Chapter 4

Then he walked away without a glance.

His words carried on the wind, brushing past Zoe's ears—but her mind couldn't even register them.

Connor thought the pond was shallow. No big deal.

What he didn't get was that for someone who couldn't swim, even knee-deep water could turn deadly.

In the dark, Zoe couldn't see the shore. She kicked and flailed toward what she thought was land—but she wasn't moving. Not an inch.

The cold, murky water filled her mouth and nose.

Her limbs were giving out. Her body temperature tanked. Her right leg locked up, stiff and useless.

Connor's last words echoed in her head, colder than the water.

She opened her hand—just a metal ring. Probably from a bag.

Not the bangle. Not even close.

All the fight left her in a snap.

She'd been given a second shot at life... and she still hadn't done anything that mattered.

"Ms. Hertbert!"

Two splashes tore through the water. Someone grabbed her and hauled her back to shore.

It took a full fifteen minutes before Zoe's vision cleared.

She was in a car, dripping and dazed, staring at a group of strangers in all black.

Her voice came out raw. "Who are you?"

One of them handed her a folder. "Ms. Hertbert, our boss asked us to give you this. Please take a look."

She opened it under the dim car light—and froze.

Inside was a share transfer agreement. Five percent of Lyttelton Group.

And a full stack of documents returning every bit of Hertbert family property that had been sold off.

She looked up, stunned.

The man's tone was calm, but it carried the weight of someone else entirely.

"He also said—everything's set for the wedding in five days. He's just waiting on you."

Soaked and shivering from the cold night air, Zoe came down with a fever that knocked her out for three days.

Right as she started to bounce back, the nurse texted—

[Mr. Pierre Hertbert was awake.]

Her dad, finally out of that coma.

Zoe didn't know how to feel. The guy had cheated on her mom while she was pregnant, dragged Vicky—the other daughter—into their lives, and basically shattered everything. Her mom never recovered.

Yeah, Zoe would never forgive him for that.

Still, after her mom died, Pierre had sent Vicky away like he was trying to make things right. He kept her out of Zoe's world for years, and during that time? He spoiled Zoe like crazy.

Now, with her bags almost packed and Southport in the rearview, she figured she owed him one last visit.

***

The hospital room was quiet—but not empty.

Vicky stood by the bed, smirking down at Pierre like she owned the place.