Chapter 4

I stared at Liam, at the man I once loved, and felt nothing but a cold, burning rage. He looked at my pale face and the bandages on my arms and saw a performance. He saw a woman trying to manipulate him with a show of weakness.

Chloe let out a soft sigh, leaning against Liam. "Don't be too hard on her, darling. Her hormones are probably all over the place. Grief can do strange things to people."

Her words were honey-laced arsenic.

"You're right," Liam said, his voice softening as he wrapped an arm around her. He kissed her temple. "You're always so understanding, Chloe. So much more mature."

He gave me one last disapproving look. "I have a meeting. You stay here and rest. We'll talk later when you're being more reasonable."

He turned and left the room.

The moment the door clicked shut, Chloe's entire demeanor changed. The fragile, concerned woman vanished. In her place was a predator, her eyes gleaming with triumph.

She leaned down, her face close to mine, her voice a venomous whisper.

"Did you enjoy your little trip last night?"

I just stared at her, my silence unnerving her.

"Don't look at me like that," she sneered. "You think you're so special, don't you? The great architect, carrying the Vance heir."

She laughed, a harsh, ugly sound.

"You're so stupid, Ava. Did you really think he loved you? I've known he was Liam from the start. We planned this whole thing together. The faked death, the grieving fiancée... it was all to get him away from you."

Every word was a deliberate twist of the knife.

"He got tired of you," she hissed, her face contorting with jealous rage. "Tired of your boring work, your boring mind. He wanted excitement. He wanted me. You were just a duty, an obligation. And that thing in your belly? It was just a mistake."

That was it. The mention of my baby. The dam broke.

A guttural roar of pure fury ripped from my throat. I launched myself off the bed, ignoring the screaming pain in my body. I was pure instinct, pure rage. I grabbed her by her perfect, silky hair and slammed her head against the wall.

She shrieked in pain and surprise. I hit her again, all my grief, all my pain, all my betrayal channeled into that one act of violence.

The door burst open. Liam rushed in, his face a thundercloud.

"Ava! What the hell are you doing?"

He saw me with my hands tangled in Chloe's hair, and he saw Chloe crying, her face a mask of terror. He didn't hesitate.

He ripped me away from her, shoving me so hard I stumbled backward and fell, my head cracking against the hard floor. Pain exploded at the back of my skull, but my mind was crystal clear.

"Are you okay, honey? Did she hurt you?" Liam frantically checked Chloe over, his hands gentle, his voice full of a panic he had never shown for me.

"I... I don't know," Chloe sobbed, clutching her stomach. "I was just trying to talk to her, to calm her down, and she just... she attacked me."

Liam turned to me, his eyes blazing with a hatred that was real and terrifying. "You're insane! Attacking a pregnant woman? What is wrong with you?"

"She's not pregnant," I said, my voice eerily calm as I pushed myself into a sitting position. "And you're not Daniel. You're Liam."

He froze. His face went pale. For a split second, I saw fear in his eyes. He knew I knew.

Chloe saw his hesitation and immediately doubled over, letting out a pained cry. "Oh, the baby! Daniel, I think something's wrong with the baby!"

It was a brilliant move. Instantly, Liam's attention snapped back to her. His conflict, his fear, it all vanished, replaced by overriding concern for her and their non-existent child.

"I'm taking you to the doctor," he said, scooping her up into his arms. He carried her out of the room without a backward glance.

I was left alone on the cold floor, my body aching, my head throbbing, my heart a hollow, empty cavern.

It was over. Everything was over.

I pulled myself up, got my phone, and sent one last message to my philanthropist relative.

"I'm ready now."

I walked out of that room, out of that house, and I didn't look back. I was done with Liam Vance. I was done with Chloe. I was done with their entire world of lies. I was going to erase them from my life, and I was going to erase myself.

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