Chapter 1
In the elite circles of Washington D.C., there was an unspoken truth- nine out of ten men cheat.
I used to firmly believe my husband, Lucas Brennan, was the rare exception.
He cared for me deeply, gave me complete access to his phone, and rarely came home late.
But less than a year into our marriage, reality hit me hard.
That night, he came home drunk after a business dinner. In his passion, he bit my earlobe and, in a drunken haze, murmured the name of his first love, Sophie Martinez.
In that instant, my heart dropped to my stomach.
“When he sobered up, all he said was a cold, careless: “Don’t overthink
it.”
I finally understood–some dreams are meant to be let go.
It was time to walk away and begin building my own life.
As for Lucas, he could spend the rest of his life with his precious first love.
***
Without telling Lucas, I secretly had Sophie transferred to our overseas
branch.
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That same afternoon, he kidnapped my younger brother and locked him in a glass water tank.
In the video, once the valve opened, water began to rise–first past my brother’s ankles, then his knees, and finally his chest.
My heart raced with panic, but Lucas sat calmly across from me in his perfectly tailored suit, radiating an intimidating aura that sent chills down my spine.
“Emma Richardson, you have thirty minutes.
“Tell me where you sent Sophie, and he lives.”
I could barely breathe–it felt like something was stuck in my throat.
After a long time, I finally managed to say in a trembling voice, “Lucas, he’s my brother. Do you realize what this will lead to?”
Lucas sneered, his eyes cold.
“And do you realize what Sophie means to me? Did you ever consider the consequences when you sent her away?”
At that moment, all hope inside me died.
He had promised he’d never betray me.
But now, for Sophie, he was trying to kill the only family I have left.
We were once madly in love, despite the huge gap between our backgrounds.
He nearly gave up his family and career just to be with me.
He confessed his love in every way imaginable–over a hundred grand
gestures.
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Airships lit up the sky on my birthday. Yachts spelled out
LOVE” on the sea. He even lit up an entire abandoned city with fireworks just for me…
Eventually, he won me over. Despite my brother’s protests and rumors that most scions were heartless, I married him without hesitation.
I thought I was marrying for love, but this was what I got.
Sophie changed everything.
After she showed up, Lucas started staying out all night and reeking of a perfume I didn’t recognize.
I pretended not to notice, deliberately numbing myself to his terrible lies.
Then he got bolder–stopped hiding her altogether. He lavished her with luxury goods and expensive cars, all under his name, and even brought her to his office.
But the moment he hurt my brother, whatever we had was over.
“She’s at the German branch,” I said.
Lucas narrowed his eyes and scrutinized me with suspicion. Then, without another word, he made a call to confirm and rushed out the door.
Before he left, he told me my brother was locked up in Chicago.
By the time I got there, the water had already reached over my brother’s head. He was unconscious.
I clutched him tightly, crying and screaming, and rushed him to the hospital.
In that moment, I was just a helpless little girl again.
He survived–but he was no longer the same. The doctors said his brain
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had been deprived of oxygen for too long. Now he had the mental capacity of a three–year–old.
I completely broke down, hugging him and crying as he laughed cluelessly.
11 Wichers
***
After settling my brother, I did two things.
First, I pulled out the divorce agreement I’d made Lucas sign when we got married.
As long as I signed it, it would take effect. I was grateful I had the foresight to leave myself a way out.
Second, I found my best friend, Nina Stevens–a top–tier hacker—and had her erase all traces of me and my brother from every database,
everywhere.
Because if I didn’t do that, no matter where I ran, Lucas, with his resources, would find me.
After returning home, I burned everything that had to do with him—our most precious memories, the 99 love letters he wrote me, the book full of dried leaves he collected because he knew I loved the patterns…
As the flames devoured everything, it felt like it was taking my heart with it.
While he was away, I went back to my office and deleted the core code we had developed together years ago.
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