The bar was dimly lit, shadows dancing across the mahogany counter as Gregory stared into his fifth glass of whiskey. The amber liquid caught the light, swirling like liquid fire—a fitting companion to the inferno burning in his chest.How could she do this to him?The question echoed endlessly through his mind. A paternity test. One more week until he had proof in his hands, concrete evidence that the woman he'd promised his life to had shattered everything. His daughter. The thought made his stomach twist. She wasn't even his daughter.He raised the glass to his lips, draining it completely. The burn felt good, felt like punishment."Another," he slurred at the bartender, his voice rough like sandpaper.His phone buzzed. A message from Alice. His eyes couldn't focus properly to read it, but he saw her name and felt the bitter laugh rise in his throat. She was probably out there right now, living her lie while he sat here drowning in reality.A soft hand touched his shoulder."Gregor

The front door slammed shut behind them, and the sound echoed through the empty house like a gunshot. Alice spun around to face Gregory, her face flushed with anger, her hands clenched into fists at her sides."What the hell were you trying to do back there?" Her voice was sharp, cutting through the silence like glass. She took a step toward him, her eyes blazing. "Following me to a restaurant? Making a scene? Hitting Robert in front of all those people?"Gregory stood motionless in the entryway, his coat still on, his shoulders rigid. He stared at her with eyes so cold they looked like they belonged to a stranger. When he finally spoke, his voice was measured, controlled, which somehow made it more terrifying than if he'd yelled."You betrayed me, Alice."His words fell like stones into still water. Alice's expression faltered for just a moment before anger crashed back over her features. She crossed her arms over her chest, defensive."I did no such thing," she snapped back, her ch

The morning sun filtered through the windshield as Gregory drove toward his office, his mind still clouded from the night before. Alice had left early for work, kissing him on the forehead and whispering promises that everything would be fine. He'd nodded, accepting her words like a man accepting a lifeline, hoping that maybe they were true.His phone was connected to the car's Bluetooth system, and soft music played as he navigated through the city traffic. He didn't notice the black sedan at first. It was only when he merged onto the highway that something registered in his peripheral vision. The same car. Always three vehicles behind him, matching his speed exactly.Gregory's stomach tightened. He accelerated slightly, testing. The black sedan accelerated with him. He slowed down. It slowed down too.His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, and his eyes flicked to the rearview mirror repeatedly. The windows of the sedan were tinted dark, impossible to see inside. He tried to c

Alice's footsteps echoed through the hospital corridor as she walked away from Gregory's room. Each step felt heavier than the last, as if her body was gradually turning to stone. Her heart was breaking, fracturing into smaller and smaller pieces with every meter of distance she put between herself and her husband.She knew the truth. She had always known the truth.Robert Carnegie had ordered the hit on Gregory. It wasn't some random drunk driver. There was no accident, no unfortunate collision on the way to work. It was premeditated, calculated, and deliberate. Robert had decided that Gregory deserved to be destroyed, and he had followed through on that decision without hesitation.And she had said nothing.Alice pushed open the hospital's main entrance and stepped out into the bright afternoon sunlight. Her eyes squinted against the glare, but she kept walking toward the parking lot. Her mind was a battlefield of conflicting emotions. Guilt crashed against her like waves, threateni