Chapter 3

3

"I'm awake. Are you disappointed?"

Ten years hadn't changed Dominic's handsome face, but his old street grit was gone.

He wore an expensive suit and radiated power.

He was the same man, but his soul was pitch black.

When Leo saw Dominic, he flinched, his eyes filled with pure terror.

But seeing me on the ground triggered something in him.

He crawled over and threw himself into my arms, holding me tight.

He opened his mouth and forced a raspy sound from his throat.

"Ma…"

It was the first time I had ever heard him call me Mom.

He sobbed, his tears soaking into my hospital gown.

He kept pointing at his scars and then at Amber, making desperate noises.

He was trying so hard to tell me everything they had done to him.

My heart shattered. I held him close, letting him cry into my chest.

I looked up at Dominic with nothing but hatred.

"Dominic! I was a fool to ever love a monster like you!"

"This is how you took care of Leo? Are you even human?"

"Dominic, we're done. I'm taking Leo and leaving."

Dominic's face turned pale under my interrogation.

He glanced at Leo, and for a second, I saw a flicker of disgust.

"Jade, you just woke up. You don't understand how things work now."

He snorted, his voice cold.

"A divorce? Fine."

Dominic let out a harsh laugh.

"I waited for you for ten years. I've done my duty. But you aren't taking Leo."

Done your duty?

I laughed, though it sounded like a sob.

He enjoyed the wealth my family provided, and he called it duty?

The crowd around us started whispering.

"No way. That crazy woman is Dominic's wife who was in a coma?"

"She actually woke up? This is going to be a disaster."

"So what if she's awake? Amber is the queen of Viper City now. Dominic wanted to ditch the wife anyway."

Amber rushed over, her face looking like a smashed pumpkin.

Seeing Dominic gave her back her courage.

"Dominic! Look at what she did to me! You have to fix this!"

She threw herself into his arms, crying fake tears.

Dominic frowned, but he didn't push her away.

"Jade, don't push your luck."

Amber turned to me, her eyes full of malice.

"You're just seeing how rich Dominic is and trying to get a payout, aren't you?"

"Let me tell you, you won't get a single cent from the Syndicate!"

I gave her a cold look before turning back to Dominic.

"Money? Dominic, you tortured my son. Even if you gave me the entire Syndicate, it wouldn't be enough!"

Amber shrieked, "Jade, shut your mouth! You're a nobody!"

Dominic's face darkened completely.

"Jade, you hurt Amber. How are we going to settle that debt?"

Dominic roared, his pride wounded.

"You think you can come to my territory, hit my woman, and just walk away?"

He pulled a short blade from a guard's belt and tossed it at my feet.

The blade gleamed under the sun.

"Two choices."

Dominic's eyes were cold and predatory.

"First, pay Amber five million dollars in medical fees."

"Second, leave three of your fingers here, and we'll call it even."