Chapter 5: No Longer powerless

The first thing I noticed was the ceiling.

It wasn’t the hospital’s ceiling, or the painted one of Derrick’s mansion, or the cracked plaster of the prison I had spent five years staring at. It was white, clean, with faint patterns in the corners that looked expensive.

My head throbbed and my throat burned. For a long moment, I couldn’t move. I didn’t even know where I was. The last memory I had was a bar. So where was I?

I sat up too fast, my head spinning as the door opened.

A man stepped in with a tray that had toast, eggs and a glass of juice on it. As he set it in my lap, my eyes went to his face and I froze.

No. It couldn’t be.

“Spencer?” My voice was barely a whisper.

He smiled faintly—that same crooked smile I had once loved.

But it was impossible. Spencer had died in an open fire years ago. I had mourned him and buried my love for him.

I stood up fast as my hands trembled. “No. This isn’t real. You’re dead.”

“I’m not,” he said calmly, setting the tray on the table. “Eat first. You look like you haven’t had real food in days.”

I shook my head. “How… How are you alive? Where am I? What is this?”

He sat down in the chair across from the bed, crossing one leg over the other. His confidence hadn’t changed. He was still the opposite of Derrick—flamboyant, reckless, and alive in a way Derrick never was. Even though they were twins.

“This is one of my hotels,” he said. “I found you at the club last night. You were drunk and causing a scene. I couldn’t just leave you there.”

I laughed bitterly. “Your hotels? You’re supposed to be dead.”

His eyes softened. “I know. Sit down, Natasha. I’ll explain.”

My knees weakened and I sank onto the edge of the bed, my pulse hammering.

“Start talking,” I demanded. “Because right now, I don’t know whether to hug you or strangle you.”

He chuckled. “Both would be fair.”

“Spencer,” I said, my voice sharper. “Why are you alive? Why didn’t you come back? Why let me believe you were gone all this time?”

He leaned back, his expression darkening. “Because the man you married made sure I stayed dead in everyone’s eyes.”

My stomach dropped. “Derrick?”

“Yes.” His voice was calm, but his eyes blazed. “Everything you thought you knew about the past, Natasha, it was all Derrick’s doing. Even the night before our wedding. The night you caught me cheating.”

I flinched. “You’re telling me that wasn’t true? That you didn’t—”

“I didn’t,” he said firmly. “Derrick framed me. He planted the evidence, sent the message, and arranged everything. He did it because Father never wanted you in our family. And Derrick was always Father’s lapdog, following orders.”

I pressed my hand to my mouth, my chest aching. The night before our wedding, when my world shattered… it had been Derrick’s doing?

Spencer leaned forward. “I loved you, Natasha. I still do. I would never have thrown you away like that.”

My heart twisted. Too many emotions tore through me: shock, anger, grief, and longing. “Then what about the prison? What about your death?”

His jaw tightened. “Someone placed a dead body in my car and framed me for murder. I ran, but they caught me. I was shot during the chase. Everyone thought I died in that open fire, but I fell into the river and survived. I’ve always been a strong swimmer.”

I stared at him, my head spinning.

He continued, “I traced it all back. The frame-up, the murder, all of it was Derrick. He wanted me gone. With me out of the way, he could have everything. The company, inheritance and you.”

My fists curled. Derrick’s betrayals seemed endless, multiplying every time I thought I had reached the limit.

“So what have you been doing all this time?” I asked hoarsely.

“Hiding, building and planning.” His smile was bitter. “I worked under a world-class conglomerate owner, anonymously. When he died, he left everything to me. I’ve been running it from the shadows.”

He sighed, “Only my sister knew the truth. She’s been helping me. And she has proof of everything, Natasha. Including a recording of Derrick begging you to take his fall. We’ll use it.”

I couldn’t breathe.

Spencer stood and came closer. “I want to help you. I want to set things right. Exposing Derrick is only the beginning. He will fall, Natasha, and he will pay.”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding. “I don’t understand something. If Derrick hated me so much, if your father didn’t want me, why did he marry me at all?”

Spencer’s gaze softened. “Because of your father’s company. He used you to get it. And when he was done, he destroyed it.”

The truth was a knife in my chest. Everything made sense now. My marriage, the lies, and prison. I had been nothing more than a pawn in Derrick’s game.

I wiped my eyes roughly.

“Fine,” I said, my voice breaking. “Then I’ll take your help. I don’t care what it takes. Derrick will regret ever thinking he could ruin me.”

***

A week passed, and hell came with it.

The internet burned with my name. Headlines screamed: Ex-convict Natasha surfaces again.

Derrick’s estranged wife was caught drunk.

Social media spat venom at me, strangers cursing me for crimes I hadn’t committed.

Loan companies called, threatening me. Every corner I turned, whispers followed.

I wasn’t even allowed back into Derrick’s house, so I couldn’t even get close to Rose. My father’s mansion was also seized as collateral.

I lived in an apartment Spencer provided. It was humble compared to the mansion, but safe.

Divorce papers came, and I had to wait for the court hearing. But through it all, Spencer worked.

He merged his conglomerate with my company, lifting me from bankruptcy. He sat with me at night, going over documents, strategies, and witnesses.

When the court day came, I walked in with my head high.

Derrick was there, his suit perfect, with Florida at his side like a viper. His lawyers smirked with the confidence of men who thought they had already won.

The judge called for order and the case began.

Derrick’s lawyer was quick. “Your Honor, my client, Derrick, is the more suitable guardian for Rose. He has financial stability, a respectable reputation, and the ability to provide for her. Natasha, on the other hand, is an ex-convict. She cannot be trusted with the child.”

The words made my blood boil.

When it was my turn, I stood. My hands shook, but my voice was steady.

“I may be an ex-convict, but I am not what he says I am. I am Rose’s mother and I am capable of providing for her. I am not alone anymore. I have merged with the Reeds conglomerate.”

Gasps rippled through the courtroom.

Mr. Anthony, Derrick’s father, scoffed loudly. “Impossible. The Reeds would never partner with an ex-convict.”

I smiled thinly. “Is that so? Then explain these.”

I laid out the documents: contracts, proofs, and legal seals. The courtroom buzzed.

And then I raised my head to him. “But perhaps you’d like to know who runs the Reeds conglomerate now.”

There was a pause.

“Your son,” I said. “The one Derrick framed for murder.”