Kim nodded, his voice firm. "Then we'll find out the truth. We'll find out who did this. And when we do… we'll make them pay."Valeria's heart beat fiercely, combined with fear and resolve coursing through her veins. The weight of the promise was smothering but then it was the only thing she could hold on to. Kim's words were a light in the hopelessness that had surrounded her life."But what if." Valeria's words quivered as she hesitated, her eyes cast downward,". what if it's too late? What if Kc already has the choice made regarding me? What if no matter what we do, I'll never escape this?"Kim stepped in closer, his expression kind but with a hardness she so desperately required. "Valeria, you can't think like this. You had no option. Nobody could have foreseen what occurred. But now, we must concentrate on the truth. We must ensure the correct man pays.Valeria's breath was stuck in her throat as she looked into Kim's eyes, his eyes unfaltering. For the first time in days, a gli
And then, as if on command, a memory flitted through his head—the memory of the manner in which Valeria had pleaded for his pardon. It was little enough. A fleeting second, actually. A few words, a spattering of tears. But for an instant, he had caught a glimpse in her eyes—guilt. Desperation. A glimmer of humanity. But it didn't matter. She had stolen his future, his love, and the child they would have had together. Nothing, not even her apologies, could erase that. He snatched his coat from the back of his chair, moving quickly and erratically. He needed to see her. He needed to confront her. To make her realize what hell she had put him through. Kc's head was a battlefield, and Valeria was the attacker. She would never be rid of the fruits of her labour—not if he had anything to say about it. He burst out of his office, his mind dark, clouded with the rage that seethed in his chest. His heart pounded against his ribs, the heaviness of the sorrow near to crushing. But it was not eno
Valeria's hands trembled as she fumbled for her phone, her chest convulsing as her heart pounded against her at top speed. She could still feel Kc's rage lingering above her, suffocating her, consuming whatever last vestige of strength was left in her. As soon as he had shoved out of her condo unit, she collapsed onto the floor, panting, convulsing her whole body.She pushed the phone to her ear, her fingers frozen. As soon as the call went through, she collapsed utterly."Manager Kim," she wept, her words barely intelligible. "K-Kc… h-he was at my condo… he visited me."There was a moment of silence on the other end before Manager Kim's voice cut through, taut with alarm. "What?! When? Are you injured?""N-no, but—" Valeria couldn't catch her breath, holding her chest as fear took hold. "He was angry, Kim. He wants me to pay. He… he won't let up." Her voice broke, Kc's rage overwhelming her.Kim cursed. "I told you to call me Valeria, if he ever showed up anywhere around you! You don
Valeria slid into a seat, her hands trembling in buckling the seatbelt. "Kim. wh-what if he finds me?" she whispered, her voice hardly audible.Briefly, Kim clenched his teeth as he got into the driver's seat and turned on the car. "Then we'll be set in motion."As they sped away into the night, Valeria stared outside, her heart heavy with dread about what lay ahead.Would she ever escape Kc’s wrath?Meanwhile…Kc sat in his office, holding a glass of whiskey so hard it almost broke in his hand. His head was a jumble of sorrow, anger, and a pain so hollow it refused to let go.His phone vibrated on the desk. He ignored it.Then it rang again.He took a harsh breath before answering. "What?"A low voice came back. "You let her go."Kc's face darkened. "What are you talking about?""Valeria. She's fleeing."Kc sat bolt upright, his whole body stiffening. "Where?" "She departed her condo a few minutes ago. She's not heading home, Kc. She's in hiding."His hand around the phone clenched.
The night before the wedding. Brilliant attorney and trillionaire CEO of Page and Associates Law Firm stood in front of the magnificent penthouse window over a city that Kc Page ruled over, all that gleaming in promises from that very skyline which was made under precise and thoughtful plans of the one. He will be married the next day and will become a father the soonest after that. Life unfolds precisely to plans.And his phone rang.And his phone rang.One call. One silence, before the storm."Kc… "The voice on the other end was tight, trembling. His best friend, Ethan."It's Vanessa."A cold heart. "What about Vanessa?"A pause, of its own. The kind where something can't be said."There was. an accident."The world cracked. Kc clutched at the edge of his desk, his knuckles white."What kind of accident?" His voice was unnervingly calm, but something inside him was already breaking.Ethans breath shuddered. "She—she didn't make it, Kc."The words were a blade, twisting deep into hi
Valeria blinked rapidly, her hands trembling. She knew he meant every word. The realization settled like a stone in her chest."You want to know what I’m going to do to you, Valeria?" Kc’s voice dropped, menacing and low."I'm going to destroy you. Bit by bit. Until there's nothing left of the flawless, untouchable Valeria Jayne. I'm going to make you beg for mercy. And when you do, I'll make sure you remember me."His lips curled into a cruel, vicious smile. "You can't escape me."Valeria swallowed hard, a tear slipping down her cheek. She didn't speak. She couldn't. The words wouldn't come.Kc took one last, long look at her before he turned, his footsteps heavy as he strode toward the door.Before he left, he paused, his back to her."Oh, and Valeria," he called without turning around. "I want you to know one thing. You're going to wish you were never born."With that, he walked out, leaving Valeria shattered and broken, a woman who had never known true terror until now.Cold forma
A voice sliced through the silence.Kc didn't let go."You are hurting our model!" Manager Kim's voice was firm, protective. He stepped forward, placing himself between Kc and Valeria. "This is unacceptable!"For a long second, silence hung in the air.Then, without a word, Kc let go.Valeria fell back onto the bed, coughing violently, clutching her throat.Kc turned on his heel, his steps slow, controlled, deadly.Valeria sat there, unable to do anything as he left the room. The door shut behind him, clicking into place.Her body slumped in defeat, fingers pressing against bruises forming on her throat.Her heart pounded hard against her ribs.This was not over.It was just the beginning.When she was about to leave the hospital, she thought KC had just left after their confrontation. The fresh air felt foreign to Valeria as she stepped outside. She was free. She could leave. She had to—"Get in the car, now," Manager Kim ordered, guiding her toward the vehicle. "We’re leaving before
She could cry all she wanted.She could kneel and beg, she could throw herself at his mercy.It would never be enough.Because Vanessa was still dead.And so was their child.And until he made sure Valeria Jayne felt the same pain he felt.This was far from over.Not even close.Valeria wants to genuinely apologize to the mourning parents of Vanessa. Valeria knelt on the cold tile floor, shivering. The sterilized smell of antiseptic mixed with the unbearable scent of death, hugging her in a noose. She could not breathe. Her swollen eyes stared at the lifeless body of Vanessa covered in a white sheet except on her face. A face that would never smile again, never speak, and never wake up.And next to her. Vanessa's parents. Her mother, her eyes red-rimmed, overflowing with tears, sat without speaking, her fingers curled around the edge of the steel table on which lay Vanessa. Her father slumped into his chair, shoulders collapsing as if the air had been sucked out of him. Their daughter
Valeria slid into a seat, her hands trembling in buckling the seatbelt. "Kim. wh-what if he finds me?" she whispered, her voice hardly audible.Briefly, Kim clenched his teeth as he got into the driver's seat and turned on the car. "Then we'll be set in motion."As they sped away into the night, Valeria stared outside, her heart heavy with dread about what lay ahead.Would she ever escape Kc’s wrath?Meanwhile…Kc sat in his office, holding a glass of whiskey so hard it almost broke in his hand. His head was a jumble of sorrow, anger, and a pain so hollow it refused to let go.His phone vibrated on the desk. He ignored it.Then it rang again.He took a harsh breath before answering. "What?"A low voice came back. "You let her go."Kc's face darkened. "What are you talking about?""Valeria. She's fleeing."Kc sat bolt upright, his whole body stiffening. "Where?" "She departed her condo a few minutes ago. She's not heading home, Kc. She's in hiding."His hand around the phone clenched.
Valeria's hands trembled as she fumbled for her phone, her chest convulsing as her heart pounded against her at top speed. She could still feel Kc's rage lingering above her, suffocating her, consuming whatever last vestige of strength was left in her. As soon as he had shoved out of her condo unit, she collapsed onto the floor, panting, convulsing her whole body.She pushed the phone to her ear, her fingers frozen. As soon as the call went through, she collapsed utterly."Manager Kim," she wept, her words barely intelligible. "K-Kc… h-he was at my condo… he visited me."There was a moment of silence on the other end before Manager Kim's voice cut through, taut with alarm. "What?! When? Are you injured?""N-no, but—" Valeria couldn't catch her breath, holding her chest as fear took hold. "He was angry, Kim. He wants me to pay. He… he won't let up." Her voice broke, Kc's rage overwhelming her.Kim cursed. "I told you to call me Valeria, if he ever showed up anywhere around you! You don
And then, as if on command, a memory flitted through his head—the memory of the manner in which Valeria had pleaded for his pardon. It was little enough. A fleeting second, actually. A few words, a spattering of tears. But for an instant, he had caught a glimpse in her eyes—guilt. Desperation. A glimmer of humanity. But it didn't matter. She had stolen his future, his love, and the child they would have had together. Nothing, not even her apologies, could erase that. He snatched his coat from the back of his chair, moving quickly and erratically. He needed to see her. He needed to confront her. To make her realize what hell she had put him through. Kc's head was a battlefield, and Valeria was the attacker. She would never be rid of the fruits of her labour—not if he had anything to say about it. He burst out of his office, his mind dark, clouded with the rage that seethed in his chest. His heart pounded against his ribs, the heaviness of the sorrow near to crushing. But it was not eno
Kim nodded, his voice firm. "Then we'll find out the truth. We'll find out who did this. And when we do… we'll make them pay."Valeria's heart beat fiercely, combined with fear and resolve coursing through her veins. The weight of the promise was smothering but then it was the only thing she could hold on to. Kim's words were a light in the hopelessness that had surrounded her life."But what if." Valeria's words quivered as she hesitated, her eyes cast downward,". what if it's too late? What if Kc already has the choice made regarding me? What if no matter what we do, I'll never escape this?"Kim stepped in closer, his expression kind but with a hardness she so desperately required. "Valeria, you can't think like this. You had no option. Nobody could have foreseen what occurred. But now, we must concentrate on the truth. We must ensure the correct man pays.Valeria's breath was stuck in her throat as she looked into Kim's eyes, his eyes unfaltering. For the first time in days, a gli
Valeria stumbled into her condo unit, her legs betraying her as she closed the door behind her. The sound of the lock clicking into position echoed through her lavish living room. But none of the extravagance, none of the class, none of the sparkling chandeliers was relevant. None of it was relevant when the weight of her guilt was closing in on her chest.Seated on the ground, her body shattered with sobbing, her cheeks glimmering with tears, the picture of Vanessa's parents, their faces wrought with sorrow, their very features wracked with suffering, was etched forever in her consciousness. Kc's rage, the rage in his eyes, haunted her. His rage had enveloped her like shrouds, pulling her toward a darkness that she could not escape."Your killed her. Your killed my wife. Your killed my child."His words rang out in her mind, persistent and vicious. She could still sense the lash of his words, the gaze he had given her as if she were a beast. And perhaps she was. Perhaps she had earne
Kc nodded slowly, the heaviness of their words seeping into him. It wouldn't be easy. It wouldn't be quick. But perhaps, and this was possibly the most terrible thing he might ever hope to do, if they were holding his hand alongside him, then he could start to heal. Perhaps he would learn to forgive himself—later. Because at this moment he knew he could not remain anchored in the deep well of hurt and guilt and pain forever. He couldn't allow that anger to engulf him. Not if he wanted to remember Vanessa.If he wanted to keep her alive in his head, not really. Kc replied in a whisper, sounding far less charged now, with tears still flowing down his face, only now they were a bit softer. "I don't know where to start... But I'll try. I will try for her. I will try for all of us."Vanessa's dad placed a hand on Kc's shoulder, his grip strong, unyielding. "That's all we can hope for, Kc. One day at a time.And in that moment, standing there as Kc was, among the two people who had loved Va
Kc turned his head, not able to see them. "But I do. When I close my eyes, I think of her. I think of her on that hospital bed, her face so white. so cold. I let her down. I let her and our baby down."Vanessa's father took a deep breath, his face in folds of agony. "We all loved her. And we all miss her, Kc. But you can't let this guilt consume you. You can't let it gnaw at you. We're all together here. We're all hurting, but you're not alone here.We are always here for you."Kc flinched at the idea, his arms supporting with emotion. "How am I going to live now that I know this? Knowing someone else did this to me? Stole her from me?" His eyes flared, the words bitter on his tongue. "How am I going to forgive her for it?"There was quiet, the sound being only the wind rushing through the leaves. Vanessa's dad stepped forward, his tone rough but kind. "Because forgiving is the only thing that's going to make you whole, son. Clinging to that anger—clinging to the fury you harbor—isn't
Justice. He was close to laughing at the very word. What did justice mean anymore, really? What did it serve to punish Valeria when nothing ever would have restored Vanessa to the world? To think of sitting in front of her once again in court, watching her plead for mercy and crying, made him all the angrier.But sitting there, the chill of his thoughts bearing down on him, another voice called out in his mind. His friend Liam's voice."Kc, you need to let go. This rage. it'll consume you. You've got to think about what's remaining. Don't give her the satisfaction."It was so difficult to listen to Liam, to hear him speak of moving on when the future Kc had envisioned was now empty. His dreams, his aspirations—they were all lost. And no amount of Valeria's apologies, no amount of times she kneeling by him, was going to restore his family.How could you do this?" Kc muttered to himself, desperation in his voice.He needed to scream at the world. He needed to protest the injustice of it
He took a deep breath, his eyes focusing slightly. "We have to go, Valeria. We have to get back to the hotel. There is nothing more that can be done here."Valeria's head shook. Her body racked in sobs. "I cannot go back. I cannot leave. I cannot see people. I don't deserve to exist after all I have done." She sounded a note of agony. "I killed them. I killed them, and I can never restore them back."Manager Kim didn't say anything for a second. He allowed her to cry, allowed her to have her words drowned out in tears. But he couldn't let her lose herself entirely."Listen to me," he told her, his tone firm but quiet. "You don't get to choose your destiny today. The world will judge you for what you've done, but you don't get to take your life, either. There's still more that you have to do, Valeria. You need to make things right. You need to face what's ahead, whether you want to or not."Valeria looked up at him, her expression twisted with anguish. "I don't know how to meet it," sh