CHAPTER 17 The Sister’s Game

I didn’t promise. I couldn’t. Because deep down, I already knew what I was going to do.

And as I lay awake later that night, looking at the ceiling, I heard something faint a click.

My body went still. Then another sound, mechanical, purposeful.

Someone was inside.

I reached for the knife Nathaniel had given me and moved quietly toward the door.

The next sound came from the hallway soft footsteps, approaching slowly.

I held my breath. The door handle turned.

A voice brushed against my ear before I could even move.

“Your husband wants you home.”

Cold metal pressed against my neck.

My blood turned to ice.

And that stopped second, I realizedCharles had found us.

“The world doesn’t need proof to hate a woman, it only needs a picture.”

The title burned across every screen I passed.

“Billionaire’s Wife Caught in Scandal: Secret Affair Exposed.”

My name. My face. My life is all torn apart in a single shot.

Nathaniel’s hand on my shoulder. My hair is knotted. My eyes were swollen from crying. The picture made it look like love, like shame, like betrayal.

I stood frozen, looking at the newsstand. My fingers shook as I reached out, but I couldn’t bring myself to touch the paper. It felt dirty. So did I.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” a seller asked quietly.

I forced a smile. “No,” I said softly. “But I will be.”

Hours earlier, everything had fallen apart.

Nathaniel had been dragged away by officers charged with “illegal possession of confidential data” and “attempted corporate espionage.” The words sounded scripted. Planted.

Charles had finally made his move.

I remembered Nathaniel’s face when they took him calm, rebellious, and still looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered. I could still hear his words.

“Don’t let him win, Ava.”

But how was I expected to fight when every tool I had was turned against me?

The phone rang. I paused before answering. It was my boss, Claire.

“Ava, tell me this isn’t true,” she blurted out.

“What?”

“The photos. The story. The affair with your husband’s security consultant.”

I closed my eyes. “Claire, you know me.”

“I thought I did,” she said, her voice shaking. “But your sponsors don’t care what’s true. They’ve all pulled out. Every name, every contract.”

My throat went dry. “All of them?”

“Yes, Ava. They don’t want your name near theirs. You’ve become toxic.”

I swallowed hard. “And you?”

Silence. Then a whisper. “I can’t fight this for you. I’m sorry.”

The call ended before I could say another word.

I sank onto the floor, the phone slipping from my hand.

My image stared back from the black screenmessy hair, tired eyes, the woman I once promised I’d never become.

For years, I had been the perfect wife. The happy face beside Charles. The charity darling. The woman who looked polished enough to be praised, quiet enough to be overlooked.

Now, that woman is gone.

All that was left was the broken truth.

Later that evening, I found myself standing outside a door I hadn’t opened in years, my old apartment.

It was small. Dusty. Forgotten. But it was the last place I’d ever been free.

When I stepped inside, I felt something twist inside me. The air smelled like old paint and faded dreams.

I whispered to the empty room, “You remember me, don’t you?”

The silence answered.

This was where I had painted until my hands bled. Where I’d laughed with no one watching. Where I’d once told myself I’d never let a man own my soul.

And yet, I had.

My thoughts spun back to Nathaniel.

He didn’t deserve this. He had saved me. Protected me. And now he was sitting in a cold cell while the world tore both of us apart.

I took out my phone and called the number of his lawyer. No answer. I tried again. Nothing.

Desperation crept into my voice. “Please,” I whispered into the message. “Please help him.”

When I hung up, my heart felt like it was falling.

A knock on the door surprised me.

My pulse raced. I grabbed a nearby vase, ready to protect myself.

The sound on the other side was calm. “It’s me.”

I froze. That voice.

When I opened the door, Isabella stood there.

For a moment, I couldn’t move. “How did you find me?”

She gave a faint smirk. “You forget who trained half of Charles’s surveillance team. You’re not that hard to find.”

I stepped aside, and she entered like she owned the place.

“You look terrible,” she said frankly.

I let out a weak laugh. “You always did have a way with comfort.”

She studied me carefully. “They got Nathaniel.”

“I know.” My voice cracked. “Charles planned this. He wanted him out of the way.”

“He wanted you isolated,” she amended. “Nathaniel was a shield. Now you’re exposed.”

I turned to her sharply. “Then help me. You said you wanted to take him down.”

“I did.” She paused. “But not like this. He’s out of control, Ava. He’s bought half the police department and turned the media into his army.”

I felt my knees weaken. “So what do we do?”

She didn’t answer instantly. Instead, she put a small box on the table.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“Proof,” she said. “Something Charles never wanted you to see.”

I paused before opening it. Inside were photos, documents, deals, names I recognized. But one photo made my breath stop.

It was me. Younger. Smiling. Standing beside my mother.

And behind usCharles.

My fingers went cold. “What is this?”

Isabella’s voice relaxed. “He knew you long before you met him.”

I looked at her in disbelief. “That’s impossible. I met him at the charity dinner. He said”

“He lied,” she cut in. “Your mother used to work for one of his companies. Years before you ever met him, he was already watching you.”

My throat tightened. “You’re saying… he chose me? ”

“Not chosen,” Isabella said quietly. “He planned for you.”

I stumbled backward, the truth hitting like a storm. “No. That can’t be true.”

“It is,” she said, her tone steady. “He studied you. He made sure your path crossed him at the right time. Your marriage wasn’t fate, Ava. It was construction.”

Tears burned my eyes. “Why are you telling me this now? ”

“Because you need to understand what kind of monster you’re fighting,” she said. “And because it’s time you stop running from him and start destroying him.”

The words rang in my head. He planned for you.

All the years. The charm. The gifts. The control. It wasn’t love. It was a story.

My voice shook. “You knew all along, didn’t you? ”

Isabella looked down. “Not everything. But enough to know you’d never believe me until you lost everything.”

I let out an empty laugh. “Well, congratulations. You were right.”

She frowned. “Ava, I didn’t come here to fight. I came to offer you a choice.”

“What kind of choice? ”

“You can disappear,” she said. “Start over somewhere new. I can get you out before Charles tracks you again. New personality. New life.”

I looked at her. “Or? ”

“Or you can finish this. Help me release everything in that folder to the world. But if we do… there’s no going back.”