**Diary Entry**
I told everything to Charles. Every word that left my lips felt foreign, as though it belonged to someone else’s tragedy, not mine. But it was my story. My nightmare. My truth. My voice shook, and more than once, I thought I couldn’t go on. But I had to—I had to free myself.
*”The baby… the baby I gave birth to,”* I whispered, barely audible, *”wasn’t mine.”*
I looked up and saw him frown, confusion tightening his features.
*”What do you mean, not yours?”*
*”Someone switched the embryo,”* I choked out, drowning in words and tears. *”They replaced it—with one that carried my husband’s genes… and his mistress’s.”*
Charles stared at me, wide-eyed, as if struck by lightning.
*”What?!”*
*”Yes,”* I said. *”They wanted me to carry it. To give birth to it. To register it as mine…”*
And then… kill me.
So that child would inherit everything—my fortune, the life insurance, all of it.
I pulled the USB drive from my bag, pressing it into his palm. *”There’s proof. A video…”*
Without a word, he plugged it into his laptop, his hands stiff with tension. The screen lit his face, and then—he saw them.
My husband. His mistress. My executioner.
There they were, laughing, tangled in revolting affection, whispering poisonous plans.
*”She’ll give birth soon, the fool,”* the woman sneered. *”Tell me—when do we get rid of her?”*
*”Wait until she registers the baby,”* my husband replied coldly. *”Once it’s done… I’ll arrange an accident. Cut the brakes. Make it look like fate.”*
*”Brakes? Love, this isn’t some film. We need something… final.”*
*”I’ve already spent a fortune getting your friend Marie to help at the clinic. Swapping embryos wasn’t simple… or cheap. I had to fake massive losses just to hide the money. This can’t fail, Eleanor. It can’t.”*
The video stopped.
Charles stood abruptly.
The fearsome man boardrooms trembled before. The lion who never hesitated to crush rivals—now trembling, his breath ragged, red-hot fury burning in his eyes.
*”They’re dead!”* he roared. *”I’ll destroy them—with my bare hands if I must!”*
*”No!”* I grabbed him, my voice sharp. *”Not yet.”*
He stared at me as if I’d gone mad. Maybe I had.
*”First… I want them to suffer. To drown in their own misery like I have. I want them afraid, staring into mirrors at the hell they’ve made. I want… revenge.”*
Charles stepped closer, searching my face with an intensity I couldn’t fathom. Then—he nodded.
*”Alright. If that’s what you want, I’m with you. I’ll help.”*
I blinked, stunned. *”What—? Why?”*
*”I’ll help,”* he repeated, steel in his voice. *”If you want them to pay… I’ll make sure they do. Dearly.”*
We’ll take everything. Their peace, their power, their security—all of it.
My chest ached, breath unsteady. Tears blurred my vision.
*”Why…?”* My voice broke. *”Why help me, Charles?”*
For a moment, he looked away. Then his gaze locked onto mine—raw, unreadable.
*”Why do you think you came to me, Elizabeth? Why me, of all people?”*
I had no answer. My throat tightened.
*”I don’t know… I just… this was the only place I felt safe. I had nowhere else. Here… I knew I’d be protected.”*
His hands settled on my shoulders, warm and steady. The fear inside me stilled.
*”This will always be your sanctuary, Elizabeth. No one will touch you here. No one will hurt you again. You have me.”*
I shuddered. *”But—you shouldn’t get involved. It’s dangerous…”*
Then he shouted, a force that shook me to my core:
*”I’m involved because I care! Because—I’ve always loved you, Elizabeth! Always!”*
The world stopped.
I’d expected rejection. Advice. A scolding.
Never this.
Never love.
Not when my life was in ruins. Not when I felt like the ashes of a broken woman.
And yet—there he stood. Loving me anyway.
