Chapter 8

Ava POV:

I drifted in and out of consciousness, days bleeding into weeks. My body was a husk, perpetually weak, constantly drained. My mind, however, was sharper than ever, a steel trap processing every cruel word, every malicious act. They thought they had broken me. They thought they had silenced me. But they had only forged me into something harder, something unbreakable.

One morning, Chris appeared, a forced smile on his face. He sat on the edge of my bed, a picture of false concern. "Ava, darling, how are you feeling?" His voice was smooth, practiced, utterly devoid of genuine warmth.

I looked at him, my eyes empty of emotion. "You look tired, Chris. Is Kimberli not keeping you entertained?" My voice was a dry croak, but the words carried a venom I hadn't known I possessed.

His smile faltered. His jaw tightened. He cleared his throat. "That's not fair, Ava. I'm trying to be civil."

"Civil?" I laughed, a hollow, bitter sound that scraped against my raw throat. "You murdered my father. You stole my baby. You annulled our marriage and remarried your accomplice. You drained my blood for your twisted experiments. And you call this 'civil'?" My voice rose, gathering strength with each accusation. "You are an abuser, Chris. A monster. And Kimberli? She's your willing partner in crime. There's nothing civil about either of you."

His eyes widened slightly, a flicker of surprise in their depths. He hadn't expected this. He had expected the broken, weeping woman he had so carefully constructed.

He stood up abruptly, pacing the small room. He avoided my gaze. "Ava, I asked you to come to the Bell Dynamics gala next week. Your presence is... expected."

"Expected?" I echoed, a sardonic smile on my lips. "By whom? Your new wife? Your shareholders? Or is it for your own twisted amusement, Chris?"

He stopped, turning to face me, his hands shoved into his pockets. "It's important, Ava. For the company. For our image." He stressed "our," a cruel reminder of the shattered reality. He was still trying to control the narrative, even this manufactured version of me.

"Your company, Chris. Your image." I corrected him, my voice firm. "And my presence at your little charade? You think I would willingly participate in your circus of lies?"

He bristled, his patience clearly wearing thin. "Just be there, Ava. It's for the best." He turned to leave, dismissing me as easily as he dismissed my father's life.

"Chris." My voice, low and steady, stopped him at the door. "One day, you will regret this. Every single choice. Every single lie. You will regret losing me, and you will regret what you did to my father."

He paused, then walked out without a word, the click of the lock a familiar, haunting sound.

Moments later, a man in a crisp suit entered the room. He introduced himself as Mr. Davies, an attorney. He held a thick folder. "Mrs. Blevins," he began, his voice surprisingly gentle, "I've been instructed by your late father's estate to ensure all legal matters are handled according to his wishes. And your prenuptial agreement."

My heart leaped. My father. Even in death, he protected me. "The prenup?"

"Yes. It's ironclad. Despite the annulment, your shares in Bell Dynamics are unequivocally yours. And your father left you everything else, of course." He pushed a document across the table. "This is a transfer of share ownership to your name. All twenty-five percent of Bell Dynamics. It's been legally secured."

I stared at the document, a wave of triumph washing over me, quickly followed by a pang of grief for my father. He had planned for everything. He had known.

I signed the papers, my hand steady this time. Twenty-five percent. A significant stake. Enough to cause serious damage. Enough to unleash hell.

With the documents signed, the restraints were removed. I was free to leave the hospital. My freedom. It felt fragile, tenuous, but it was mine.

Before I left, I found an old, disposable phone in my emergency bag, charged it, and checked the news. Chris and Kimberli were everywhere. Their "new life" was splashed across every social media platform. Kimberli posted a picture of herself, beaming, holding a tiny, glittering gold locket. My locket. "Finally, my most treasured possession," the caption read, "a gift from my loving husband."

I stared at the screen, a chilling smile touching my lips. Treasured possession? She had no concept of true value. She was a hollow shell, filled with stolen trinkets and borrowed happiness.

I deleted my social media accounts. Erased my contact information. Changed my number. Chris wanted to erase me? I would disappear. Not because I was broken, but because I was rebuilding, brick by agonizing brick. And when I re-emerged, it would be to bring his empire crashing down around him.

He thought he was rid of me. He thought he had won. He had no idea what was coming. This wasn't merely about revenge. This was about reclaiming my life, my dignity, my father's memory. And I would do it with a cold, calculated precision that would make his own manipulations pale in comparison. I would not just burn his world; I would salt the earth where it once stood.