"Bur:n:ing with a 40°C fever, I was barely able to stand when my husband lashed out because dinner wasn't waiting on the table. I didn't argue or cry. Instead, I quietly signed the divorce papers he tossed in front of me. Smirking, my mother-in-law said, “Who do you think you're intimidating? Walk out that door, and you'll be begging on the streets.”

Leo immediately turned off the office lights, plunging the room back into total darkness.

He quietly drew a sleek black pistol from his shoulder holster.

I covered my mouth to muffle my heavy breathing as the sound of footsteps echoed from the first floor.

Leo signaled for me to follow him closely as we crept toward the secondary staircase.

My fever was making me dizzy, and every step felt like I was walking through deep mud.

We managed to slip out through the side garage door without alerting the intruder.

The cold night air hit my face like a physical blow, causing me to shiver violently.

Leo led me to an unmarked black sedan parked down the street.

We drove in complete silence for twenty minutes until we reached a towering glass office building in the financial district.

It was the headquarters of the elite corporate law firm where I used to work.

Leo explained that my old mentor, Arthur, was the only person powerful enough to untangle this legal mess.

We used my old access card to bypass the lobby security and take the private elevator to the top floor.

Arthur's massive corner office was partially illuminated by the city lights shining through the windows.

I knocked softly on the heavy glass door before pushing it open.

Arthur was sitting behind his mahogany desk, looking entirely unsurprised by our late-night arrival.

I frantically explained that Ethan had framed me for corporate embezzlement and that the FBI had frozen my accounts.

I begged Arthur to help me access the firm's secure archives to prove that my digital signature had been forged.

Arthur offered me a sympathetic smile and poured a glass of water from a crystal pitcher.

He told me to sit down and rest because my fever was clearly taking a heavy toll on my body.

I took a long drink of the cool water, feeling a sudden wave of extreme exhaustion wash over me.

Arthur slowly closed the file folder sitting on his desk and locked his hands together.

He calmly stated that he could not help me because he was the one who helped Ethan set up the shell companies.

My heart stopped completely as the horrific realization finally hit me.

I tried to stand up, but my legs suddenly felt like they were made of lead.

A woman walked out from the shadows of Arthur's private adjoining bathroom.

It was Mia, Ethan's young mistress, holding a small digital recording device.

“Which daughter is yours?” should have been a harmless question

The first wineglass shattered at 8:07 p.m

The moment the mafia boss’s wife called me “an illiterate servant,”

She smiled sweetly at me and announced that Ethan was not just planning to take my money.

She whispered that Ethan was actually planning to kill me.

Chapter 4 - The Betrayal