My Fiancé's 'Girl' Gave Me a Buzzcut. I Gave Her a Subpoena for Their Wedding. novel Chapter 18

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I’m sitting in my Italian villa, watching the security feeds.

Dad walks in, drops a file on the table.

“Hayes Corporation. Down to three billion in assets.”

“Fifty billion in debt.”

They’ll be filing for bankruptcy any day now.”

I flip through the pages. “Faster than I thought.”

Dad sits down heavy, lets out a long breath:

You really need to watch him crash and burn?”

What else am I supposed to do?” I look up. “You think I should forgive him?”

Dad shakes his head. “Hell no. He deserves everything coming to him.”

I just worry you’re gonna get stuck in this. Can’t let go.”

I close the file, almost smile. “I’m fine.”

The second my baby died, I was already gone.”

This? This is just collecting what I’m owed.”

Dad studies my face. “You’re different now. You used to smile all the time.”

“Now when you smile, it doesn’t reach your eyes.”

I get up, walk to the window. The vineyard stretches out forever.

“People grow up eventually.”

“Some people need years.”

“Some people just need one betrayal. One death.”

Dad doesn’t push it.

Stands with me for a minute, then leaves.

My phone rings. Ethan.

He’s actually calling me. Or calling my old number, anyway.

I answer. Don’t say anything.

His voice comes through-wrecked, raw: “I know you can’t hear this.”

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Chapter 10

“But I need to talk to you anyway.”

“The company’s done. Dead in the water.”

“Dad’s gone. Sarah took off. Lily won’t even look at me.”

There’s nobody left.”

“Sometimes I wonder-if I’d treated you better, would things be different now?”

“If I hadn’t been so damn greedy-wanting a son, wanting the empire, wanting everything…”

“Would you still be alive?”

Pause. His voice cracks:

“But there’s no going back.”

“You’re dead. Our daughter’s dead. All because of me.”

“I’ll never make this right.”

“So…”

He takes a shaky breath:

“I’m liquidating everything that’s left.”

“Splitting it three ways. One part goes to charity-in your name.”

“One part to Sarah and the kid. That’s what I owe my brother.”

“The last part…”

He laughs-sounds broken:

“I’m keeping that. Gonna buy myself a plot.”

“Right next to yours.”

“Next life, I’ll spend it making this up to you.”

The line goes dead.

I’m still holding the phone.

Don’t move for a long time.

Screen goes black. Shows my reflection-blank, empty.

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