Chapter 3

Willa's POV

Kieran took a hard drag of his cigarette. The cherry illuminated the panic in his eyes. He turned his head to flick the ash, but his hands were shaking.

"Tell me!" I grabbed a water glass and smashed it against the edge of the table.

Glass shattered everywhere. Kieran jumped to his feet.

"Willa, calm down!" He rubbed his face, his voice cracking. "Draining your accounts, making you live in a basement—those sick games weren't Caspian's idea. It was all Ottalie. She was jealous you were his actual wife. She wanted to test exactly who he cared about more. Caspian is totally under her spell; he just goes along with it."

"So you just stood by and watched him play me for a fool?"

"Caspian is a psychopath who does whatever it takes once he locks onto a target." Kieran aggressively grabbed my arm. "Listen to me, 300k is enough to start over. Take the money, get out of town, and stop trying to fight him head-on."

I shoved his hand away.

Not just Caspian. Even my so-called friends were telling me to roll over.

"Until I get every cent back, I'm working my shifts." I threw his jacket back at him and walked out into the smoky hallway.

The next day at noon, in the St. Alder ER breakroom.

I had just finished treating two severe burn victims. I opened the door to find Caspian sitting in my office chair. Sitting on the desk was takeout from Marlow's Diner—my favorite food.

"Hot corn chowder. Just got it." He stood up. His tone was gentle, completely erasing the man who had threatened my life yesterday. "I drank too much last night. We've known each other for six years, Willa. I don't want to see you suffer. Sign the papers, and the 300k is yours."

I smacked the soup onto the floor. Thick yellow broth splattered all over his expensive oxford shoes.

"Drop the disgusting act. To fake bankruptcy, you conned me out of my mother's necklace, drained my accounts, and used our home to harbor your mistress." I stepped into his space. "Three hundred grand? Not a chance in hell."

The warmth vanished from his eyes. He glanced down at the ruined shoes with pure disgust.

"Still have a backbone, huh?" He brushed off his jacket, a cruel smile creeping across his face. "Let's see if you're this tough when you lose your only job."

He stormed out.

Less than ten minutes later, shrill screaming echoed through the ER lobby.

"Slut! Come out here! Let everyone see this doctor's true colors!"

It was Greta Lund—the wife of a patient I had treated last week. She was standing in the middle of the waiting room, shoving photos into the faces of passing nurses and patients like flyers.

"It's her! Your precious doctor! She dresses like a cheap whore and sneaks out to clubs to seduce my husband!"

Gasps rippled through the lobby. I felt the daggers of a hundred judging eyes stabbing into me.

I recognized the angle of the photos. Third-floor hallway, directly facing the VIP room. Only one person was standing there.

"Willa Mire!"

The ER Chief, Hadley Byrne, marched out of the elevator, her face livid.

"My office. Now! Pack your things, you're suspended pending an investigation."

"Chief, this is a complete setup. Someone is deliberately trying to—"

"Shut up. The hospital's reputation has no room for this kind of stain."

By 2 PM, torrential rain was pouring outside.

It was flu season, and everywhere was short-staffed. Without an umbrella, I ran through the downpour to four clinics and three private hospitals. Every HR rep loved my resume, only to step out to take a phone call and return with a cold glare, showing me the door.

Soaked to the bone, shoes caked in mud. Just as I stepped back onto the curb, a black Bentley slammed on its brakes in front of me, splashing a puddle of dirty water over my legs.

The window rolled down. Caspian sat comfortably in the dry, heated leather interior, watching me with amusement.

"Hitting a wall?" he smirked. "Should have just been a good girl. Nobody wins when they piss me off. Take the deal, sign the papers, and you can go back to work tomorrow."

He opened the car door and reached out to grab my arm.

"Don't touch me!"

I swatted his hand away and took a huge step back. The rain washed over my face, and inside me, a dam finally broke.

"Caspian Ward, do you really think cutting off my money is going to make me beg like a dog?"

His face shifted. He lunged at me to cover my mouth. "Crazy bitch! Stop screaming in the street!"

"Get off!"

I didn't back down. Driven by pure rage, I threw a punch straight into the bridge of his nose, then followed up with a kick that sent him and his tailored suit crashing into the muddy street.

"Listen to me. If you think 300k is going to make me go away, you're dreaming." I looked down at his face, now covered in blood and mud. "I decide when this marriage ends, and I decide exactly what price you pay."

As he clutched his bloody nose and cried out in disbelief, I snatched his dropped keys from the pavement, slid into the driver’s seat of the Bentley, and floored the engine.