They laughed while my husband whipped me twenty times to impress the woman he'd been secretly building a future wit

Thalia didn't care about Kyle's tears; she cared about her lifestyle. The moment she realized the penthouse was gone, the black cards were declined, and the designer wardrobe was no longer accessible, her true colors bloomed in all their toxic glory.

"Kyle! What are you doing?" Thalia screeched, marching over and trying to yank him up by his lapels. "Why are you begging this nobody? Stand up like a man!"

Kyle shrugged her off violently, shoving her back against the wall.

"Shut up! Shut your lying mouth!" Kyle roared, his face contorted with a rage born of absolute helplessness. "Because of you! Because of your greed and your constant whispering in my ear, I threw away everything! You said she had nothing! You said she was a parasite!"

Thalia’s eyes widened in horror as she finally pieced together the fragments of the conversation. She looked at Kyle, then slowly turned her gaze toward me, her face draining of all color.

"You... you're not a nobody," Thalia whispered, her voice trembling.

I stood up from my chair, walking slowly across the room until I stood right in front of them. The height difference didn't matter; the aura of power I projected made them both shrink away.

"You called me a parasite, Thalia," I said softly. "You mocked my inability to have children—an inability, by the way, that was a medical lie fabricated by the doctor you bribed, a doctor who is currently being arrested for medical fraud and license revocation."

Thalia gasped, clutching her stomach instinctively. "The... the baby—"

"The baby?" I laughed, a cold, humorless sound. "Do you honestly think Kyle didn't run a paternity test the second he realized his empire was crumbling? Or did you forget that Kyle keeps security cameras in every corner of this penthouse?"

Kyle jerked his head up, staring at Thalia with sudden, venomous realization. "The security feeds... you weren't even sure who the father was, were you? You just needed a rich anchor."

Thalia backed away, her hands flying up in defense. "Kyle, no! That's not—"

"Get out," I commanded, raising my hand toward the door.

The two security guards stepped forward, grabbing Thalia by her expensive designer coat and hoisting her off her feet. She screamed, thrashing wildly, cursing my name as they dragged her out into the hallway.

Kyle remained on the floor, staring blankly at the spot where his mistress had just been discarded. He looked broken, a hollow shell of the man who had held a riding crop with such cruel confidence less than twelve hours ago.

"And you, Kyle," I said, looking down at him. "Your trial isn't over yet. Financial ruin is only the beginning. Assault, extortion, corporate embezzlement—my legal team has already filed the indictments."