Chapter 5: The Hunter at The Standard

Sophia’s phone buzzed—a text from **Mike**, the PI. *“Suite 2801, The Standard. They’re inside, no security.”*

Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the steering wheel of her rental car, the leather creaking under her grip. **Suite 2801.** The same room where she’d broken in screaming in her past life, begging for answers that never came. The room that symbolized her lowest point. This time, she wasn’t the victim. She was the hunter.

She grabbed her leather crossbody bag—inside lay the hidden recorder, the button camera, and the signed **NDA**—and walked into the hotel. She bypassed the main lobby, taking the service elevator to the 28th floor. The hallway was quiet, carpeted in black, the silence heavy with anticipation. She typed Lucas’s keycode—his birthday backwards, the same lazy password he always used—and the door clicked open.

The suite was floor-to-ceiling glass, Manhattan glowing behind them like a crown. **Lucas** leaned against the balcony railing, shirt unbuttoned, champagne flute in hand. **Luna** was draped over him, wearing nothing but the fake **Cartier** necklace, her legs wrapped around his waist, her head thrown back in laughter.

They froze when the door opened. Lucas’s face turned red with rage. *“Sophia? How—”*

*“Aw, look at that,”* Luna sneered, not bothering to cover herself, her chin tilted up in arrogance. *“The desperate wife. Here to beg?”*

Sophia closed the door, locking it with a soft, definitive *click*. *“I’m here to watch you realize you’ve been played.”*

Luna laughed, a sharp, shrill sound. *“Played? You paid me $1 million to stay with him. You surrendered.”*

Lucas’s head snapped to Luna, his eyes widening in shock. *“You took her money?”*

Before Luna could reply, Sophia pulled out the recorder and pressed play. Luna’s voice filled the room, loud and clear: *“He’ll marry me. This money’s just a bonus.”*

Lucas’s face turned purple with rage. *“You lied about being a virgin? You stole from my wife?”*

*“I didn’t—”* Luna stammered, panic setting in, her eyes darting between Lucas and Sophia.

*“You sent her fake jewelry,”* Sophia said, stepping forward, her heels clicking on the marble floor. *“The necklace, the bag—all knockoffs. The elite women you’re dying to impress? They’re mocking you. And that ‘real’ Cartier Lucas bought you? It’s fake too. I swapped it.”*

Luna screamed, lunging at Sophia with her nails bared, aiming for her eyes. *“You lying bitch!”*

Sophia dodged, her reflexes sharp, slamming her palm across Luna’s face.

The crack echoed through the suite. Luna stumbled back, hand flying to her cheek—bright red, a trickle of blood from her split lip. She stared, shocked, then spat blood on the floor. *“You bitch!”*

Sophia hit her again, harder, every ounce of past-life grief, every tear she’d cried, behind the blow. Luna crumpled to the floor, sobbing, her lip bleeding heavily, her arrogance shattered.

*“And you,”* Sophia turned to **Lucas**, her voice icy. *“That ****Veridian**** deal you’re counting on? I sent the board your falsified metrics, your texts mocking their CEO. They pulled out an hour ago. Your company’s collapsing.”*

Lucas stumbled, hitting the balcony railing, his face pale. *“You didn’t—”*

*“I did.”* Sophia grabbed her bag, the camera still rolling, capturing their devastation. *“The woman who begged you to stay is dead. This is your last chance to walk away before I ruin everything.”*

She stepped out, closing the door. Inside, she heard Lucas screaming at Luna, Luna’s sobs turning to shrieks of rage.

**Ella** waited in the lobby, grinning as Sophia walked out. *“Judging by the noise—”*

*“I got it all,”* Sophia said, holding up the camera, her hand steady. *“Video, audio, the NDA. They’re done.”*

They walked out into the night, the city lights glowing. Sophia felt a weight lift—years of grief, anger, regret, melting away. In her past life, this moment had broken her. This time, it set her free.

She texted **Mike**: *“Send the footage. Bonus is on its way.”*

As they climbed into the Uber, Sophia stared at the skyline. Luna was bleeding, Lucas was crumbling, and she was just getting started. Rebirth wasn’t about forgiveness. It was about revenge. And she was winning.