Two weeks had passed.
Lia's mother was recovering, slowly but surely.Lia had spent every single day by her side. But her mind had never truly rested.
Not because of the hospital room or the long hours.But because of a sentence that kept replaying in her head:"We have to be careful... she's not stupid."
Even though Chris had been kind, attentive, and always checking in,there was something about his voice now—something that Lia could finally recognize.
Lies.
When the private jet landed on the sleek runway of the tower's private airstrip,Chris stood waiting with his signature, perfect smile.He held a bouquet of white roses,his gaze warm, confident, and practiced.
Lia smiled back.Not from love.From strategy.
She wasn't the same naive bride from Chapter One.She was a woman who had started trusting her intuition—even without evidence.
As the elevator ascended toward the 132nd floor of the tower,everything looked exactly the same.
The golden chandeliers.The endless glass walls and skyline views.The scent of Chris's cologne still lingering in the air.
And yet... something felt different.
Inside the laundry bin were unfamiliar women's clothes.On the living room table, a wine glass with lipstick—Not her color. Not her brand. Not her.
Lia smiled, deeper this time.
"You really kept everything the same for me," she said.
Chris chuckled. "I missed you. I wanted you to feel like nothing changed."
How ironic, she thought.
Only a fool would think they could fool me now.
Just as she was about to start looking deeper—checking call logs, closet spaces, any small detail that felt "off"—
her phone buzzed with a message from the hospital:
"Your mother's condition has worsened. Please contact us as soon as possible."
Suddenly, everything else faded.The lipstick.The clothes.Even Chris.
For now, she had to return to her mother.
Not because she was weak.But because revenge would have to wait.
This time, Lia wasn't walking away to escape.She was walking away to prepare.