Chapter 200
A
Megan’s POV
I stared at him.”
Same face.}
Same eyes.
But I didn’t feel the ache anymore.
Just the weight of what I used to carry.
Then I nodded once. “Sometimes. But I don’t anymore.“}
He swallowed hard. “I think about it every day.“”
That stayed between us. Uncomfortable. Honest. A goodbye dressed in what–ifs.”
“I should go,” I said.”
He stepped back, quiet, like he knew not to follow this time.§
But just before I turned, he asked, “Are you happy?“”
I didn’t smile.
But I told the truth.
“I’m free.”
And I left.[
I didn’t look back.
That part of my life was over. Not burned, just emptied.
There was nothing left to fix.
Nothing left to hold.
That night, my phone rang.
My lawyer’s voice came sharp, a little breathless. “You’re going to want to hear this.”
I listened as I slipped off my shoes.
“Jane tried to flee the country. Monaco. Private jet. Charter under a false corporate ID.“”
I stopped mid–step.
“She refused to get off the stairs,” she continued. “Screamed at the agents. Told them they were ruining her legacy. Said she had lawyers who would fix everything.“[
I could picture it.
I pictured her in full luxury with heels on concrete, sunglasses, a lawyer trailing behind her with trembling hands and finally realizing none of it would protect her.
“She refused to step off the stairs,” my lawyer added. “Held onto the railing until they peeled her fingers off.”}
“And now?”
“She’s in custody. Fraud, international financial crimes, forgery. Bail’s not even on the table.”
There was a pause.”
“She’s not getting out, Megan.“[
I nodded but I didn’t feel victorious.
Just… still.
Let her run./
The walls were always going to follow.
Two days later, a cream–colored envelope arrived.M
No return name.”
Just a gold seal.
I opened it slowly.
Inside:
–
WOMEN RECLAIM SUMMIT SPEAKER CONFIRMATION
The letter was short.
We’ve followed your story. Your resilience. Your ability to rise from erasure. We’d be honored to have you headline our summit this fall.“!
At the bottom, a handwritten note:
“They tried to silence you.
We’d like to hand you the mic.“\
I didn’t cry.
I just pressed the card against my chest.
This time, they weren’t inviting me to take a seat.”
They were handing me the stage.”
Two days went fast and the room was full but hushed. No camera flashes. No branded walls.
A sea of women. Journalists. Survivors. CEOs. Strangers who saw themselves in pieces of me.” Listening.
I stepped up to the mic. My heels didn’t shake. My hands didn’t tremble.
I took a deep breath.
Closed my eyes.
Held it.&
Then let it go.
I looked out and began.
“They told
I paused.\
I was lucky. That I married well. That I was chosen.“}
“They forgot to mention I was a placeholder. A distraction. A softer twin they could hand over while the other one set fire to everything behind the scenes.”
A murmur rippled, but no one looked away.
“I stayed quiet. I stayed loyal. I stayed married to a man who stared past me every time my sister entered the room.“”
I took a breath. It was steady.<
“But here’s what they didn’t expect. They didn’t expect the placeholder to speak. They didn’t expect the quiet one to fight. They didn’t expect the sister they pushed aside to build a name they couldn’t destroy.”
I didn’t cry. I didn’t perform.&
I told the truth.
Because no one could take that from me now.
“I don’t need your pity. I don’t need your applause. I just need you to remember this. When they try to silence you, let your story be louder.”
The room stood.
But my eyes found only one person.
He was near the back. Not front row.”
Not claiming space.
Elijah.[
He didn’t wave. Didn’t smile.
Just held something in his hand.
When I stepped off stage, he met me in the wings.
He held out the envelope without saying a word.
Inside was my finalized divorce papers.
A note clipped to the top:
Divorce: Finalized.[
Name: Megan Sage.
Status: Legally Restored.”
I looked at him.
“I didn’t know if you’d want me here,” he said.
“I didn’t know I’d want you here,” I replied.”
My chest didn’t ache.”
E
It lifted.
212
093%
He took it, carefully.
And for once, we didn’t look like a broken thing.
We looked like two people who knew what it meant to start from nothing.”
Outside, the air was colder than I expected.
I pulled my coat tighter. Clutched the envelope to my chest.
And I whispered, not to anyone else, just to myself.”
“My husband wanted my twin sister.”
Y
A
I looked up at the sky.
Exhaled.
And finished the truth.
7
~44 145 1
4
“So I ruined every one of them to reclaim what I deserve.”
