Chapter 10 - The False Victory

Mr. Cross groaned heavily and dropped to one knee, clutching his bleeding stomach.

Tyler pulled the bloody knife free and raised it high into the air to strike me next.

I did not freeze in fear.

I drove my heavy designer high heel directly into Tyler's kneecap with all my strength.

Tyler screamed in agony and collapsed onto the wet wooden pier.

I kicked the knife out of his hand and stomped hard on his wrist, breaking the bone instantly.

The hidden syndicate snipers finally opened fire from the shadows.

Sarah's mercenaries were completely wiped out in a matter of seconds.

Sarah and Karin threw their hands in the air, screaming loudly in surrender.

Mr. Cross's guards rushed forward, pinning Tyler to the ground and handcuffing the two treacherous women.

I knelt beside Mr. Cross in an absolute panic.

He moved his hand away from his stomach, revealing a torn kevlar tactical vest beneath his shirt.

The blade had only caused a very shallow, superficial flesh wound.

He smiled up at me through the pain, breathing heavily.

"You have a very good kick, Mrs. Cross," he breathed, trying to sit up.

I helped him to his feet, feeling an overwhelming, intoxicating rush of triumph.

I had completely defeated my treacherous husband and watched him fall.

I had successfully exposed my best friend's decade-long betrayal.

I had secured my father's stolen legacy and gained the ultimate protection of the city's most powerful syndicate.

I walked over to Tyler, who was bleeding and crying pathetically on the ground.

I pulled the signed divorce papers from my coat pocket and threw them directly into his bruised face.

"Rot in hell, Tyler," I said coldly, turning my back on him forever.

We returned to Mr. Cross's private office at the syndicate headquarters to celebrate our massive victory.

He went into the private bathroom to let the syndicate medic properly stitch his wound.

I stood alone in his massive, luxurious office, feeling exactly like the queen of the underworld.

I reached across his polished mahogany desk to grab a crystal glass of whiskey.

My coat sleeve caught the edge of a heavy silver picture frame, knocking it onto the floor.

The glass shattered loudly, and the back of the frame popped completely open.

A hidden, faded photograph slid out onto the expensive Persian rug.

I picked it up to put it back into the ruined frame.

I stared at the picture, and the air completely vanished from my lungs.

It was a beautiful wedding photograph of Mr. Cross passionately kissing a bride in a white lace dress.

The smiling bride in the picture was me.

The date stamped on the back of the photograph was exactly seven years ago.

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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

That was two full years before I ever met Tyler, and a time period I had supposedly spent studying abroad in Paris.

I realized with absolute, mind-shattering horror that my entire life, my memories, and my reality were a complete fabrication.