Chapter 9
Lucas’s fist was already rising in fury, but I caught his arm before it landed.
“Hitting him will only dirty your hands. Forget it.”
I swallowed down the venom burning in my chest and stepped toward Ryan, closing the
distance one slow, deliberate step at a time.
“Even if you dropped dead right here, I wouldn’t blink.”
“Living a life worse than death-that’s your punishment. You should spend the rest of your
miserable existence drowning in pain, paying for what you’ve done.”
With each slap, he choked out another “I’m sorry,” the tears pouring down in an unrelenting
torrent.
“Natalie, I’m already living in hell,” he choked out.
-“Every time I close my eyes, I see Sophie’s face-she’s calling for me, begging, ‘Daddy, Daddy,
save me…”
“But when I run toward her, she disappears. That feeling… it’s worse than dying.”
And wasn’t I the same?
Every night I dreamed of Sophie lying in a pool of blood, crying out for me-Mommy.
But I knew she would never come back. My heart was a bottomless pit of longing.
For Ryan, though, every thought of her dragged him back into a swamp of guilt. He would
never escape it.
Watching him writhe in that torment, I let out a cold, mocking laugh.
“Good. You should live like this forever-feel every ounce of the pain she suffered. And not just
you. Hailey will pay, too.”
He bit down on his lip until it bled.
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“You’re right. I can’t forgive myself either.”
“But I can’t lose you, Natalie. I’ve already lost Sophie. I don’t want to be left alone in this
world.”
“I tried living without you-I can’t do it…”
I pulled the divorce papers from my bag and slapped them against his face, the edge grazing
his skin.
“How many times do I have to say it? We end here and now.”
“Even looking at you makes me sick.”
With that, I slammed the door so hard the frame rattled.
Outside, he pounded on it like a madman, shouting my name, spewing those hollow I’m
sorrys. His sobs echoed down the hall.
I pressed my palms over my ears and walked deeper into the house.
Lucas wasted no time-he called for security, and they dragged Ryan bodily from the estate.
Lucas ground his heel into Ryan’s hand, pressing down until I heard the crunch.
“If you harass Natalie again, I’ll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life.”
Even beaten bloody, Ryan kept muttering apologies to me in a hoarse voice.
But to my ears, every word was just as false and disgusting as the man himself.
On the day of the trial, Hailey stumbled up to the courthouse doors.
She was unrecognizable-bruises and welts covered every inch of skin, her face mottled with
deep red and purple. She flinched at any movement near her, eyes vacant.
The Cole family’s housekeeper explained in a low voice,
“Mr. Cole lost his temper. He locked her in the basement for punishment, had people ‘teach her a lesson’ every day. Today’s hearing is the first time she’s been let out.”
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Hailey might have deserved everything she got, but Ryan was no less guilty.
He was just using her suffering to lessen his own guilt.
When her gaze landed on me, the hatred in her eyes flared instantly.
“Natalie, you ruined me!” she spat.
“Your daughter’s dead-why should I be the one to suffer? You and Ryan both should have
died!”
The moment she finished, my hand cracked across her face.
Chapter 9
