Chapter 6

The grand ballroom of the Beverly Hills Hotel glittered with the crème de la crème of the tech and pharmaceutical worlds. Chandeliers dripped crystal, reflecting off polished marble floors. A symphony orchestra played softly in the background, a luxurious hum to the murmur of polite conversation. Graham, resplendent in a tailored suit, held my arm with a possessive grip, a false smile plastered on his face.

We hadn't been in the room for five minutes when a distinguished-looking man, his silver hair impeccably styled, approached us. "Elise Morton! My dear, it's been too long!" he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with genuine warmth. "I heard you stepped back from the foundation's direct research. A great loss to the field, I must say. Your work on cellular regeneration was revolutionary."

My heart gave a tiny lurch. Dr. Harrison. A former colleague, oblivious to my assumed identity as a "graduate student." Graham stiffened beside me, his grip tightening.

"Dr. Harrison," I replied, forcing a polite smile. "It's good to see you."

"Such promising research," Dr. Harrison continued, shaking his head. "To think, before you stepped away, you were on the cusp of something truly groundbreaking. The youngest lead researcher at the Morton Institute, if I recall correctly. So much talent, sacrificed for... well, for whatever this is." His gaze swept over Graham, a hint of disapproval in his eyes.

Graham's face was a mask of irritation, quickly concealed. He cleared his throat. "Elise has been very busy with her own studies, Dr. Harrison."

Dr. Harrison merely hummed, a knowing twinkle in his eyes, then moved on to greet other guests. Graham shot me a furious look. "What was that all about? Youngest lead researcher? Morton Institute? What lies have you been spinning, Elise?"

Before I could answer, a hush fell over the room. All eyes turned to the grand staircase. Keeley Nguyen descended, a vision in a shimmering silver gown, her hair perfectly coiffed, her smile dazzling. She looked like a Grecian goddess, radiant and confident. It was the dress Graham had bought for me last Christmas, the one I had deemed "too extravagant." She looked exactly like I would have, if I hadn't chosen to hide myself.

My mind flashed back to a year ago, Christmas Eve. Graham had presented the gown to me, his eyes alight with expectation. "This will be perfect for our anniversary gala, Elise," he'd said, his voice filled with pride. "You'll be the most beautiful woman there." I had smiled, touched by his gesture, and carefully put the dress away, opting for a simpler, less ostentatious outfit. Now, seeing Keeley in it, basking in the glow of Graham's adoring gaze, the irony was a bitter pill.

Graham, oblivious to my internal turmoil, watched Keeley descend, his eyes shining with open admiration. He squeezed my arm. "Look at her, Elise. Isn't she magnificent? She truly knows how to command a room." He pulled me along, moving towards the stage where a podium and microphones were set up.

"By the way," he whispered, a triumphant smirk on his face. "I've made some special arrangements for our anniversary next week. A surprise, my love. Just for us." He leaned closer. "And Keeley, being the brilliant mind she is, will be joining the research team to implement some of her revolutionary findings. I'm going to announce it tonight. Isn't that fantastic?"

"Fantastic," I echoed, my voice flat. My heart felt like a shriveled prune in my chest. He was announcing her as part of my team. In my institute.

Graham missed the sarcasm entirely. He just beamed, looking at me with a kind of possessive pride that made my skin crawl. "Good. I knew you'd understand. She's a visionary, Elise. You two will get along famously."

I didn't answer. The words felt like a physical weight, pressing me down. He expected me to welcome the woman who had stolen my husband, who had attacked me, who had boasted about ruining my career, into my professional sanctuary. The audacity was truly boundless.

Suddenly, a sharp, searing pain ripped through my lower abdomen. My breath hitched. My vision swam. The glittering ballroom blurred around me.

"Elise?" Graham's voice was distant, muffled.

My knees buckled. I felt myself falling, a helpless tumble into darkness. The last thing I heard before the world went black was the muffled sounds of the orchestra, the shocked gasps of the crowd, and the piercing wail of a distant siren.

Just then, the grand doors of the ballroom burst open. A phalanx of uniformed officers streamed in, their presence an immediate, jarring disruption to the elegant affair. All eyes, which had been on my crumpled form, now shifted to the new arrivals.

The officers marched directly towards Keeley, who stood by the podium, looking utterly bewildered. Her face, moments ago radiant, paled dramatically. She looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Keeley Nguyen," one of the officers stated, his voice calm but firm. "You are under arrest for fraud, intellectual property theft, and corporate espionage."

Keeley gasped, her eyes wide with terror. She instinctively turned to Graham, her hand reaching out for him, her lips forming a silent plea. Graham, for his part, looked completely stunned, his face a mixture of shock and disbelief.

I lay on the cold marble floor, my body wracked with pain, my consciousness fading. My vision flickered, blurring at the edges. I could see Graham, a silhouette against the bright lights, his back to me. He was rushing towards Keeley, his arms outstretched.

"Graham," I whispered, my voice a raw, desperate plea. My hand, seeking comfort, stretched out towards him. "Graham, please..."

He was there, comforting Keeley, murmuring reassurances. He turned, blocking her from the officers, shielding her with his body. And then, he took a step back, his foot landing squarely on my outstretched hand. A sickening crack.

A scream tore from my throat, raw and agonizing. My hand, already throbbing, now felt like it was on fire. The pain was unbearable, a white-hot agony that consumed everything. I tried to lift it, to pull it away, but my muscles refused to obey. The bone was definitely broken.

I looked at Graham, his back still turned, his attention solely on Keeley. He hadn't even noticed. My hope, the last fragile ember of it, flickered and died. He truly didn't care. Not about me. Not about us. He would always choose her.

Days later, I lay in a hospital bed, the sterile white ceiling a familiar enemy. My wrist was encased in a heavy cast, the pain a dull ache that mirrored the emptiness in my heart. A laptop hummed on the bedside table, its screen alight with complex data. I was back to work, even from here. There was nothing else to do. Nothing else to feel.

Dr. Chen, my old mentor, now my assistant, stood beside the bed, his face grim. "Elise, we have a problem. The data... it's been tampered with. Maliciously. It'll take weeks, maybe months, to untangle it all." His voice was low, filled with concern. "And Graham... his condition is progressing faster than we anticipated. Without the corrected gene therapy, he won't have much time left."

Just then, the door to my room burst open. Graham stormed in, his face a thundercloud of fury. He snatched the laptop from my bed, sending it crashing to the floor. Papers fluttered everywhere, one landing squarely on my face.

"Sign this!" he roared, thrusting a document at me. "And record a video, right now! Denouncing Keeley, taking all the blame, clearing her name!"

I looked at the document, then at him. My gaze was calm, unwavering. "I'm divorcing you, Graham," I said, my voice quiet, surprisingly steady.

He stared at me, then laughed, a harsh, humorless sound. "Divorce? You think you can just walk away? You think you're getting a penny from me? You'll sign this, or you'll regret it." He pointed at the document. "Sign it, Elise. Or I'll make sure you leave here with nothing. Not even your precious reputation."

"No," I replied, my voice firm.

He scoffed. "Still playing the martyr? Fine. Then tell me, Elise. You're so smart, so righteous. Why is Keeley's name linked to all these charges? Why is there a warrant out for her arrest? What did you do?"

"Ask Keeley," I said, my voice chillingly calm. "Ask her about the data she changed. The data for your cure. The data that could kill you."

His face paled. "What are you talking about?"

"The gene therapy, Graham," I continued, my voice gaining strength. "The one that's supposed to save your life. It's been compromised. And you, in your infinite wisdom, signed off on using her corrupted data."

His eyes widened in shock, then narrowed into a furious glare. "You're threatening me, Elise? You're playing games with my life?"

"I'm merely stating a fact," I said, meeting his gaze. "A fact you chose to ignore, because you were too busy worshipping a lie."

He looked at me, his eyes filled with a visceral disgust. "You're a monster, Elise. A cold, calculating monster." He turned to leave, his footsteps heavy.

"Graham," I called out, my voice stopping him at the door. "Do you remember the night of the fire? In the lab? When you thought you rescued Keeley?"

He paused, his back to me. A flicker of something, a shadow of an emotion, crossed his rigid shoulders.

"You told me you couldn't live without me," I whispered, the words heavy with memory, with pain. "You said I was different. Special."

He stood there for a long moment, unmoving. Then, a shudder ran through his body. He turned, his eyes cold, his lips curled in a contemptuous sneer. "You know, Elise," he said, his voice dripping with venom. "You're nothing like Keeley. She' s brilliant, passionate, and real. You're just... a pale imitation. A poor substitute."

He slammed the door shut, the sound echoing through the room.

Around midnight, a piercing crash of glass shattered the uneasy silence. I jolted awake, my heart leaping into my throat. Shouts and angry curses erupted from outside my room, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps. My hand flew to the bedside table, fumbling for my new phone.

The screen lit up, displaying a flurry of notifications. Trending topics. My eyes scanned the headlines, and my blood ran cold. A video. Graham.

He stood beside Keeley, his arm protectively around her, his face a mask of solemn concern. "I want to set the record straight," he said, his voice smooth and controlled, radiating sincerity. "Keeley is innocent. These vicious attacks are baseless. They are the work of a disgruntled ex-wife, Elise Morton, who has been intentionally sabotaging my company and my reputation."

My breath hitched. He was twisting everything. Blatantly lying.

"She recorded me, yes," he continued, looking directly into the camera, his eyes filled with feigned regret. "But it was a manipulated recording. Edited to paint Keeley in a false light. Elise has been obsessed with me, unable to accept our separation. She even fabricated a pregnancy to try and tie me down."

My vision blurred. Fabricated a pregnancy? He was denying our child. The child I had lost.

"Our marriage," he concluded, his voice heavy with false sorrow, "was a mistake. A calculated deception on her part. She pursued me, manipulated me, and now that things are not going her way, she's lashing out. I'm filing for annulment, citing fraud and emotional distress. I assure you, I am doing everything in my power to protect my innocent new wife, Keeley, and my company from this... venomous woman."

The screen showed comments pouring in, a flood of vitriol. My name was being dragged through the mud, my very existence reduced to a series of malicious lies. My heart, already shattered, felt like it was being ripped apart. The pain was physical, tangible.

The door to my room splintered open, kicked in with brutal force. Two large men in dark suits stormed in, their faces grim. They grabbed my arms, dragging me from the bed, ignoring my cries of pain. I was thrown into the hallway, my body hitting the cold floor with a sickening crunch.

Keeley stood at the end of the corridor, a triumphant smile gracing her lips. Her eyes glittered with malicious glee as she watched them drag me away.

"You know, Elise," she purred, her voice sweet and venomous. "Graham only married you because you looked so much like me. You were just a placeholder. And now, you're not even that." She gestured to the men. "Make sure she can never look like me again. Get rid of everything that made her resemble me. Especially that hair. And those eyes. Make them forget her face."

My body was slammed against the wall, my head forced back. I could feel the cold glint of metal against my scalp, the sharp tug of pain as my hair was roughly shorn. My ears rang with the sound of laughter. I didn't scream. I didn't cry. My eyes, open and unblinking, stared into the abyss. Blood trickled down my face, but I felt nothing. Just a vast, echoing emptiness.

Later, I managed to crawl back to my room, my body aching, my spirit broken. My ravaged reflection stared back from the shattered mirror. I picked up my phone, my fingers trembling as I dialed Graham's number.

"Graham," I said, my voice a hollow whisper. "I'm having a small event at the institute next week. A final presentation for the research team. I thought you might want to attend. For old times' sake."

There was a long pause. "An event?" he scoffed, his voice dismissive. "What kind of event could you possibly be hosting?"

"A scientific one," I replied, my voice devoid of emotion. "It concerns your cure. And your future."

Another pause. "Fine," he finally said, a hint of curiosity in his tone. "I'll be there. But don't think this changes anything, Elise. Don't think you can still manipulate me."

I hung up, a chilling smile touching my ruined lips. He would be there. And he would finally see.