Betrayed and Dumped: She Rose Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 510

“I’ve made it… I really made it… I’ll never have to run or hide again.” Colton’s big, calloused hands moved gently over the stacks of cash. He couldn’t help it. He pulled out a thick bundle and ran his fingers through the bills, feeling like he was finally holding his future. But then, he paused. Something felt off. He peeled the top bill away, and what was underneath made his blood run cold. It’s just blank paper. Colton stared, frozen, like someone had just dumped ice water over him. He grabbed another bundle, desperate. Same thing. Only the top bill was real, the rest just empty sheets. He realized, in a sickening rush, that he’d been played. His face twisted with anger, his eyes red.

“You little shit, you think you can fool me?” His voice was sharp and furious.

Joan didn’t answer. She stood quietly behind him, a heavy iron hammer gripped in her hands. He spun around, starting to shout again, but never got the words out. Pain exploded in his back, white-hot and blinding. His legs buckled. Everything went black as he fell forward. He saw the gaping pit of the mixer ahead, a drop so deep you’d never make it out alive. His eyes went wide with terror.

His scream echoed through the empty factory and then stopped, cut off too soon.

Joan stood where she was, pale and hollow-eyed, listening to her own shaky breaths in the silence. She looked down at the hammer, like she’d only just realized what was in her hands. Suddenly, she dropped it on the floor and turned, ready to run. After a few steps, she stopped. She forced herself to go back, picked up the hammer, and closed the suitcases. She breathed in, then again, trying to steady herself. By the time she slid into the driver’s seat of her car, her hands still trembling, she was almost calm. She glanced back at the factory one last time, started the engine, and drove away.

Not long after Joan left, two tall men slipped in from the shadows, scanning the place. “Where is he? We saw him go in,” one of them said under his breath. The other frowned, walked up to the edge of the pit, and looked down. His face paled in an instant. Neither wanted to make the call themselves, so they pulled out their phones and made a call.

That Saturday was the start of grad school—and Caleb’s birthday, too. Judy wanted to use the day to impress him, but she was totally stuck on what to get. “Rebecca, what do you think Caleb would like?” she asked, looking a little desperate.

Rebecca thought for a second. Honestly, she had no clue. Caleb’s life was simple, almost boring. He was always studying or working on his thesis. She’d never seen him get excited about anything.

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