Mira's POV
My hands shake as I apply lipstick.
Red. Bold. The kind of color the old Mira would never wear.
I stare at myself in the mirror. A stranger stares back. Long black hair that falls like silk. A white silk blouse that costs more than my entire wardrobe used to. Heels that make me three inches taller.
I don't look anything like Dominic's wife.
That's the point.
"You're going to be late." Marcus leans against the doorframe. "We need to leave in ten minutes."
"I know." But I can't stop staring at myself. Trying to remember who I used to be.
"You don't have to do this," Marcus says quietly. "Let me handle Kane—"
"No." My voice comes out sharp. "This is mine. He's mine."
Marcus walks closer. "Is this about saving your company? Or destroying his?"
I meet his eyes in the mirror. "Both."
Three years. That's how long it took to build Nexus Innovations into a half-billion-dollar empire. Three years of eighteen-hour days and becoming someone the tech world couldn't ignore.
Three years of missing my daughter's birthdays. Her first day of school. Her losing her first tooth.
All so I could become powerful enough to get her back.
"He won't recognize you," Marcus says.
"I'm counting on it." I turn away from the mirror. "Let him see M. Shadow first. Let him need me. Then I'll show him exactly who he threw away."
Marcus hands me my tablet. "The files are ready. Everything to save his company. And everything to destroy it if he refuses."
My phone buzzes. Text from Sophia: "You sure about this?"
I type quickly: "There was no going back the day they took Lily."
Her response: "Then make him bleed. But don't let him make you bleed too."
Too late. I've been bleeding for three years.
We drive to Kane Enterprises. The building looks the same—tall, glass, intimidating. I used to bring Dominic lunch here. The security guards would smile at me pityingly.
"Remember the plan," Marcus says. "You're M. Shadow. Cold, professional, untouchable."
But I do care. That's the problem. Part of me still remembers the man I fell in love with.
The one who broke every promise.
"He took Lily to Disney World last week," I say suddenly.
Marcus looks surprised. "How do you know?"
"I've been monitoring his phone." I pull up photos on my tablet—my daughter laughing on a roller coaster, holding Dominic's hand, looking happy.
Looking like she doesn't miss me at all.
"She's seven now. She barely remembers me." My voice cracks. "What if I get her back and she hates me for leaving?"
"You didn't leave. They took her."
"She doesn't know that." I wipe my eyes carefully. "What if she believes Victoria's lies?"
Marcus takes my hand. "Then you show her the truth. But first, you need Dominic to trust you."
We take the elevator to the top floor. With every floor, my heart beats faster.
The doors open. I step out on heels that click with confidence I don't feel.
"Wait here," I tell Marcus. "This first meeting is just me and him."
I walk toward Dominic's office doors. The same doors I used to knock on timidly.
This time, I don't knock.
I push them open and walk in like I own the place.
Dominic stands at his window, back to me. His shoulders tense.
"Mr. Kane," I say, my voice steady and cold. "Thank you for meeting with me."
He turns around slowly.
Our eyes meet.
For one terrible second, I think he knows. But then the moment passes. His face shows only professional interest.
"Ms. Shadow." He extends his hand. "I've heard impressive things."
I shake his hand, and the touch burns. The same hand that used to hold mine. That signed custody papers. That let me go.
"Shall we discuss your company's problems?" I sit without being invited. "Or would you prefer to keep pretending everything's fine?"
His jaw tightens. "My company is experiencing temporary difficulties—"
"Your company is dying." I cut him off. "You've lost three major clients this quarter. Your stock is down forty percent. Your security is a joke."
He sits slowly, studying me. "You seem to know a lot about Kane Enterprises."
"I know everything. Including things you've forgotten." I lean forward. "The Patterson deal. The offshore accounts. The patents you stole from Chen Tech."
His face goes white. "How do you—"
"I'm M. Shadow. Knowing secrets is what I do." I smile. "The question is, do you want me to keep those secrets? Or share them with the FBI?"
"You're blackmailing me."
"I'm offering you a choice. Hire me, or watch everything crumble." I stand. "Twenty-four hours to decide."
I walk toward the door, heart pounding.
"Wait," he calls out.
I pause, not turning. "Yes?"
"Why me? Why target my company specifically?"
Now I turn slowly. Let him see my face again.
"Let's just say you and I have unfinished business," I tell him softly. "You just don't remember it yet."
I walk out, closing the door.
In the hallway, Marcus is waiting. "How did it go?"
"He doesn't know." I lean against the wall, legs weak. "He looked right at me and didn't know."
"That's the plan."
"Yes." But it doesn't feel good. "He forgot me so completely he can't even recognize me."
Marcus hugs me. "Then make him remember. Make him regret."
My phone buzzes. Unknown number: "Well played. But be careful, little shadow. The closer you get to the fire, the more likely you'll burn. -M.S."
M.S. The mysterious helper who's been watching this whole time.
I text back: "Who are you?"
Immediate response: "Someone who wants to watch the Kanes fall as much as you do. Tomorrow night, 10 PM, address below. Come alone. Time you learned the whole truth about your husband."
An address appears. A warehouse in the industrial district.
"What is it?" Marcus asks.
"A meeting. Tomorrow night." I show him.
His eyes widen. "This is insane. You don't know who this is—"
"They helped me before. They might have information I need."
"Or they're working FOR the Kanes."
I think about Lily. About Dominic looking through me. About three years of pain.
"Then I'll deal with it," I say. "I've survived worse."
Dominic's office door opens behind me.
"Ms. Shadow," he calls out.
I turn. He's standing there, looking confused and desperate.
"I've decided," he says. "I'll hire you. Whatever you want. Whatever it costs."
Victory should feel sweet. Instead, it feels like ashes.
"Good choice," I say. "I'll start tomorrow. One rule—don't try to investigate me. Some secrets are better left buried."
His eyes narrow. "Why do I feel like I should know you?"
Because you did, I think. Better than anyone. And you forgot me anyway.
"Everyone says that," I lie. "I just have one of those faces."
The elevator arrives. As the doors close, I see Dominic still staring, his expression troubled.
Like part of him recognizes something he can't name.
Like he's starting to remember the wife he threw away.
Good.
Let him remember.
Let him wonder.
Let him realize—too late—that the woman he destroyed became the weapon that will end him.
The elevator descends.
Back into the role of M. Shadow.
Back into the war I started three years ago.
But tomorrow night, I'll learn the truth from M.S.
And something tells me that truth will change everything.