Chapter 4

"Lindsey is acting as your shield. She got tied up and whipped all night, and didn't ask for a thing today. Can you not be so materialistic and be a little more reasonable? Every time you do something for me, you act like you deserve the world."

I used to be worth millions per job. I had stayed with him for eight years and risked my life without a single complaint.

Meanwhile, Lindsey had over a dozen sets of jewelry worth hundreds of millions, and he actually thought that the divorce agreement was me asking for money.

A wave of helplessness crashed over me, but before I could say anything, my teammates were already crowding around, pulling me toward the helicopter.

"What are you standing there for? Let's go to Moonfall Island."

"I heard the Chandlers' cat scared Ms. Sowle, and she threw a tantrum over it."

"Still, they shouldn't have kidnapped her over that. That's just petty."

I closed my eyes, pain tightening in my chest as the truth pieced itself together.

Lindsey wasn't satisfied, so Doug decided we should risk our lives to make it up to her.

Moonfall Island was a death trap. A bullet tore through my left leg, the pain exploding through me like fire.

It spread through my entire body. One by one, I watched my teammates drop.

Despair gave way to numbness.

I had underestimated how ruthless he could be. I had bet wrong on his love.

If I didn't leave now, I would end up just like this, dying for him somewhere no one would ever know.

When I made it back, I was the only one left, the most capable among the group.

Fireworks burst across the river, lighting up the sky. On the two tallest buildings downtown, massive screens looped the same message over and over.

[Lindsey, happy 100 days, my princess. Love, Doug.]

I stood there covered in wounds, not even given the chance to mourn the people who died.

A broken sound forced its way out of my throat. I clutched the divorce papers he had signed that morning and went straight to the courthouse.

The place had just opened. I pushed the still-new marriage certificate through the window and spoke each word like it was carved out of me.

"I want a divorce."

The clerk glanced at the bruises and dried blood on my face, sympathy flickering in her eyes.

"If you're being abused, you should really seek legal help…"

I let out a hollow laugh. I couldn't even cry anymore.

Doug lied to me, used me, and treated human lives like props in their twisted games. That went far beyond abuse.

The next second, the clerk frowned. "Wait… This certificate is fake. You should take it back."

Everything in me went cold. I stared at her, unable to believe it.

"How is that possible?"

So, the one thing that had held me together all this time was fake, too.

I couldn't tell if my heart hurt more or my body. I laughed and cried at the same time as I walked out.

That marriage certificate was just like his love, a lie from the start.

And I had never questioned it.

The river wind howled through the early morning, cutting straight through me.

From the very beginning, Doug never planned to marry me at all. He just wanted both sides, lying his way through everything, taking whatever he wanted.