CHAPTER 2: The Fall

I flew into empty air. Wind rushed past my face. My scream was swallowed by the night. Then impact. It was crushing. It knocked the breath out of me. Lightning went through every nerve in my body.

I lay broken on the stone path. My legs twisted at angles that weren't possible. Fire burned through my spine, my ribs, everything. Each breath felt like I was drowning in broken glass.

Above me, Brock's voice carried perfectly to the people gathering on the balcony. "This poor woman. She's been following our family since she went crazy. My security tried to take her out peacefully. But when she realized she was caught..." His voice broke. He sounded so sad. It was perfect acting. "She just jumped. I tried to stop her."

Even while I was dying, I was amazed at how easy the lies came out.

"Someone call an ambulance!" a guest shouted.

"Already done," Brock said. "Please, everyone back inside. The Classical Wizard is about to perform."

The crowd whispered with sympathy. Then they drifted away. They wanted to see the entertainment. Of course they had enough money to hire the country's best piano player. Of course my life was less interesting than their party.

"Daddy?" Emma's small voice floated down like a prayer I couldn't answer. "Did the bad lady hurt you?"

Through my fading eyes, I saw her small face looking through the railings. Pink and purple light glowed behind her from the hall. My baby girl was worried about the man who stole her from me.

"No, princess. Daddy's fine." Brock's voice turned sweet like honey. "The sad lady is very sick. Now the doctors will help her. Go inside with Mommy Tatiana."

"Okay, Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too, Emma."

The words I would never hear again. Not directed at me.

Emma's footsteps faded away. Then Brock's mask dropped completely. He bent down beside my broken body. He got close enough that only I could hear him.

"How are you even alive?" he said in a mean whisper. "The mafia should have killed you months ago. The banks, the loan sharks. How did you survive it all?"

Then reality hit me like falling bricks. He really did fake his death to leave me with his debts.

"I borrowed fifty million dollars right under your nose," he said. His voice full of mean amusement. "You trusted me so much. You were so naive. You never questioned a single paper I put in front of you."

I heard heels clicking on stone. Someone was coming. Please, I prayed hard. Please save me.

"Bestie!" Tatiana's voice was bright and fake. She came to join us. My hope turned to dust. "Look at her now, darling. Remember when she thought she was so important?"

She bent down beside Brock. Her dress pooled around her knees. "I never really cared about you, Bethany. I just wanted Brock from the beginning. You were always so willing to share with your best friend. Even your husband."

"You were so selfish when I needed you most," Brock's voice sounded hurt. But it was fake. "When I was dying, you refused to help. You said you were too scared of surgery. You said you couldn't handle the risk. But Tatiana. Beautiful, selfless Tatiana. She gave me her liver without asking questions."

My chest filled with blood and anger. I had given him my liver. I had the scar hidden under my shirt. I remembered the surgery, the pain, the months of recovery.

But somehow he believed it was Tatiana who saved him. Or he pretended to believe it.

"Even your precious daughter likes calling her Mommy now," Brock added. He twisted the knife deeper.

Above us, piano music started. It was complicated and beautiful. Everything I would never hear again.

"Goodbye, Bethany," Tatiana sang sweetly. She raised her hand.

She hit my head. It sent me spinning into darkness. Their laughter followed me into the emptiness.

The pain was fading now. I knew what that meant. I was dying. Really dying this time. Not the fake death Brock had staged for himself. This was real. My blood pooled warm beneath me. The stone path felt cold against my cheek. Above me, stars blinked in the night sky. They looked so far away. So peaceful.

I tried to move my fingers but they wouldn't respond. I tried to call out for Emma one last time but no sound came from my broken throat. Everything was shutting down. My body was giving up after two years of fighting, starving, and suffering.

As I lost consciousness, memories came flooding back. They were so clear and cruel. All the beautiful moments they stole from me.

Emma's first steps in our sunny living room. Tiny hands reaching for me as she walked forward on shaky legs. "Mama! Mama!" she squealed. She fell into my arms with pure joy. Brock was there too. His face glowed with pride. He recorded every second on his phone.

Our wedding day flashed next. Brock's hands shook as he put the ring on my finger. Tears were in his eyes. He promised to love and protect me forever. "You're my everything, Bethany," he whispered against my lips during our first dance. "I'll never let anything hurt you."

The night Emma was born. Brock held our daughter so gently while I got better. "She has your eyes," he said with wonder. "And your stubborn chin. She's going to be just as beautiful and smart as her mother."

My first fashion show success. Brock spun me around our bedroom after. We were both giddy with champagne and dreams. "We're going to build an empire together," he laughed. He kissed away my happy tears. "The world won't know what hit them."

Each memory felt like a knife twisting deeper and deeper. They showed me exactly what his betrayal cost. The man who once looked at me like I hung the stars had destroyed my life completely. He turned my greatest love, my daughter, against me.

But as darkness took me completely, one final thought burned through my dying mind.

If I ever got another chance, I would make them all pay for stealing my beautiful life.