Chapter 3

3

She was practically vibrating with anxiety.

"Miss Nadia, you are a suspect in a poisoning case. We have evidence, and we need you to come to the station," the officer said.

They reached for her, and she started screaming, trying to retreat into the kitchen.

"I didn't do it! Silas, help me!"

But Silas was a man who valued his reputation above all else. Helping her now would admit their affair. He stayed frozen.

Realizing she was on her own, Nadia turned on the police. "You're wrong! You've been bribed by this woman! How much did she pay you? I'll double it!"

I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing. The officers' faces turned black with rage as they dragged her out to the car.

"Silas, save me!" she yelled, her voice breaking. Then, she dropped a bombshell. "I don't care about me, but what about your son? What if something happens to the baby?"

Silas and Martha both froze. They watched the police car drive away with wide, stunned eyes.

Martha started tugging at Silas's sleeve, her eyes darting around. Silas turned to me, his finger shaking as he pointed at my face. "You monster."

I laughed at their twisted logic and leaned back into the sofa cushions.

"We should talk. After all, there's a 'little son' involved now," I said, mocking his tone.

I pulled out my own version of the divorce papers and tapped them on the coffee table. "If you want your son to stay out of jail, sign this. I'll drop the charges immediately."

"Jails are cold, dark places. I wonder if a three-month-old miracle can handle that kind of stress," I added, inspecting my manicure.

Martha panicked. She had treated me like dirt for years because I didn't give her a grandson. Now that one was finally on the horizon, she was losing her mind.

Silas picked up my papers. His face darkened as he read the terms: I get the daughter, I get the house, and he pays a lump sum of fifty thousand in child support.

In exchange, we would never bother his family again. To them, it seemed like a lot, but compared to the millions he was about to get from the redevelopment, it was peanuts.

"I'm in no rush," I said casually. "The police have already cleared me and the teacher. They know your mistress did the drugging."

"I wonder how many years she'll get. But hey, if she's locked up, maybe we can just stay married and try again?"

Silas winced. He only had a month. If I found out about the millions coming his way, he'd never get rid of me so cheaply.

"Fine," he spat. "You get the house. but I don't have fifty thousand in cash."

"Fine. You can pay it in installments. Child support is adjusted based on income anyway, and I'm sure you'll be making much more soon."

Silas looked terrified that I was onto him. He signed the papers instantly, desperate to lock me out of his future fortune.

As soon as he moved out, I listed the house and sold it. I used the money to put down payments on several small apartments in a different district.

I moved Lily to a new neighborhood and waited for the right moment to meet Xavier Sterling.

In my last life, I met him when he was a broken man standing on a rooftop, ready to end it all after losing everything.

He had been in a car accident that left him with a permanent limp. It had been all over the news back then.

Now, I saw him standing outside my new complex, healthy and vibrant, talking to an elderly neighbor. He had no idea his life was about to fall apart in six months.

As I walked past with my groceries, a car suddenly lost control and veered toward the sidewalk. The engine roared as it sped toward him.

Everything happened in a blur. I realized this was his accident. He hadn't been driving; he was a victim of a freak occurrence.

Without thinking, I threw my heavy grocery bags under the car's wheels and lunged forward, shoving Xavier out of the way.

A sharp pain exploded in my head. As I felt something warm trickling down my forehead, my last thought was: Damn, I forgot I'm not as strong as a car.