3

Back at the underground training compound when we were young, everyone called me a traitor's daughter. They tripped me up at every turn on the training grounds.

Louis would shove his gun into the face of anyone who talked about me that way and stand up for me.

Jenny was the one who pulled me out of the windowless punishment cell and treated my wounds.

When Louis married me, he held his gun aloft and swore he would protect me for the rest of his life, that he'd never let anyone hurt me.

Jenny was my maid of honor. She cried through the entire ceremony.

"The three of us have to trust one another. Nothing can ever come between us."

Louis and I had hidden beneath corpses to survive a hit, then built the underground casino together, piece by piece.

But everything changed the day Jenny brought Vivian into Louis's life.

The truth had dawned on me too late. I looked at Vivian, clinging to Louis with a practiced air of helplessness.

My expression turned solemn, and I spoke again with full gravity.

"I don't know what happened to your father, but it was an accident. My father had nothing to do with it."

Jenny shielded Vivian completely behind her.

"Stop playing the victim. Everyone in the Family knows exactly what happened.

"Your father betrayed the Family and cost Vivian her father!

"Vivian's been surviving on other people's charity all these years, clawing her way through the training grounds. Her life has been ten thousand times harder than yours."

My lips trembled uncontrollably.

My father had treated Jenny like his own daughter, taught her to shoot, given her a dagger.

I never imagined that after his death, Jenny would become one of the countless people dragging his name through the mud.

"You believe that? Don't you know what kind of man my father was?

"Is that why you've been making it up to Vivian at my expense?"

I tore open the fabric of my skirt, exposing the ugly old scars on my leg.

"Every one of these scars is from the firefights we survived together.

"We fought side by side for years. Why won't you believe me?"

Jenny looked away but didn't deny it.

"Enough.

"The only victim of what happened back then is Vivian.

"You've had Louis and me looking after you all these years. You should be grateful."

Louis stepped forward, his face cold.

"Even without Jenny's arrangement, taking care of Vivian is the right thing to do. She's been through too much.

"Sherry, you need to be the bigger person."

His gaze was unwavering. I forced a smile, but tears slipped down my face before I could stop them.

They saw my hand reach for my waist.

Louis roared.

"Stop her! Don't let her hurt Vivian!"

Several guards swarmed in and pinned me to the floor.

Fists rained down on my back.

Louis and Jenny shielded Vivian behind them.

They watched me with open wariness.

The physical pain was nothing compared to the tearing inside my chest.

A strangled groan escaped me, and blood seeped from the corner of my mouth.

"Louis, I didn't come here to make a scene. I came here to divorce you."

Louis froze, then signaled the guards to let me go.

He looked down at me on the floor and smirked.

"You're pulling the divorce act again?

"Same old trick every time. Can't you come up with something new?"

I turned my head to avoid his outstretched hand and pushed myself up from the ground.

"I'm done with you, Louis. I've already signed the divorce papers."

Louis's brow furrowed.

"What game are you playing now?"

He leaned in close, a mocking smile on his lips.

"Trying to play hard to get?"

Vivian's eyes glistened with tears as she tugged at Louis's sleeve.

"Louis, you promised to give me a real home."