The Gilbert parents threw themselves between us, but it didn't matter. I shattered Melvin's leg. And even that didn't come close to repaying what his parents had done to me.

After that, every elite family in the city knew the same story: the Gilbert heir they'd found was a lunatic. A savage who'd maimed his own brother.

I was sent overseas. They re-broke my bones and set them straight. Gave me new corneas.

The Gilbert parents told me:

From now on, Melvin owes you nothing.

The memory dissolved. Greta's cool voice drifted up from behind me: "If you want to lose your mind, take a good look at what you are first. And besides, Melvin doesn't owe you a thing. If he ever tried anything against you, I'd be the first to put a stop to it."

The echo of those words, so eerily familiar, drew a laugh out of me.

"Doesn't owe me?"

I turned to look at Greta.

"Are you saying Melvin doesn't owe me, or that you don't?"

"Do you really want me to lay it all out?"

Whether it was Melvin, who'd stolen my place and tried to ruin me time and again, or Greta, who'd fed off my blood and sweat to climb her way up all these years, neither of them had any right to say those words to me.

The composure drained from Greta's face, replaced by a flash of irritation.

"Victor, what's gotten into you? 'Lay it all out'? You're my husband! Don't act like reviewing a few documents for me at work makes you some kind of hero."

"Other husbands would lay down their lives for their wives. All I did was give you a little extra work and skip bringing you home for the holidays. Is that really worth making a scene over?"

Her brows pinched together, as if I were the one being unreasonable.

I didn't spiral into hysterics the way I used to. My voice was level, almost detached, as I delivered my ultimatum.

"Greta, ask yourself honestly. Have you ever truly thought of me as your husband?"

"In your eyes, wasn't I always just an employee you could summon whenever you needed?"

Greta was the only child in the James family, but she'd never had a head for business. Nine years ago, a catastrophic miscalculation nearly drove James Corp into bankruptcy. Her parents had even floated the idea of marrying her off in exchange for a project deal and adopting a nephew to carry on the family name.

She'd come to me in tears, thrown her arms around me, and said I was the only one she wanted to marry. She begged me to help her.