Baby, take a good look. The people who hurt you—Mommy won't let a single one of them go.
They'll pay for what they've done. Every last one of them.
Monday. Outside the county clerk's office.
A cold drizzle fell without end. The sky hung low and gray, like one vast tombstone pressing down on the world.
I stood at the bottom of the steps in black from head to toe, the broken plastic crown clutched tight in my hand.
A black Maybach pulled up in front of me.
Victor stepped out, radiating confidence, looking like a man who had everything going his way.
But when his eyes landed on my face, that easy smile froze for just a moment.
I probably looked like a ghost.
Deathly pale. Hollowed-out eyes. So thin I was barely recognizable—like something had drained every last drop of life from my body.
Victor's brow furrowed. For once, a flicker of guilt—faint, almost imperceptible—crossed his features.
He walked over and opened an umbrella over my head. His voice softened, just slightly.
"What have you done to yourself?"
He paused, as if weighing his next words. "Since you're being so cooperative, I won't be completely heartless about this."
He pulled another document from his briefcase and held it out to me.
"I had my lawyer draft a new agreement. Everything I promised before, plus an additional two hundred thousand."
His tone turned magnanimous. "After all, raising Talia on your own won't be easy. School fees, medical bills—it all adds up."
The moment her name left his lips, my heart seized.
I raised my head. My eyes, flat and empty, locked onto his.
Victor shifted under my stare, visibly uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and asked casually, as if making small talk:
"By the way, how's Talia been since that day? Still mad at me?"
He gave a light chuckle. "That kid holds a grudge—gets it from you. Once we're done here, I'll buy her a new toy. You can smooth things over with her."
I opened my mouth, ready to shatter his nauseating fantasy of fatherhood.
But before I could speak, the shriek of brakes cut through the rain, followed by a woman's shrill, furious voice.
"Odette, you shameless slut!"
Rebecca didn't even bother with an umbrella. She burst out of her red sports car like a woman possessed.
She shoved aside the umbrella Victor was holding over me and jabbed her finger in my face, screaming.