MasukWakes pov
I woke up to the harsh glare of sunlight pouring through the thin curtains, my head pounding like I’d been hit with a hammer. The room smelled of cum and alcohol, nothing like the warmth of our main bedroom. For a few seconds, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to piece together how I ended up here.
The guest room.
Of all places.
Then the blurry flashes of last night came back. A bar, too much whiskey, and a girl whose name I never cared to learn. Her perfume had been heavy, clinging to my shirt, her laugh loud enough to drown out the noise in my head. A mistake, sure, but one I’d chosen. One I could shrug off, because sometimes you need to sink low just to breathe.
I’d taken the guest room deliberately when I got back, not because it was comfortable, but because it was far from Aloe. I didn’t want the questions. The quiet accusations. The way her eyes could strip me bare without her saying a word. I thought a few hours of silence would be a blessing.
Turns out, it was a curse.
Dragging myself out of bed, I ran a hand through my messy hair and headed toward the main room expecting to find Aloe there. Maybe sitting with that stiff posture she gets when she’s angry. Or ready to throw a sarcastic comment my way. Anything.
But the bed was untouched. The sheets are smooth. Her pillow was exactly where it always was, only without the faint smell of her hair.
Something inside me twisted.
I searched the living room but she wasn't there. The kitchen was empty too. Even the terrace, where she sometimes went to cool off, was deserted. Each empty room fueled my irritation until it was a steady burn in my chest.
I went straight to the security post. The guard was leaning against the desk, half-distracted by his phone.
“Have you seen Aloe since last night?” I asked, my voice low but sharp enough to make him straighten.
He shook his head. “No, sir. Not since yesterday evening.”
I stared at him, waiting for more, but he avoided my eyes. My patience was already thin, and his evasiveness pushed it to the edge.
“Pull the footage,” I ordered.
The place where all the CCTV recordings were kept, felt colder than usual. The hum of the equipment filled the air as I rewound through the hours, my eyes locked on the screens.
I scrolled back to the day she caught me with the blonde girl on our bed..mm but it was filled with cries so I skipped till where she pulled out her phone, glanced around, then made a call.
I leaned closer to the monitor, but the audio was nothing but scrambled static. My jaw clenched. Who was she talking to, without my permission, I'm sure she's with whoever that person was. My worst mistake was giving her a phone.
I inhaled loudly, then skipped to the next day… I wanted to fast forward to evening time after the security man saw her last … but I paused when I saw her suitcase, half-open on the floor, clothes spilling out everywhere. A few dresses, jeans, and shirts and.. few stuff but I quickly skipped till when I saw her carrying her bag outside.
I clicked on the outside camera as the video played full screen. And there was a Black SVC which she entered after a little talk with whoever that person holding the door for her was.
My heartbeat slowed, heavy, like my body was bracing for something my mind didn’t want to accept.
Was leaving me, of course she can't, she can't spend more than 48 hours without my help.
I sat there longer than I needed to, staring at the paused frame of her stepping into the car. The Aloe I knew or thought I knew would never vanish in the middle of the night without saying a word. And yet here was proof.
By the time I left the surveillance room, anger was everywhere around me, because I got inside the main building, I had my phone and dialed my Tech guy's digits.
“Heron,” I said immediately he picked up, “I need you to trace something for me. Last night, Aloe made a call. I want to know who she called.”
There was a short pause, before he said. “Give me the time and the phone number she used in making the call.”
I told him the exact minute I’d seen her on the footage, then called her phone digits for him. I could hear his keyboard tapping in the background.
“Got it,” he said after what felt like eternity. “The call came from Blake Matthew’s personal apartment.”
I still went.
“That’s impossible.”
“No, it’s not,” Heron replied. “That’s what the logs show.”
I shook my head. “No one goes to Blake’s apartment, not without an invitation. He meets people at his villa, his penthouse, his mansion… but never that place.”
Heron didn’t argue. “All I know is what the system tells me.”
I ended the call without another word, my grip tightening around the phone until the plastic creaked.
Blake Matthew, my fucking enemy. And Aloe had gone to him.
The thought alone was enough to make my blood feel like boiling tar. It wasn’t the fact that she’d left but she fucking went to my enemy, of all places to go.
I stood there in the middle of the room, and made myself a promise… one I had no intention of breaking.
She could run to the ends of the earth. She could hide behind locked doors and powerful names.
But I would find her. Because as long as we didn't end with a signature on some divorce papers, she's still my legal wife, and nobody takes what belongs to me.
And as for Aloe… she hadn’t seen the lengths I could go yet…. She's about to bring out the monster that created the monster in me.
Aloe's POVThe courtroom felt suffocating despite its spacious design.Wakes sat across the aisle with his attorney Patricia Holbrook, his expression carefully neutral. Blake sat beside me with Karen Ross, tension radiating from every line of his body.Judge Morrison, no relation to Senator Morrison, thankfully reviewed the emergency motion with professional detachment."Mr. Savage, you're requesting modification of custody arrangements based on renewed federal investigation of Mr. Matthew. Explain your concerns."Wakes stood, and I was struck by how genuine he seemed. "Your Honor, I'm not questioning Mr. Matthew's past rehabilitation.But new allegations suggest he may have been involved in a criminal conspiracy more extensive than originally disclosed.My daughter Evelyn spends significant time in his home. Until these allegations are resolved, I believe supervised visitation is appropriate precaution.""Ms. Matthews," Judge Morrison turned to me, "how do you respond?"Karen had pre
Blake's POVThe federal prosecutor assigned to my case was Assistant U.S. Attorney David, a young and ambitious man, exactly the type who'd see reopening a closed case as a career opportunity rather than justice."Mr. Matthew, these documents from Senator Morrison's estate suggest you had prior knowledge of the Sanctuary's operations." David spread emails across the conference table. "Care to explain why you didn't mention this during your original cooperation?"I studied the emails with Sofia beside me, my attorney Margaret back on the case despite having retired.The documents looked authentic, it has my email address, proper formatting, dates that aligned with my investigation timeline.But I'd never written them."These are fabricated," I said. "I had no prior knowledge of the Sanctuary until Sofia's investigation revealed it during Aloe's rescue.""Convenient claim, considering Senator Morrison can't defend his allegations." David pulled up another document. "This email, dated
Aloe's povLife had settled into comfortable routine–Blake working at legal aid, me volunteering while raising James and co-parenting Evelyn with Wakes. Three years of marriage had proven we could build something real from our complicated beginning.Then Sofia called with news that shattered our peaceful existence."Blake, there's a problem. A big one."I watched Blake's face change as he listened, saw color drain from his features. When he hung up, his hands were shaking."What's wrong?" I asked, moving James off my lap to focus on Blake."Senator Morrison died in prison last week. Heart attack." Blake sat heavily on the couch. "His lawyer just released his final statement—a confession detailing everything about the Sanctuary conspiracy, including information he claims proves I knew more than I testified to."My blood went cold. "What does that mean?""It means Morrison is claiming I was involved in the Sanctuary operation from the beginning. That I knew about the political conspirac
Aloe's POVThree years after jumping from that Hamptons window, I found myself at a charity gala—not as a controlled wife performing for her husband's benefit, but as a volunteer with the legal aid clinic where Blake worked. Full circle in a way that felt significant."You okay?" Blake asked, adjusting James in the baby carrier while Evelyn held his hand."Just thinking about the last time I was at an event like this. With Wakes, performing the perfect wife role, dying inside.""Different now.""Very different."The gala was raising money for domestic violence survivors—a cause I'd become invested in after my escape. I'd started speaking publicly about my experience, helping other women recognize control disguised as love.Tonight I was scheduled to give a brief speech. Standing before a crowd of wealthy donors felt terrifying and necessary."Good evening. My name is Aloe Matthews, and three years ago I was in an abusive marriage to a billionaire who controlled every aspect of my life
**Blake's POV**Married life revealed itself through accumulated small moments rather than dramatic changes. Making coffee while Aloe got Evelyn ready for daycare. Grocery shopping together on Saturdays. Learning to navigate disagreements without one of us trying to control outcome."We're bad at fighting," Aloe observed after our first real argument—something mundane about whose turn it was to handle dishes."Because we both expect the other to manipulate or become controlling, so we're too careful.""Can we practice being worse at fighting? More authentic?"We laughed, which resolved tension better than careful politeness had. Learning to be real—including real disagreement—turned out harder than performing harmony.Six months into marriage, Aloe came home from doctor's appointment with news that changed everything: "I'm pregnant."I stopped mid-motion, coffee cup halfway to sink. "You're sure?""Very sure. About eight weeks along." She sat on couch, expression complex. "Blake, I kn
Aloe's POVMy wedding dress cost two hundred dollars from department store—simple cream sheath that fit my post-pregnancy body perfectly without requiring alterations. So different from my first wedding's designer gown that had cost more than most people's cars.This dress felt more like me.Sofia helped me get ready in Portland courthouse's small preparation room. "Nervous?""Terrified. Happy. Both." I adjusted the simple flower crown Evelyn would wear as flower girl. "Sofia, is this crazy? Marrying the man who manipulated me three years ago?""It would be crazy if he was still that person. But Blake now? He's earned this." Sofia handed me simple bouquet—local flowers, nothing extravagant. "Aloe, you're choosing this eyes wide open. That's not crazy, that's brave."The ceremony was in courthouse's small chapel room—thirty guests, mostly Sofia's connections since I'd lost most friends during isolation with Wakes. Evelyn sat in front row with Wakes, who'd agreed to attend despite awkwa







