Her Shattered Heart, His Cruel Betrayal

My husband's pregnant mistress disappeared, and he accused me of kidnapping her.

To force a confession, he dragged a writhing burlap sack into the living room, threatening to beat the "stray dog" inside if I didn't tell him where she was.

I screamed that our son, Jalen, was inside. He just laughed, calling me a liar as he raised an iron poker.

I watched, helpless, as he brought it down again and again, ignoring my pleas.

Through the blood-soaked fabric, I heard our son's last, faint whisper: "Daddy..."

As if that wasn't enough, he then had his men drag me to a back room to punish me for his mistress's supposed miscarriage.

They left me broken on the floor, my son dead and my soul shattered. With nothing left to live for, I threw myself into the ocean.

But I was saved. And when I opened my eyes, I made a vow. I would return, and I would drag them both down to the hell they built for me.

Chapter 1

The sounds from the master bedroom reached Karyme Glenn the moment she stepped through the front door.

A woman's soft moans. A man's heavy breathing.

They were tangled together, a familiar, ugly rhythm that made the air thick and hard to breathe.

Karyme' s feet froze on the polished marble floor. A sharp, cold pain shot through her chest, so intense it felt like her ribs were cracking.

This man, her husband, Archie Hatfield, had once loved her more than anything.

He was the brilliant CEO of a rising tech empire, yet he had once given up a multi-billion dollar deal just to fly across the country and bring her a bowl of soup when she had a cold.

He had built this house for her, every detail matching her dreams. He told everyone she was his sun, his moon, his entire world.

But that was before.

Now, there was this. The affair. The betrayal.

Karyme had caught him before. She had walked in on him with another woman, their bodies pressed together in his office.

Each time, Archie had an excuse.

"She drugged me, Karyme. I swear."

"My father forced me. He threatened to disown me."

Each time, he would drop to his knees, his face wet with tears, swearing it would never happen again. He would hold her, whispering promises that felt like poison.

And each time he was with the other woman, the sounds were just like this, fierce and tireless, as if he were trying to pour every ounce of his energy into her.

This was the third time.

Third. The number echoed in Karyme's mind, a final, hollow toll.

She would not fight anymore. She would not forgive anymore. There was nothing left to save.

Her body trembled. She turned silently, forcing her legs to move, and walked back to her own room at the end of the hall.

She closed the door behind her, the soft click of the latch sealing her in with her broken heart.

The tears she had held back finally fell, hot and silent, streaming down her face.

Today was their wedding anniversary.

He had promised her a surprise, a romantic dinner, a night to remember how it all began.

But then the call came.

Faustina Edwards, the surrogate, needed him.

Archie' s family had a dark history. His grandmother and aunt had both died in childbirth. The fear was a poison that had seeped into his bones. He was terrified of losing Karyme the same way.

"We won't have children, Karyme," he had promised when he proposed, his eyes full of earnest love. "I can't risk you. I just need you."

For years, he was careful. He made sure there were no accidents, no chances of a pregnancy that he believed would be a death sentence for her.

But then his father, the patriarch of the Hatfield dynasty, grew ill. His dying wish was for an heir, a grandson to carry on the family name and legacy.

So Archie, torn between his love for Karyme and his duty to his father, found a solution.

A surrogate.

He chose Faustina Edwards, a young woman who seemed innocent, fragile, and desperate for the money.

It was supposed to be a simple transaction. Impersonal. Clinical.

But it became this. A series of three betrayals, each one more brutal than the last.

The first time, his father had arranged it. Faustina was drugged and brought to Archie's room.

Karyme was locked in the room right next door.

She was forced to listen.

She heard Faustina's cries, Archie's grunts, the sickening sound of the headboard banging against the wall, over and over.

She beat her fists against the locked door until her knuckles were raw and bloody. She screamed his name until her throat was hoarse.

She pressed pillows over her ears, but the sounds seeped through, violating her, tearing her apart.

The noises from next door were relentless, a storm of passion and violence that seemed to go on for an eternity.

When Faustina finally left the next morning, she was trembling, barely able to walk.

Archie, sober and horrified, found Karyme crumpled on the floor. He knelt before her, begging for forgiveness, swearing it was a setup, that he loved only her.

And Karyme, because she loved him, chose to believe him.