falsifying a patient's condition."

Vicky was hitting us where it hurt, using the same lies she spewed before.

My father, John, owned a small hardware store, a local fixture for decades.

That afternoon, a building inspector showed up. Then a tax auditor. Then a health inspector.

Nitpicking, issuing fines for imaginary violations.

Suppliers suddenly canceled contracts. The bank called in his small business loan, citing "instability."

By the end of the week, "John's Hardware" was facing ruin.

The final blow came through social media.

A coordinated campaign. Anonymous posts, "leaked" documents, carefully edited photos.

Ethan James: Gold-digging conman. Preying on a sick heiress. His family complicit.

Comments sections filled with vitriol.

"Scum!"

"Lock him up!"

"He looks like a creep."

People I knew averted their eyes on the street. Whispers followed me.

My face was plastered online, a villain.

Vicky watched from afar, I knew it.

She called me once, her voice dripping with satisfaction.

"How does it feel, Ethan? To have nothing? To be hated?"

"Is this what you want, Vicky?"

"This is just the beginning," she purred. "Stay away from me, stay away from my life, or it will get much, much worse. This is your only warning."

She hung up.

My parents were devastated. Mom cried silently, Dad stared blankly at the foreclosure notices for his store.

The weight of their pain, my fault for being reborn into this mess, for not being able to protect them from her.

But this time, I wouldn't break.

I had a purpose. Sarah.

And I had a plan for Vicky. A long, slow plan.

Her humiliation of me was public. Her downfall would be spectacular.