I Gave Him My Heart. He Earned My RevengeChapter 1
Because of Dr. Lilith Lockhart and her reckless arrogance, my father nearly died. She once boasted to her peers that she could repair a ruptured brain aneurysm with just one hand. One hand. But when the moment came, she failed. She claimed a sudden headache, dropped the scalpel in the middle of surgery, and ran out like a coward.
And my father… my poor father… never woke up again. He lies there, trapped in that hospital bed, machines screaming alarms around him, and all I can do is bang the call button over and over. No one comes. No one helps.
My brother Tristan tried to fight back. He filed a lawsuit, pouring every ounce of energy into proving justice still existed. But in just two days, his law license was stripped, he was thrown into prison, and they accused him of bribery, perjury, defamation. Lies. Every accusation was a lie. Ten years they gave him, as if his life were meaningless. His name, his reputation, his entire world was exposed to shame. Even his colleagues and friends turned against him.
And behind it all?
Thorne Simpson. My husband. The man I’ve been married to for five years. The man who controls this city. The man who swore he would protect me.
That day, as I pounded the bell like a lunatic with no one answering, Thorne strolled in. Perfectly tailored suit, gleaming shoes, calm as a stormless sea. He handed me my phone like it was a gift and said, “The case has been dropped. Make a video. Apologize. Publicly. Do it, and your father gets surgery. He survives… or dies. Your choice.”
My hands trembled uncontrollably. My body shook. Tears streamed down, and I whispered, “W-why…? Why him? Why would you protect Lilith over your own father?”
For the second time in my life, I cried in front of Thorne. The first was at our wedding—tears of happiness. Now, tears of betrayal.
“Stop crying, Aria…” His voice was soft, almost human, and for a fraction of a second, it seemed like he cared. He lifted a hand, as if to wipe my tears, then hesitated. He recoiled, as though my suffering disgusted him.