Chapter 178

Chapter 178
Finn's POV

I stared at the document in William's hand, my vision narrowing until all I could see was Hannah's signature at the bottom of the page. Her handwriting was neat and controlled, just like everything else about her. Each letter of her name stood as testimony to what appeared to be her ultimate betrayal.

"What is this?" My voice came out steadier than I expected, considering the rage building inside me.

"The full agreement your wife signed," William said, his face bearing the exhaustion of a man who had been fighting too many battles. "She consented to leave the Sterling family immediately after delivering a healthy heir."

I snatched the paper from his hand, my eyes scanning the legal jargon until I reached the damning paragraph:

"Upon successful delivery of a healthy child, Hannah Lancaster agrees to permanently depart from all Sterling properties and relinquish all contact with the child and Finn Sterling..."

Her signature sat beneath these words like a knife in my back. Every moment we'd shared flashed through my mind – her hands guiding mine when I was blind, her voice encouraging me to try again when I failed, her warmth beside me in bed. Her promises that she would stay.

All lies.

My knuckles turned white as I gripped the document, fighting the urge to tear it to shreds. Had she been planning her exit all along? Waiting for the perfect moment to collect her payment and disappear? Every time she'd touched my face, every time she'd whispered that she believed in me – was it all part of some calculated performance?

Something didn't add up. If she had planned to leave all along, why had she fought so hard to stay when I was blind? Why put herself through my rage, my suspicion, my darkness?

"You can keep her," William said, interrupting my thoughts. His voice carried the casual tone of a business negotiation. "I'm willing to tear up this agreement on one condition: you stop hunting Richard."

I looked into his eyes, searching for the trap. This was William Sterling, after all – the man who had taught me that everything in life came with strings attached.

"Your son attempted to murder my wife and child," I reminded him, my voice dangerously low. "And you expect me to just let that go?"

"He's no longer a Sterling," William countered. "He's been stripped of his name, his inheritance, his identity. For all intents and purposes, Richard Sterling is dead."

I let out a cold laugh. "And you think that's enough?"

"It's more than most would get for crossing you." William's gaze didn't waver. "Your choice is simple, Finn. Your revenge, or your wife."

I crumpled the document in my fist, feeling the satisfying crush of paper. "I won't go looking for him," I said finally, measuring each word. "But if he ever shows his face to me again, I make no promises about leaving him alive."

William opened his mouth to speak, but I turned away, not interested in whatever conditions or negotiations he wanted to add. I could feel Victoria and Sophia's eyes on my back as I walked toward the door, my mind already racing ahead to my confrontation with Hannah.

I pushed the door open and stepped into the hallway, only to find Hannah herself standing there. Her face was pale but her eyes held that familiar determination I'd come to recognize. She wore a hospital gown, and she shouldn't have been out of bed so soon after giving birth. The realization that she'd risked her health to come here made my anger flare hotter.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded, unable to keep the edge from my voice.

Her eyes widened slightly at my tone, but she held her ground. "I was worried about you," she said simply.

"Worried I might kill Richard before you could confirm he was safely away?" The accusation slipped out before I could stop it.

Hannah shook her head, confusion clear on her face. "No. I was worried you'd do something that would hurt you. Something you couldn't take back."

I searched her face for any sign of deception, any flicker of guilt that might betray her. But all I saw was genuine concern.

"And if I had killed him?" I asked, half-joking, testing her reaction. "What would you have done then?"

Without hesitation, she replied, "I would have helped you hide the body and taken the blame if we were caught."

Her answer hit me like a physical blow. In all my years in the underground fighting rings, no one had ever been willing to take a fall for me. No one had ever stepped in front of a punch meant for me. I had always stood alone.

Yet here she was, this woman who had apparently signed away her future with me, offering to shield me from the consequences of my worst impulses.

I studied her face, trying to reconcile the document in my hand with the woman before me. One of them was lying – the question was which.

I leaned down and kissed her, tasting the warmth of her lips, feeling her surprise and then her response. Part of me wanted to punish her, to bite down until I tasted blood, to make her feel a fraction of the betrayal burning in my chest. But I couldn't bring myself to hurt her, not when she looked at me with those damn trusting eyes.

Instead, I slipped an arm around her waist and lifted her up, surprised again by how light she felt despite having just given birth. She let out a small gasp but didn't protest as I carried her back toward her hospital room.

"You shouldn't be walking around," I muttered against her hair, inhaling the familiar scent of her. "The doctor said you need rest."

"So do you," she whispered back, her hand gently touching the bandage on my arm.

I didn't respond. I couldn't. Not until I figured out what game we were really playing here.