Not long after, Bryce was sentenced to life without parole.
I appealed the case and finally got the divorce finalized.
When the judgment came down, I made a point of visiting him in prison.
Just a month inside and he already looked like a wreck–gaunt, unshaven, and with that ruined half of his face, he was almost monstrous.
“What the hell are you here for? To laugh at me?” he spat..
I stood over him, cold.
“I want to know one thing, Bryce. Why did you hate me so much?”
He slammed his cuffed fists against the glass, his eyes burning.
“Don’t you dare play innocent, Skyler.”
“My mom was your dad’s secretary. She loved him.”
But your bastard dad seduced her, then when the affair got out, he told everyone she was the one who slept her way up.”
“From the day I was born, people said I was some whore’s son.”
We were humiliated everywhere we went. Your dad ruined my life!”
Finally, it clicked–his insane grudge against me.
But he had the story twisted.
Yes, his mom had a thing for my dad.
But it wasn’t “love.”
She wanted the title of CEO’s wife.
When subtle hints didn’t work, she literally tried to drug him at a hotel.
‘roblem was, I happened to show up that night and blew the whole plan apart.
The next day, my dad fired her on the spot.
o all the gossip wasn’t slander–it was the truth.
he just didn’t have the guts to own it, and instead fed her son a pack of lies.
What’s worse, Bryce actually believed her.
Even when I threw the proof down in front of him, he refused to accept it.
Bullshit. I still won. At least your dad’s wife ended up in my bed!”
pulled out my phone and hit play–Vanessa’s own voice spilling every dirty secret.
‘No. No, you’re lying,” Bryce shouted, face twisted in denial.
‘She said she only loved me! Get her here now! I want to hear it from her!”
‘You won’t be seeing her again. She’s already in a psych ward.”
‘And that baby? Not yours. It’s the real estate guy’s.”
‘Shut up! You’re lying! You’re lying!” Bryce lunged at the glass, shackles clanking, reaching for me like he could tear me apart.
Парет
“Believe what you want.” I said flatly.
Behind me,
he kept pounding on the glass, screaming for me to come back, to “say it to his face.”
I didn’t even glance back
I stepped outside into the blazing sun, my phone buzzing with a new message.
It was my assistant–Daybreak’s first online sales drop had shattered projections and gone straight to the top of the charts.
Thanks to Bryce, I already had a massive following on social media.
I’d launched a channel on a short video app, built a brand presence, and turned the public’s attention into a loyal customer base.
Daybreak sold out almost instantly.
For the first time in forever, my life felt like it was finally on track.
As the car rolled through the city streets, the full moon hung bright above the skyline.
quickened my pace, chasing it.
Dawn was breaking.
The darkness was behind me.
A new hope was right ahead.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.