In front of nearly a hundred relatives, my mother-in-law slid the dinner plates away from my daughters and declared, “Seats at the head table are reserved for women who give this family sons.” My husband told me to quit causing a scene, so I calmly cleaned my little girl's face, gathered both of my daughters, and walked out without another word… while no one in that room had the slightest idea that a 5.4-million-peso promissory note carrying his signature was already waiting for the perfect moment to surface.

Marcus had played the role of the traitor flawlessly to draw out Andrew's final piece of evidence.

"You played your part perfectly, Marcus," I said, shaking his hand firmly.

Patricia was still sitting on the floor, weeping loudly over the loss of her precious wealth.

She looked up at me, her face a mask of pure hatred and desperation.

"You planned this from the very beginning, you evil witch!" Patricia spat.

"I only gave Andrew the rope, he chose to tie the knot himself," I replied without a shred of pity.

I told my security detail to escort Patricia out of my building and ban her from the premises permanently.

She was screaming curses at me all the way to the elevator banks.

The next day, I visited the federal holding facility where Andrew was awaiting his bail hearing.

He was wearing an orange jumpsuit, looking completely broken and terrified.

We sat on opposite sides of a thick bulletproof glass partition.

He picked up the phone receiver with trembling hands.

"Lauren, please, I will do anything," he begged, tears streaming down his face.

"The cartel knows I am in here, and they have people inside."

I looked at the man I had once thought I loved, feeling absolutely nothing.

"I can make a single phone call to the warden and have you placed in protective solitary confinement," I told him.

His eyes lit up with a pathetic glimmer of hope.

"Thank you, God, thank you," he sobbed.

"But it comes with an ultimatum," I interrupted sharply.

I slid a thick manila folder through the small slot at the bottom of the glass partition.

"You are going to sign full, irrevocable custody of Sophia and Chloe over to me," I demanded.

"And you are going to sign a confession stating you acted alone in all of your financial crimes."

Andrew stared at the documents, realizing I was stripping away his last ounce of power.

"If I sign that, I will be in prison for twenty years," he whispered.

"If you do not sign it, you will not survive the weekend in general population," I replied coldly.

He picked up the pen and signed his name on every single line.

I took the papers back, ensuring my daughters would never have to see his face again.

When my newborn 'passed away,' my mother-in-law leaned in and said

My Husband Left Me Alone in My Car While I Was in Labor

“You’re Dead When We Get Home,” He Snapped

I stood up to leave, finally free of the Vance family curse.

Suddenly, the concrete wall behind Andrew exploded violently, sending a massive shockwave through the visitation room.

Chapter 9 - The Ultimatum