Chapter 4

I immediately shook my head. “No. I didn't shoot her. She was already here when I opened my door.”

Helena cried harder. “She came after me! I tried to talk to her, but she grabbed the gun.”

“You're lying!” I shouted. “You dropped that gun herself!”

I pointed toward the floor. “Look at it. She threw it at my feet when I opened the door.”

One of the guards picked up the gun, but Colter didn't even look at it. He kept his eyes on me as if he had already decided I was guilty.

Helena reached for his shirt. “Colter, please don't leave me. I'm scared.”

His arm immediately went around her. “You're safe now.”

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. After everything Helena had done to me, he still believed her without question.

She buried her face against his chest and continued crying. “She kept saying I ruined her life. She said she hated me for taking her baby away. So she wanted to kill our baby too!”

Colter looked at me. “You really did this?”

“No.” My voice broke. “I've already lost everything. Why would I shoot her?”

His eyes narrowed. “Because you hate her.”

“I hate what she did, but I didn't shoot her.”

Helena suddenly cried out and clutched her shoulder. “It hurts!”

Colter's face turned cold with anger. “Get the car. We're going to the hospital.”

The guards immediately moved to carry out his order while I stood there, frozen. Then Colter looked at me.

“You're coming with us.”

My stomach sank. “Why?”

“Because you're going to explain yourself.”

“I've already told you the truth.”

He stepped closer. “And I don't believe you.”

I stared at him, realizing there was no trace of the man I had married in his eyes. The man who had once protected me was gone. All I saw now was the Mafia Don everyone feared, looking at me like I was his enemy.

At the hospital, Helena was rushed into a private room, where the doctors immediately began treating the wounds on her shoulder.

Colter pointed at the floor, where broken pieces of glass were scattered across the tiles.

“You attacked Helena. You're going to stay on your fucking knees and think about what you've done.”

I stared at the glass. My knees were already hurting from everything that had happened at the hospital, but I didn't argue. I knew better than to challenge him when his temper was like this.

He stepped closer, his eyes cold. “And when Helena wakes up, you're going to apologize to her. For threatening her, for blaming her, and for every fucking thing you've done. Do I make myself clear?”

“I didn't shoot her.”

“I don't give a damn what you think happened. I don't want to hear another fucking excuse from you.”

So I slowly lowered myself onto the floor. The broken glass cut into my knees immediately, and I clenched my teeth to keep from making a sound. Colter watched without flinching.

“Stay there,” he ordered. “And don't move until I tell you to.”

One minute passed, then another. The pain kept getting worse, but I stayed still.

I wondered how much more he expected me to endure before there was nothing left of me.

After a while, Helena finally woke up.

“Colter…”

He was beside her before she could say anything else, and the coldness in his face disappeared the moment he looked at her.

“I'm here, sweetheart. Don't worry. You're safe.”

I was still kneeling on the broken glass when Helena looked toward me.

“Why is Faye on the floor?”

“She needs to understand what she did.”

Helena immediately shook her head. “Please don't punish her because of me. She's already been through enough.”

I almost laughed. She really was good at this.

Helena reached for Colter's hand, and he gently held it. “I only wanted to talk to her. I know she hates me because of the baby, and I understand why she's angry, but I never wanted to hurt her.”

She wiped her tears and continued, “She blamed me for everything. She even threatened me, but I never touched her.”

I looked at her. “You're unbelievable.”

Helena blinked innocently. “What do you mean?”

“You're the one who told Colter you wouldn't forgive him unless he got rid of my baby so you could give birth first.” My voice remained quiet. “You wanted his ring. You wanted my house. You wanted my place beside him, and you got all of it.”

Colter's expression immediately hardened.

“Faye, shut the fuck up.”

I looked at him.

“No. I'm done being quiet.”

I slowly pushed myself up. The pieces of glass fell from my knees, and blood immediately ran down my legs.

“I lost my baby because you chose her. My parents died after being attacked, and now you're punishing me because she decided to shoot herself and blame me.”

Helena's eyes widened.

“Colter, she's blaming me again.”

I gave a bitter laugh. “Of course she is.”

Colter stepped toward me, his face darkening.

“Watch your fucking mouth, Faye. You're crossing the line.”

I looked straight at him. “You crossed it first.”

He went silent.

“You destroyed our marriage for her. You forced me to lose our baby for her. And now you're letting her destroy whatever is left of me.” My voice shook, but I kept going. “You don't love me anymore, Colter. Maybe you haven't for a long time.”

I wiped the tears from my face.

“And I'm finally starting to accept that.”

Nobody spoke for several seconds. Helena looked satisfied, while Colter's jaw remained tight. I turned away because I didn't want either of them to see me cry anymore.

When I returned to the villa, I went straight to my room. Blood had already soaked through the gauze around my knees, and every step hurt, but I refused to complain.

Colter followed me inside and placed a cup on the table.

“Drink this. It's ginger. You always liked it when your knee hurt.”

I looked at the cup but didn't touch it.

“I need some air.”

His expression darkened. “Faye, I know today was fucking bad, but I'm trying to help you.”

“You don't get to say that.”

He stopped.

“You ordered me to kneel on broken glass.”

His jaw tightened.

“So don't pretend you're taking care of me now.”

“Goddammit, Faye! Don't make this harder than it already is. I told you to stay here because I don't trust you right now. That's it.”

Before I could answer, the intercom suddenly came on.

“Colter!”

Helena's frightened voice filled the room.

“Please come upstairs. My arm hurts, and I can't move it properly. I'm scared.”

Colter's entire expression changed.

“Don't move, sweetheart. I'm coming.”

He turned toward the door, then looked back at me.

“Stay here. And don't fucking try anything while I'm gone.”

He didn't wait for my answer before rushing upstairs. I sat there alone again, staring at the cup he'd left behind.

A few seconds later, I heard him speaking to Helena from upstairs, his voice gentle in a way I hadn't heard in years.

“It's okay, sweetheart. Let me see your arm. Does it hurt here? Easy. I've got you.”

I closed my eyes.

That was when I finally understood.

Colter didn't want a wife. He wanted someone who would stay no matter how badly he treated her, someone who would accept every insult, every punishment, and every betrayal without ever walking away.

And I had done exactly that for years.

Not anymore.

I took out my phone with shaking hands. There was only one person I could trust now.

My brother, Jake.

He'd been angry with me for years and had told me more than once that he was done protecting me, but he was still my brother. Blood was blood.

I opened our chat and typed, “I need out, Jake.”

I stared at the message for a few seconds before adding another.

“Not just leaving. I need Colter to think I'm gone for good.”

I pressed send and wait.