Chapter 4

"So tell me what your conditions are, Fiona." Kahl's voice echoed inside Fiona's ears like an icy wind devoid of emotion or warmth.

Fiona suppressed a shiver as she met Kahl's piercing gaze. She knew her demand would shock him, but she wanted to hurt him as much as he had hurt her.

Of course, she was not the type to back down.

Lifting her chin, Fiona's eyes flashed with defiance as she challenged him. "Conditions? Why should you bother?" she mocked.

She knew he would attempt to manipulate her words to find a flaw to exploit, but she refused to give in.

"You never cared about what I wanted or needed. Why start now?" Fiona scoffed.

Kahl's expression flickered with irritation, but he didn't say anything. Fiona could see the anger simmering beneath his controlled exterior, but she didn't care.

She had nothing left to lose.

"Even though you haven't done anything for my family, I've been engaged to you since you were ten years old..." Kahl paused as he smacked his lips.

Fiona felt a surge of bitterness rising in her throat. She had been a toy to him, a convenient way to maintain his family's image and reputation. She had given him everything, but he had never reciprocated her feelings.

"However, I'm willing to comply with any requirements you have for that," Kahl said, his voice icy.

When Kahl offered to meet her conditions, Fiona's smile widened, and hope flickered in her heart.

'Anything I want?'

"Fine," she replied, her voice hardening. "Then hand over all your family's property, including yourself."

Kahl's eyes widened in surprise, and Fiona felt a flicker of satisfaction for a moment. But then, his expression darkened, and she knew she had pushed him too far. Despite that, she approached him, her grip tightening on his wrist.

Her hope turned into desperation.

"I said, give me everything that belongs to the Brown family, including you," she demanded, her voice low and husky with emotion. "Your heart, your soul, your very being. Can you do that, Kahl?"

Kahl's muted response was deafening.

Fiona felt her heart drop into her stomach. She watched Kahl struggle to find the right words. She felt a pang of guilt briefly after seeing doubt and uncertainty in his eyes.

But then, she remembered all the times he had belittled her and made her feel small and insignificant. She squared her shoulders and held his gaze.

"I'm waiting, Kahl," she said, her voice steady. "Do you agree with my conditions?"

Fiona knew she had to take a chance. She had to ask for everything, hoping he would give it to her.

***

'Is she out of her goddamn mind?' Kahl couldn't help but laugh.

He was astonished. Fiona's outrageous request made him furious. He put up with her for years, pretending to love her while secretly wishing she would disappear. But now, Fiona had crossed a line that he couldn't ignore.

Offended by her sudden brazenness, he shoved her hands. Kahl was about to speak when the door burst open.

With the babysitter, Laura stormed inside the room. Her expression showed that she had overheard Fiona's demand and was unhappy.

"What did you say?!" Laura bellowed. "How dare you demand such things? You haven't done our family any good since you married my son!"

Kahl noticed how Fiona flinched at his mom's voice, knowing she was about to face the consequences of her actions.

Laura continued, her eyes burning with rage, "You wanted everything that belonged to us? And yet you failed to keep Kahl's son and have the cheek to demand everything that belonged to us? How much do you think you're worth?"

She didn't stop as she poked Fiona's shoulders. "You're worth less than a penny to us! Even if you added up all of our properties, you still wouldn't be worth enough to have them all!"

"Mom..." Kahl intervened

Laura couldn't take Fiona anymore. She looked at Kahl and said, "I've had enough of her, Kahl! She killed my grandson—your son! The woman doesn't deserve to be given anything!"

"Just so you know, Laura, Kahl asked for my terms," Fiona tersely replied.

Laura shot her a bewildered expression.

"Mother, can you please let the two of us talk this out?" Meanwhile, Kahl rushed to his mother's side to keep her from running amok. The humiliation he felt while in the hospital was too much to bear.

Laura dissented, her head shaking. "No! What do you mean by terms, Kahl? What did you give this woman?"

Raking his black-tousled hair, he replied, "I asked her conditions for the divorce."

***

"You conniving gold digger!" Laura snapped back.

At that precise moment, Megan activated the lights. Fiona, startled by the sudden brightness, closed her eyes. When her eyes adjusted, Laura was towering over her, her hand raised.

Before she could say anything, Fiona felt a searing pain on her cheek as the slap echoed through the silent living room.

"So you took advantage of the situation and demanded Kahl give you everything? Oh, the audacity!" Terror flashed in Laura's eyes.

Fiona instinctively reached up to touch the spot where Laura had struck her. Looking at their eyes, she couldn't help but wonder if she had made a terrible mistake.

Had she been foolish to think that Kahl would ever truly love her?

"Did you murder Kahl's son on purpose because you were jealous of Alice?" Laura's voice shook as her hands curled into fists.

Fiona stumbled back. The accusation was like a slap in the face. "I swear, mom! I didn't–" She tried to speak to defend herself.

Laura interrupted. "How could you be so cruel? You killed an innocent baby just because you're jealous of Alice? What kind of monster are you?!"

Her face scrunched up, giving Fiona a dirty look. "We've taken care of you for over a decade. I don't understand why you won't let Kahl have a child with another woman when you can't even give him a son!"

Fiona's eyes filled with tears as she struggled to find the words to defend herself.

"It's not true," Fiona managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper. "Alice was bleeding, and I did everything I could to save her."

But Laura was relentless as she poked Fiona's shoulders. "You lying hypocrite! That's complete bullshit! You don't even deserve to have my son!"

Nothing Fiona could say at that moment would convince Laura otherwise. It broke her heart, but maybe Kahl was right.

Their relationship was beyond repair.