Chapter 4

The nurses' words echoed in Charlotte' s head, a roaring fire of rage that burned away the shock and grief, leaving only a cold, hard certainty.

Kaylynn had done this on purpose.

She didn't run. She walked. Her steps were measured, deliberate, as she left the hospital and took a taxi to Everett' s penthouse, the one he kept for "business." The one where she knew he'd be with Kaylynn.

The door was unlocked. Kaylynn was in the living room, lounging on a white leather sofa, a glass of champagne in her hand. She was wearing one of Charlotte's silk robes.

"Look what the cat dragged in," Kaylynn said with a lazy smile.

Charlotte didn't say a word. She walked over and backhanded the glass from Kaylynn' s hand, sending champagne and crystal shattering against the marble fireplace.

"You butchered her," Charlotte said, her voice dangerously quiet. "You did it on purpose."

Before Kaylynn could respond, Everett emerged from the bedroom, pulling on a shirt. "What the hell is going on?"

He saw the shattered glass, Kaylynn' s shocked face, and Charlotte' s cold fury. He moved to stand in front of Kaylynn, a protective shield.

"Charlotte, have you lost your mind?" he demanded.

"She nearly killed another patient right before she operated on Julianne," Charlotte said, her eyes locked on his. "She was reckless. She was incompetent. And you knew. You let her cut into our daughter anyway."

"That's a lie!" Kaylynn shrieked. "She's trying to ruin my reputation!"

"Then let's check the hospital's incident reports," Charlotte challenged. "Let's look at the surveillance footage from the OR."

Everett' s face was a stony mask. "I don't need to check anything. I believe Kaylynn."

The finality of his words was like a door slamming shut on the last remnants of their life together.

Kaylynn' s face, hidden behind Everett's shoulder, twisted into a triumphant, vicious smirk.

Then, in a move of pure, theatrical venom, she stepped out from behind him, her face a mask of sorrow. "Charlotte, I know you're hurting. I'm so sorry for what happened to Julianne. I truly am."

Everett' s expression softened as he looked at her. "See, Charlotte? She feels terrible. You need to stop harassing her."

"Harassing her?" Charlotte laughed, a raw, broken sound.

As Everett turned his back to comfort Kaylynn, the other woman' s face changed. The mask dropped. Her eyes were pure poison.

"I did it," she mouthed silently, a cruel smile playing on her lips. "And you can't prove a thing. He'll always believe me."

Something inside Charlotte snapped. She lunged forward, her hand connecting with Kaylynn's face in a sharp, satisfying slap.

Everett spun around, his face contorted with rage. He grabbed Charlotte, his fingers digging into her arms like talons. "I warned you not to touch her!"

He shoved her, hard.

She stumbled backward, out of the open patio doors. Her heel caught. She fell.

The world was a blur of motion. The screech of tires. The blare of a horn. A crushing impact. Pain, white-hot and absolute, exploded in her side.

She was on the cold, wet pavement of the street below the penthouse balcony. It was raining. Blood filled her mouth, coppery and warm.

Through a haze of pain, she saw Everett rush to the balcony's edge. He looked down, his eyes wide. But he wasn't looking at her. He was looking past her, at the car that had hit her.

His rival. Hector Park. The CEO of a competing conglomerate. His car had swerved to avoid her, but still struck her.

Hector burst from the car, his face pale with shock. He knelt beside her, shouting for someone to call an ambulance.

But Everett didn't move. He just stood there, on the balcony, watching. Then he turned, scooped a whimpering Kaylynn into his arms, and disappeared back inside.

He left her there to die.

The rain mingled with her tears as Hector gently cradled her head, his voice a soothing balm in the chaos.

"It's okay," he murmured. "I've got you. You're going to be okay."

The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was his face, etched with a concern so genuine it was a painful mockery of everything she had lost.