Chapter 3

And when she thought Poppy had been kidnapped and killed?

She didn't care at all.

I was done.

***

Rage lit up Zara's face. She swung at me.

"You're seriously bringing up divorce?"

I caught her wrist and pushed it away.

She snapped, "Because I froze your money? I only did that because guys get weird when they have cash! You never made me feel safe!"

My face stayed cold.

Zara finally softened. "None of us wanted what happened to Poppy. We need to move on. We're still alive. We can have another kid.

"I'll give you a son, okay?"

"We're never having another child."

I shoved her aside and looked at her like she was a joke.

Zara was about to blow up again when Holden leaned over and whispered something in her ear.

Her expression changed instantly.

She grabbed the divorce papers, signed them without a second thought, and tossed them at me.

"Fine. Let's get divorced. It's not like I want you anyway. Just don't come crying back when you regret it."

I found out pretty quickly why she was so confident.

The second I got home, my secretary sent me a message.

Without telling me, Zara had moved most of the company's assets into a shell company under my name.

Once the divorce went through, I wouldn't just be walking away with nothing.

I'd be stuck with a mountain of debt too.

I stared at the evidence on my phone and let out a cold laugh.

When I looked up, Zara was wrapped around Holden's arm, a smug grin plastered across her face.

"It's not too late to change your mind. Otherwise, I'll leave you with nothing."

I laughed in her face.

Then I told my staff to throw all their luggage out of the house.

"Get out."

I ripped our wedding photo in half and threw the pieces in Zara's face.

My expression never changed. I looked at her like she was a stranger.

Holden took a deep breath. A cruel smile tugged at his lips. "This is Poppy's ashes. Zara and I decided to scatter them in the ocean. What do you think?"

So they had the body cremated but they couldn't wait to get rid of it.

Were they really that scared the police would find something that led back to them?

Zara nodded. "Poppy always loved the ocean. I'm sure that's what she'd want."

Then she shot me an annoyed look. "Look how much he cares about Poppy. Now look at you. You don't even know how to be a father."

Watching them tag-team me, I suddenly laughed. "Zara, did you forget? When I called about the ransom, I only said our child was kidnapped. I never said it was Poppy.

"Our family didn't only have one kid. There was also your precious NEPHEW..."

I put extra bite into 'nephew.'

Zara just sneered. "You think everyone's as spoiled and out of control as Poppy? Oliver's a good kid. He'd never run off, and he definitely wouldn't get kidnapped."

She checked the time, impatience pinching her face. "We're throwing Oliver a birthday party at a five-star hotel tonight, so we're leaving."

I frowned.

A question suddenly hit me.

Why were they so sure the body was Poppy's?

Then I looked up and got my answer.

As Holden turned to leave, he shot me a smug grin and tugged down his collar.

A pendant hanging from a thin cord slipped into view.

I froze.

Wasn't that the pendant my parents gave Poppy?

Why the hell did he have it?