The Ex's Nightmare

It was the coldest winter in Boland when I fell in love with my best friend's older brother-that gentle, refined Jeffrey Tucker.

To protect me, he not only betrayed his family but also stepped in front of acid thrown by an enemy, his back still scarred to this day.

I thought we would love each other forever.

Until just before our wedding, a pregnant noblewoman showed up at our doorstep.

"Are you Ms. Smith? I heard Jeffrey turned against everyone for you?"

The woman said with a sneer, tossing a prenatal report on the table.

"He told me a girl who ran with street gangs like you would never fit in. His kindness to you was just an act."

I slapped her in response.

As she shrieked, Jeffrey grabbed my wrist before I could strike again.

I didn't cry or scream. I just looked at him, calm as ice.

"Jeffery, let's break up. You're really filthy. Maisie is pregnant. The Tucker family needs a clean heir. And your past is too dirty."

He stared at me coldly.

Even after I cooked for him and toned down my edge, he still saw me as the mob girl.

Maisie Sanderson huddled against him, one hand dramatically cradling her belly, a smug smile on her lips. "Jeffrey, don't be mean. She was just trying to survive..."

Jeffrey looked back at me. "Still, if you behave, I could keep you as my mistress. Things could be like before. You'd have everything but the title."

I stared at the scar on his brow-from the time he shielded me from a beating, blood streaming down his face, saying, "Cynthia, as long as I'm here, no one touches you."

Now the scar was still there, but the man was rotten.

Swallowing the pain rising in my throat, I took a deep breath and walked toward the bedroom.

"Fine, I won't disturb you. I'll leave."

For three years, my life here had been simple. Besides clothes, the only thing that mattered was the old music box on the nightstand.

It was the only thing my father left me.

It was the one tiny piece of light from all those dark years.

As I reached for it, a perfectly manicured hand got there first.

"Oh dear, Cynthia, such a shabby thing doesn't belong in Jeffery's villa."

Maisie had followed me in, pretending to help.

She held the music box and winked at me provocatively.

The next second.

"Smash!"

There was a sharp and brittle sound.

The music box hit the floor hard.

The already worn mechanism shattered, rusted gears springing loose, one rolling to Jeffrey's feet.

That was the thing my father was clutching when he died.

My mind went blank. My eyes burned hot, and I snapped my head up to glare at Maisie.

Maisie covered her mouth, all fake alarm. "Oops! My hand slipped... So sorry, Cynthia. It was an accident..."

She shrunk behind Jeffrey.

As I moved toward her, Jeffrey frowned and kicked the gear away with his shoe.

"It's a piece of junk. Let it go. Do you have to look like you want to murder someone over it? Maisie was just trying to help. Don't bring your street mentality in here."

Junk? He knew what that music box meant to me.

My heart turned to stone.

I knelt, gathering every broken piece.

When I had the last fragment, I stood up and smiled.

The smile startled Jeffery, his frown deepening.

I walked to the dining table.

Then, I grabbed a bottle of wine that had been breathing.

And without hesitation, I dumped it over Maisie's head.

"Ah!"

Maisie screamed, jumping up.

Jeffrey's face darkened. He reached to shove me. "Cynthia, have you lost your mind?"

I dodged sideways and looked at Maisie coldly.

"It's just a dress. It got dirty. Not like me. No matter how hard I scrub, I can't get clean."

Jeffrey was breathing hard, furious. But his stupid gentleman's code held him back from actually hitting a woman.

He pointed at the front door, his voice like ice.

"Get out. Cynthia, without me, you've got no money, no connections. Let's see how long that pride of yours lasts. When you come crawling back to me like a dog, don't expect any favors for old times' sake."

I grabbed my luggage and walked into the stormy night without looking back.

I stood in front of the ATM, staring at the red "Frozen" flashing on the screen. A bitter laugh escaped me.

Jeffrey worked fast.

Every single one of my cards was dead.

To be with him, I'd dissolved my old crew, cut off all the shady income streams.

I found a run-down motel.

This was exactly what Jeffrey wanted, right?

He wanted to see me broke, struggling, and finally crawling back to be his pretty little caged bird.

Lying on the bed, I clutched the broken pieces of the music box.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated.

It was an encrypted email.

No sender name, just gibberish.

But I knew it was from my brother, Jaxon Smith.

My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly opened it.

"Cynthia, the cargo route has been intercepted. Both the police and our enemies are looking for me. I'm trapped in Border Zone B and urgently need a safe passage to escape. Otherwise, I won't last three days."

The phone slipped from my palm.

My brother was my only family, and I must save him.

If our enemies got to him, it would be a death sentence.

The only person who could move a secure route right now, without raising red flags, was Jeffrey.

The Tucker family controlled the largest port trade in Boland.

I closed my eyes, tears slipping down my cheeks.

You won, Jeffrey.

The next morning, I was back at the Tucker villa, standing at the gate.

The butler took in my disheveled state, his expression a mix of pity and something else, but he let me in.

Jeffrey was on the sofa reading the paper. Maisie, in a silk robe, was curled up beside him, peeling grapes.

When I entered, Jeffrey didn't even lift an eyelid.

"I told you, she wouldn't last 24 hours."

Maisie giggled and said, "Cynthia can't do without you after all."

Swallowing the knot in my throat, I walked up to him. "Jeffrey. I need to borrow a Tucker shipping lane. A spare one."

Jeffrey finally put down the newspaper.

"Borrow a lane? Old habits die hard, huh, Cynthia? What? Can't survive without me, so you're going back to the family business? What are you planning to transport? Drugs or guns? The Tuckers are legitimate now. We don't deal with your filth."

I dug my nails into my palms. "My brother is in trouble at the border. He needs an extraction. Just help me this once. I swear I'll disappear from your life after this."

Jeffrey sneered and said, "Your brother's a wanted man. The world's better off without him."

"I'm begging you."

Jeffrey watched me, this version of me begging.

Then, he pulled a document from under the coffee table and tossed it on the floor.

"You want my help? Fine. Sign it. A statement swearing you'll never harass me again, never claim we had a relationship."

I picked up the document, signed my name without even glancing at it.

"I've signed. Please arrange the ship now. My brother can't wait."

Jeffrey was about to speak when Maisie chimed in sweetly.

"Jeffrey, signing was too easy. I don't see Ms. Smith's sincerity."

She caressed her belly, her gaze malicious, "What if she uses the route to smuggle drugs and ends up implicating the Tucker family? Unless... She serves me for a day as a personal servant. Then we'll know she's truly turned over a new leaf."

I snapped my head up to look at Jeffrey.

I thought he would refuse.

But he merely glanced at me indifferently and nodded coldly.

"Maisie has a point. You've always been too sharp-edged. This could smooth you out. Maisie is carrying my child. She needs looking after. Serve as her personal servant for a day, and I'll arrange the ship."

At that moment, I heard the sound of my heart breaking.

For my brother's slim chance of survival, I agreed.

"Alright, I'll do it."

For the rest of the day, Maisie made me kneel on the floor and wipe up the milk she deliberately spilled.

She was wearing high heels. Her heel slipped onto the back of my hand and gave it a couple of deliberate grinds.

I bit my tongue, silent, and kept cleaning.

I served her tea and water.

"It's too hot! Are you trying to scald me? To kill my baby?"

She threw the scalding liquid in my face.

Jeffrey just sat there watching, completely turning a blind eye to it all.

My eyes stayed fixed on the clock on the wall.

Jaxon, hold on a little longer.

It would be over soon.

The moment my day of servitude ended, I stood in Jeffrey's study.

"The day is over. Where's the ship?"

Jeffrey looked at my subdued, obedient posture, seeming pleased with the results of his training.

Right in front of me, he made a call.

"Activate Route B. Go extract Jaxon. Coordinates are sent."

He put it on speaker.

A respectful voice answered, "Understood, Mr. Tucker. Departing immediately."

The tension that had coiled inside me for a full day finally began to unwind.

I endured the humiliation, the torture. If it saved my brother, it was worth it.

"Thank you."

I choked out the words, then stumbled out of the room.

I had to get to the docks. I had to see Jaxon safe with my own eyes.

However, what I didn't know was that as soon as I rushed out of the villa's gate, the last trace of false warmth vanished from Jeffrey's face.

A cold, calculating look settled in his eyes. He picked up his phone again and dialed a different number.

A number that belonged to the Black Sharks, the Smith family's deadliest rivals.

"I've sent you Jaxon's location. Make it clean. No traces."

Jeffrey watched my retreating figure from the window, a cruel smile touching his lips.

"Once Jaxon is gone, she'll have no one left in this world but me. A tiger with its claws pulled out... will have no choice but to be my pretty little bird in a cage."

When I reached the docks, the Tucker ship wasn't there.

A cold dread began to seep into my gut.

Then, the TV screen in the waiting area blared with breaking news.

"Breaking News: Major explosion in Border Zone B. An abandoned warehouse, site of an apparent gang shootout. No survivors reported. Police indicate one of the deceased is suspected to be a Smith, alleged head of a local syndicate."

In that instant, my blood turned to ice in my veins.

My phone vibrated.

It was a delayed voice message.

My fingers trembled so badly I could barely tap it open.

The background was filled with the sounds of gunfire and explosions. Jaxon's voice was faint, ragged, each word a struggle.

"Jeffrey... it was Jeffrey... he sold me out... He gave my location to Black Shark... Don't trust him... Live... you have to live..."

Boom!

The voice abruptly ended with a massive explosion.

The phone slipped from my hand.

Like a ghost, I drifted back to the Tucker villa.

Jeffrey was still on the sofa, sipping coffee. He looked surprised to see me.

"Back so soon? Didn't the ship pick him up?"

I walked towards him, step by step.

"Jeffrey, my brother is dead."

His hand paused mid-sip. Then, calmly, he set the cup down.

"Is that so? What a pity. I guess it was his fate. Your brother lived a violent life. Maybe the universe just collected its debt. In a way, Cynthia, this is for the best. Now you can start fresh. Be my secret lover, properly."

I stared at the man I once loved, the man I thought I'd spend my life with.

He was a stranger.

I grabbed the fruit knife from the coffee table.

Jeffrey's face paled. He stepped back. "Cynthia! Have you lost your mind? Murder is illegal!"

I desperately lunged at him, but was pinned to the ground by the arriving bodyguards.

"Jeffrey, you killed the only family I had in this world. You'd better kill me, or you'll regret it."