Chapter 8: Cruel Truth
437words
"What happened to me? Tell me everything!"
Jack opened his laptop and played a video. "Surveillance footage from the cruise ship."
On screen, Michael Davis deliberately shoved her toward the railing. More chillingly, after she plunged into the sea, Michael and Mia exchanged smiles before embracing in a passionate kiss.
"No... God, no..." Rachel covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.
"He's been sleeping with Mia for years while making risky investments in your name, draining your assets. Your 'accident' was meticulously planned—he wanted you gone while collecting your inheritance and a hefty insurance payout."
Memories crashed over her like a tsunami. The argument that night. Michael's icy stare. Her three miscarriages—each following medication Michael had insisted she take. The gradual isolation as friends disappeared, leaving her entirely dependent on him.
"I remember now..." she clutched her head in agony. "They've been planning my death all along... my babies... my depression... they engineered everything..."
"There's worse. Your father's car accident wasn't random. Michael orchestrated it to gain control of your father's company shares."
Rachel staggered, nearly collapsing. Her entire life had been an elaborate, cruel deception.
"Why me?" she cried out, her voice raw with anguish.
"Your father's company holds 15% of Davis Group's shares, and you're the sole heir. Michael needs those shares to complete his takeover of Thompson Enterprise."
Rachel crumpled to the floor, curling into herself. Every cherished memory now revealed as a calculated lie, every moment of love just another step in his trap.
"You have two options," Jack said evenly. "Return and face the husband who tried to murder you, let the justice system handle him. Or..."
"Or what?" She looked up, tears dried, her eyes now hard as diamonds.
"Partner with me for revenge. A contract marriage: I help you destroy Michael, you help me reclaim the Thompson Group."
Rachel stared at Jack's outstretched hand—her only lifeline. She'd lost everything: family, love, trust, even her identity.
"Deal." She clasped his hand, her voice carrying a terrifying calm.
Jack's lips curved into a slight smile. "I'll arrange the plastic surgery and provide resources for you to master business skills. In three years, we'll make Michael Davis pay for everything."
Rachel nodded, her gaze icy and resolute. She had died once already—the woman who emerged from those waters was no longer the naive, trusting fool she once had been.
She would make Michael and Mia realize that some people don't die when you try to kill them—they come back more dangerous than before.
