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.

When my parents returned from speaking with Dr. Aris, their faces glowed with quiet relief. They confirmed what I already knew—I was being discharged today. After they carefully filled out the necessary paperwork and signed the discharge forms, the moment finally arrived. The sterile hospital room that had been my world for far too long was about to be left behind.


"I need to see Frederick before we leave," I told them softly.


They exchanged a gentle look and nodded without hesitation.


Frederick Flemington had become a steady voice of reason and quiet strength in my life ever since I first met him. He had always treated me with warmth and wisdom, offering guidance when everything around me felt chaotic. Knowing he had been shot while trying to help rescue me broke my heart in ways I couldn't fully express. The image of him stepping in alongside Franklin and Clinton, risking everything for me, was something I would carry with me for the rest of my life.


Chapter 158 - ~ 158