Two days after I discovered Victor was running a massive criminal financial empire behind my back, I gave birth to our daughter Lily by emergency C-section, and instead of driving me home he turned the SUV straight up a frozen mountain pass in the middle of a historic Category 4 blizzard, ignoring every road sign and my terrified begging to stop.

My hand flew to the small pistol I’d strapped to my thigh under the gown. Victor laughed, holding up his free hand.

“Easy,” he said. “No guns tonight. Not with all those people downstairs. One shot, and the whole place goes crazy. Bad for business.”

He stepped into the office, closing the door behind him. He looked older than I remembered. Tired around the eyes. But still handsome. Still charming. Still the devil I knew.

“I almost didn’t recognize you with the blonde hair,” he said, walking toward me. “It suits you. Though I prefer the brown. More natural.”

I backed away, putting the desk between us. Ethan stepped in front of me, his fists clenched.

“Who are you?” Victor asked, raising an eyebrow at Ethan. “New boyfriend? You always did have terrible taste in men, Clara.”

“Stay back,” Ethan said. “We have proof of everything. The money laundering, the murders, the fraud. The FBI’s gonna be here any minute.”

Victor laughed again, taking a sip of whiskey. “Oh, please. Your little FBI friend Agent Torres? She’s been trying to get me for five years. She’s got nothing. And even if she did, I own half the judges in this state. I’d be out on bail before the sun came up.”

He turned his attention back to me, his eyes cold. “Why are you doing this, Clara? We had a good life. A beautiful daughter. You could’ve been happy if you’d just minded your own business. Why’d you have to go digging through my things?”

“Because you’re a monster,” I spat. “You left me and our newborn to die on a mountain. You killed Hank. You killed Ethan’s sister. You’ve destroyed hundreds of lives. Why wouldn’t I stop you?”

He tilted his head, like he was thinking about it. “I left you there because you gave me no choice. You were gonna ruin everything I built. Everything I worked for my whole life. You think I wanted to hurt you? I loved you, Clara. In my own way. But you were weak. Always so emotional. So easy to break.”

He took another step closer. “And Lily? She’s my daughter too. I’ve been paying for everything—her doctors, her school, that little cabin in Montana. I’ve been watching her grow up. She’s perfect. Just like me. She doesn’t need a crazy mother dragging her into a life of poverty and fear. She belongs with me. With Amelia and Mia. In a real home.”

Rage burned through me so hot I saw red. I lunged across the desk, grabbing the letter opener from his pen holder, holding it to his throat. He didn’t flinch. Just smiled wider.

“You won’t kill me,” he said softly. “You’re too good. Too much of a victim. That’s why I won, Clara. Because I’m willing to do the things you’re not.”

The sound of a woman’s laugh echoed from the hall. Amelia. Victor’s head turned slightly, distracted. I took my chance, shoving him backward into his chair, grabbing my bag, and running for the door. Ethan followed, slamming the door shut behind us, jamming a chair under the handle to buy us time.

We ran down the hall to the service elevator, slamming the button over and over. The doors opened. We jumped inside, and I pressed the button for the lobby. My chest was heaving, my hands shaking. I reached into my bag to make sure the USB and ledgers were still there—

And froze.

The locket.

The silver locket Hank had given me for my first Christmas in Montana, with a tiny photo of Lily inside. I’d taken it off to look at the album, left it sitting on Victor’s desk.

He had it.

He would open it. He would see Lily’s photo. He would know I’d been in his office. He would know I had the files.

The elevator doors opened to the lobby. The gala was still in full swing, people laughing and dancing, completely unaware of the chaos upstairs. Ethan pulled me toward the exit, but I stopped, looking back at the stage. Victor was standing there now, the locket in his hand, his face white with rage. He scanned the crowd, his eyes locking on mine for a split second.

I turned and ran.

We didn’t go back to the apartment. We drove to a safe house Ethan had prepared—an old warehouse on the edge of town, owned by his uncle, off the grid, no security cameras, no address listed under anyone’s name. I called Hank, my voice shaking, told him what happened.

“Pack your bags,” I said. “Take Lily and Mrs. Lopez’s granddaughter, go to the cabin in the woods I told you about. The one with the hidden cellar. Don’t tell anyone where you’re going. Don’t use your phone. Don’t stop for anything. Victor knows we have the files. He’s gonna come for all of us.”

Hank didn’t argue. “Be careful, Clara. Remember rule four.”

“I will,” I said. “I love you, Grandpa.”

“I love you too, kid.”

I hung up, sinking onto a ratty couch in the warehouse. Ethan brought me a glass of water, sitting beside me.

“We have to give the files to Torres now,” he said. “Before Victor destroys them. Before he finds Lily.”

I shook my head. “No. If we give her everything now, Victor’s lawyers will tie the case up in court for years. He’ll get off. He’ll take Lily. He’ll kill all of us. We need more. We need him to make a mistake. To show his true colors in front of the whole world.”

I pulled out the burner phone, scrolling through the contacts until I found Amelia’s number—Ethan had hacked Victor’s phone and pulled it a week prior, just in case.

“I’m gonna talk to his wife,” I said.

Ethan’s eyes went wide. “Are you crazy? She’ll call Victor the second you say two words.”

“Maybe,” I said. “Or maybe she’s just as scared of him as I was. Maybe she needs someone to tell her the truth before it’s too late.”

I dialed the number. It rang three times. A soft, shaky voice answered.

“Hello?”

“Amelia,” I said. “My name is Clara. I’m Victor’s first wife. We need to talk. About your daughter. About your future. And about the man you’re about to marry.”

Silence on the other end. Then a quiet sob.

“Okay,” Amelia said. “When? Where?”

“Tomorrow,” I said. “Noon. The public park by the lake. The one with the big oak tree. Come alone. Bring Mia. If you tell Victor, I’ll know. And you’ll never find out what he’s really planning for you two.”

I hung up.