Chapter 5

Vivienne’s POV

I was falling.

The wind screamed in my ears as I clawed desperately at empty air, my cries swallowed by the darkness below. The ocean surged beneath me, its waves smashing against the jagged rocks lining the base of the cliff.

I was going to die.

Just before I hit—

I bolted upright with a gasp.

My chest heaved violently.

Cold sweat drenched my nightgown, and every muscle in my body trembled as though I had truly plunged from the cliff.

"Easy, Mrs. Valcrest."

The calm voice came from beside me.

"You're safe."

I blinked rapidly.

My vision slowly cleared.

I was lying in one of the private rooms of the Valcrest Medical Center. Soft lighting glowed from the wall sconces, and the faint scent of antiseptic lingered in the air. Machines beside my bed emitted steady, rhythmic beeps.

Dr. Rinaldi watched me with visible concern.

He was not alone.

Alex stood near the window.

Bianca was beside him.

My mother-in-law lingered a few steps behind them.

Bianca approached first.

Her eyes glistened with tears.

"How are you feeling, Isabella?"

I looked right past her.

"What happened?" I asked the doctor.

Before the old man could answer, Alex spoke.

"You ungrateful woman."

His voice was colder than the storm outside.

"Bianca saved your life."

I slowly turned toward him.

"When you fell, she threatened to jump after you if I didn't go down there immediately." His expression hardened. "I barely managed to reach you before you hit the rocks. You had already lost consciousness."

He looked almost irritated by the memory.

"She refused to leave your bedside for two days."

Silence filled the room.

Then I laughed.

At first, it was only a quiet sound.

Then it grew.

I laughed until tears slid down my face.

The three of them stared at me as though I had lost my mind.

Eventually, I looked at Alex.

"She framed me."

My voice shook.

"You threw me off a cliff, Alex. Tell me..." I swallowed the bitter taste rising in my throat. "Am I supposed to thank the woman who tried to get me killed? Or should I thank the husband who pushed me?"

My mother-in-law's face twisted with disgust.

"You should have let her fall," she muttered. "It would've spared this family endless trouble."

I looked at her.

For the first time, I felt absolutely nothing.

"You're right," I said.

My smile held no warmth.

"He should've let me die."

Then I looked back at Alex.

"Or perhaps he should have finished the job the same day he murdered our son."

Silence.

Even the machines seemed louder.

No one spoke.

Alex was the first to move.

He let out a scoff.

"You've completely lost your senses."

He turned away.

"The medication is clearly affecting your mind."

Then he extended his arm toward Bianca.

"Come."

Bianca hesitated.

She approached me once more and reached for my hands.

She squeezed them tightly.

Her manicured nails dug into my skin.

"I'm so sorry, Isabella," she whispered, tears trembling in her eyes. "Everything that's happened is because of me. Please forgive me."

I pulled my hands away.

"Stop pretending."

The words came out sharper than I intended.

"And leave me alone."

Bianca recoiled as though I had struck her.

Alex caught her immediately.

The fury on his face was terrifying.

"You should be grateful Bianca is kind-hearted," he said coldly. "Had anyone else spoken to her that way, I would've broken every bone in their body."

Without another word, he guided her from the room.

His mother followed.

Only Dr. Rinaldi remained.

He stood awkwardly near the doorway.

Then he lowered his gaze.

"Mrs. Valcrest..."

"I want to go home."

My voice sounded distant even to my own ears.

There was nothing left to say.

The doctor sighed softly.

"As you wish."

**

By the time I returned to the mansion, the afternoon sun had already begun sinking toward the horizon.

I entered the master suite.

A bundle of documents lay neatly on the table.

I froze.

A wax seal gleamed on the top envelope.

The seal belonged to Rowan Vance.

The papers had arrived.

Three days.

Exactly as promised.

I crossed the room and opened the envelope.

Inside were the divorce papers.

Attached to them was my resignation letter from my position as Alex's assistant.

I carefully folded everything.

Only one thing remained.

Alex's signature.

Without it, none of it would become legally binding.

A knock sounded.

The door opened before I could answer.

Alex entered.

He tossed a garment bag onto the bed.

"Get dressed," he said. "The heads of the eastern families are gathering tonight. We have to attend."

I looked at the bag.

"Why not take Bianca?"

"I am."

He answered without hesitation.

"But you're still my assistant. People will ask questions if you're absent."

Assistant.

Not wife.

I almost smiled.

Instead, I picked up the documents and walked toward him.

"Dr. Rinaldi asked me to give these to you."

I handed him the papers.

"He said they're my discharge documents and need your signature."

Alex frowned.

He reached for the papers.

"What are these?"

Before he could read beyond the first page, Bianca's voice floated down the corridor.

"Alex!"

She sounded delighted.

"Come look at me! I can't decide which earrings to wear."

Everything about him changed.

The tension vanished from his face.

His eyes softened.

He didn't even look at me again.

Impatiently, he signed the papers and scribbled his signature across every marked page.

"There."

He shoved them back into my hands.

Then he walked out.

I stared at the fresh ink.

He had not read a single word.

The divorce papers.

My resignation.

He had signed everything.

Without knowing.

For the first time in days, something resembling relief settled inside me.

I folded the documents carefully and hid them inside my suitcase.

Then I changed into the black evening gown Alex had once given me.

The dress fit perfectly.

Its long sleeves concealed the bruises scattered across my arms.

When I descended the stairs, Alex looked up.

Surprise flickered across his face.

For one brief moment, he simply stared.

Then Bianca appeared beside him.

His attention shifted immediately.

As though I had never existed.

The drive to the gathering was suffocating.

Bianca spent most of it leaning against him.

She spoke endlessly about memories only the two of them shared.

Moonlit walks.

Secret dates.

Trips they had taken together.

The hidden apartment downtown where they used to meet.

She even laughed while recounting how they had once kissed in the very back seat of the limousine carrying us now.

Every word was meant for me.

Every sentence was another cut.

Eventually, even Alex seemed uncomfortable.

"Enough, Bianca."

He glanced toward me.

Perhaps he expected tears.

Perhaps anger.

I gave him neither.

Instead, I quietly traced my thumb over the ring on my finger.

Inside the band was a hidden transmitter.

A tiny light blinked.

Then my phone vibrated softly.

A message appeared.

Everything is ready. Tomorrow night.

I stared at the words.

A small smile touched my lips.

I typed my reply.

I'll be there.

Tomorrow.

Everything would finally end.

By the time we arrived, the gala was already in full swing.

The ballroom glittered beneath crystal chandeliers.

Politicians mingled with judges.

Business tycoons laughed beside notorious crime bosses.

The most powerful families in the city's underworld had gathered beneath one roof.

Bianca never left Alex's side.

More than once, people greeted her as though she were already Mrs. Valcrest.

Alex never corrected them.

Occasionally, he glanced in my direction.

Something resembling guilt flashed in his eyes.

I remained several steps behind him.

Not as his wife.

Only as his employee.

The evening was nearing its end when a deafening explosion shattered the music.

The ballroom doors burst open.

Armed men flooded inside.

Masks concealed their faces.

Gunfire erupted.

Guests screamed.

Bodyguards drew their weapons.

People scattered in every direction.

Without hesitation, Alex stepped in front of Bianca and shielded her body with his own.

I was left standing alone.

I barely had time to react.

A sharp, burning pain exploded through my side.

I looked down.

An arrow protruded from my abdomen.

Blood spread across my black dress.

My knees buckled.

"Alex..."

My voice cracked.

"Help me..."

He turned immediately.

Hope surged inside me.

He reached me within seconds.

One arm wrapped around my waist.

His hand pressed against the wound.

"You'll be all right," he murmured. "Stay awake."

He lifted me.

Then Bianca screamed.

"Alex!"

Her voice trembled.

"My stomach... our baby..."

Everything changed.

Without hesitation—

He put me down.

Then he turned away.

He crossed the distance between us and swept Bianca into his arms.

As though I weighed nothing.

As though I had never mattered.

As he hurried past me, he paused.

Only long enough to speak.

"You're strong, Isabella."

His voice remained maddeningly calm.

"You can endure this. I can't risk Bianca or the baby."

Then he walked away.

Leaving me on the floor.

Blood pooled beneath me.

I watched him disappear through the doors while Bianca rested safely in his arms.

Just before they vanished from sight—

She looked back at me.

And smiled.