Chapter 2

I couldn't bring myself to leave Marcus's office building—not when I was so close to the truth.

Instead, I found myself following the sound of their voices, hiding in the stairwell with my phone pressed to my ear as I pretended to take a call. Through the thin walls, Marcus's voice carried clearly from the conference room where he'd moved with his friends.

"The termination will destroy her completely," Marcus was saying, his tone clinical and detached. "She's so emotionally invested in this pregnancy."

"And when she's at her lowest, we move to phase two," Ryan added with sick enthusiasm.

My free hand pressed against my belly, feeling the baby's restless movements. Even they seemed to sense the danger surrounding us.

"I want her to lose everything," Marcus continued, his voice hardening. "Her dignity, her sanity, her will to fight back. Just like what she did to Sophie."

"What exactly did she do again?" another voice asked—Ethan, one of Marcus's business partners.

"She convinced my sister to study abroad, made her dependent on her guidance, then abandoned her when Sophie needed her most," Marcus's lie came so smoothly it almost sounded believable. "Sophie had a breakdown because of Victoria's manipulation."

I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood. The truth was completely opposite—I had helped Sophie escape her toxic boyfriend and supported her dream of studying in Paris. But Marcus had twisted even my kindness into something sinister.

"So what's the plan for the welcome party?" Ethan asked.

"Simple," Marcus replied, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "We'll use the obedience serum we got from that underground lab. One drink, and she'll be completely compliant but fully conscious."

"Perfect," Ryan laughed. "She'll remember everything but won't be able to resist anything we do to her."

The baby kicked hard, as if trying to fight against the horror surrounding us. I pressed my hand firmer against my stomach, trying to calm both of us.

"The betting pool is already at fifty thousand," Ethan said casually. "Everyone wants to see the Ice Queen finally broken."

"Ice Queen?" Marcus snorted. "If they only knew how pathetically she begs in bed."

Their laughter felt like acid in my veins. Every intimate moment, every vulnerable confession, every tear I'd shed in his arms—he'd shared it all with these monsters.

"When does Sophie arrive?" Ryan asked.

"This Friday," Marcus replied. "The party's that same night. Victoria won't suspect anything since she thinks it's just a welcome celebration for my 'beloved sister.'"

"And after the party?"

"She'll have a convenient 'accident' during her breakdown," Marcus's voice dropped to a whisper. "Pregnant women are so emotionally unstable. Tragic, really."

My blood turned to ice. They weren't just planning to humiliate me—they were planning to kill me.

The baby seemed to understand, its movements becoming frantic, desperate. I placed both hands on my belly, trying to project calm while my mind raced.

"The beauty of it is, she'll do most of the work herself," Marcus continued. "The guilt, the shame, the realization that her entire life was a lie. She'll be begging for death by the end."

"You're a genius, man," Ryan said admiringly. "Cold, calculating, perfect revenge."

"She destroyed my family," Marcus's voice turned savage. "Now I'll destroy her completely."

I backed away from the wall, my decision crystallizing like ice in my chest. The grief over my shattered marriage was transforming into something else—something cold and sharp and deadly.

If Marcus wanted to play destruction, I would show him what real devastation looked like.

The pregnancy he saw as a weakness would become his nightmare. The vulnerability he planned to exploit would become his trap. The woman he thought he could destroy would become his executioner.

I pulled out my phone and scheduled an appointment for tomorrow morning. The termination would happen, but not for the reasons Marcus expected.

It would be the opening move in a game he never saw coming.

As I walked toward the elevator, I could still hear their laughter echoing through the building. They thought they were the predators, circling their helpless prey.

They had no idea they were already caught in a web spun by someone far more dangerous than they could imagine.