He threw money on the bed after our one-night stand.
I threw it back in his face at his own inauguration.
By sundown, we were engaged. By the week's end — married.
Franklin Flemington needed a wife to secure his empire. I needed a miracle to save my family. For two years, we played our parts flawlessly — the golden couple the whole city envied.
Behind closed doors, I was invisible to him.
When the two years were up, I handed him divorce papers without blinking.
He stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "I've given you everything a husband should. What more do you want from me, Octavia?"
I smiled, signed my name, and walked out.
I thought that was the end. I thought I'd finally won.
I forgot one thing — Franklin Flemington has never lost anything in his life. And he has no intention of starting with me.
Game on.

The gunshot didn't echo; it split the world open. For a heartbeat—one agonizing, suspended second—the jungle went mute. The shouting stopped, the rustling of the leaves ceased, and even the air seemed to hold its breath. My focus narrowed down to a single point: Raquel.


Her grip on my waist tightened with a violent jolt, then faltered. My heart plummeted into my stomach, a cold, hollow dread washed over me.


"Raquel?" I gasped, the name tearing from my throat.


But she didn't fall. She remained upright, her eyes wide and darting, her chest heaving with a sudden surge of adrenaline. The realization hit me a second later, staggering in its relief: she hadn't been hit. The bullet had hissed past her ear, a lethal whisper of lead.


Chapter 193 - ~ 193