Chapter 3

The plastic surgeon, a man with kind eyes and gentle hands, traced the lines of Aileen' s face with a pen. "A full reconstruction is a major procedure, Ms. Garza. It carries risks. The recovery will be long."

He scheduled the surgery for a month later, giving her time to reconsider.

Aileen didn' t hesitate. She signed the consent forms, her hand steady. The name 'Aileen Garza' on the paper already felt like it belonged to someone else.

She thought of the man who had once risked his empire for her, who had sworn he would rather die than lose her. That man was gone, replaced by a monster. This whole sordid affair had to end.

She sent Ernesto back to his specialized boarding school, a safe place far from Kalen' s reach. Then she drove back to the mansion alone.

She walked in to find them in the living room. Kalen was on the couch, Izabella straddling his lap, their mouths locked together. Clothes were scattered on the floor.

Izabella saw her first, pulling back with a gasp. "Aileen!"

Kalen didn' t even turn around. He pulled Izabella back to him, his hand sliding under her shirt. He was marking his territory, deliberately humiliating Aileen.

Izabella giggled, then looked at Aileen with a triumphant smirk. "Oh, by the way," she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "I' m pregnant."

The words were meant to be a killing blow. But Aileen felt nothing. A serene, chilling calm had settled over her. She was already a ghost in this house.

She turned without a word and went to her studio, her sanctuary. This was the one place Izabella was forbidden to enter. Kalen had built it for her, a testament to his love. Now, it was just a cage.

She began to methodically destroy everything. She ripped their photos from the walls, tearing them into tiny pieces. She smashed the custom-made guitar Kalen had given her for their first anniversary. She gathered every gift, every letter, every memento of their life together.

She carried it all to the fireplace and lit a match. The flames leaped up, consuming the past, turning two years of love into smoke and ash.

When it was all gone, she walked back into the living room.

Izabella was waiting for her. The moment Aileen entered, Izabella let out a piercing scream and launched herself at her.

"You monster!" Izabella shrieked, her nails clawing at Aileen' s face. "You tried to kill my baby!"

Aileen stood frozen, too stunned to react.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, pushing Izabella away.

Kalen rushed in, his face a thunderous mask of fury. He immediately went to Izabella, cradling her in his arms.

"She put something in my tea!" Izabella sobbed, pointing a shaking finger at Aileen. "She tried to make me miscarry!"

"I' ll take care of this," Kalen snarled, his eyes fixed on Aileen. "I' ll make her pay."

He gestured to a nearby table. A cup of tea lay on its side, a dark liquid staining the white marble. A small, empty packet lay beside it. It was a powerful abortifacient, Aileen recognized it from a medical journal she'd read.

A strange sense of pity washed over her. Pity for the unborn child, and for the woman so desperate for a life that wasn' t hers.

"I didn' t do it, Kalen," she said, her voice flat. "I was in the studio the whole time. You can check the security cameras."

Izabella let out another heart-wrenching sob. "She' s lying! She' s always been jealous of me, of the baby!"

Kalen held Izabella tighter, whispering soothing words into her ear. He looked at Aileen with pure, unadulterated hatred.

Two of his guards appeared, grabbing Aileen by the arms. They dragged her from the room, down to the cold, dark cellar that had become her prison.

They chained her to the wall, the cold metal biting into her wrists.

She closed her eyes, the darkness a welcome relief. She was tired of fighting, tired of the pain. The love she had felt for Kalen was a distant memory, a faint echo in a hollow heart. All that was left was the cold, hard certainty of her escape.