Chapter 1

In the most innocent years of my youth,I gave up passion for the illusion of love,entering a sexless marriage just to become Mrs.Francis Weston,the man I had adored in silence for ten long,aching years.

He wore his faith like armor,untouchable.

Loving him felt like chasing smoke—beautiful,yes,but impossible to hold.

Before we even exchanged vows,he laid out his terms.

“No children,”he said,voice flat and unyielding.“And I won’t touch you.”

That was it.

No tenderness.No explanations.No room for questions.

So I turned to the only thing I still believed could make us a family.

I went to an adoption agency.

That’s how I met my son.

Percy.My little angel.

The gentlest soul I’ve ever known.I named him Percy and built my world around him,poured everything into loving him the way I never got to love Francis.

And for a while,that was enough.

Until it wasn’t.

When Percy was five,he went to Silverstone City to see a magic show.He was so excited that his little face lit up like it held the sun.

And then...he was gone.

Just like that.

I searched everywhere.Street corners,police stations,hospitals,shelters.Days bled into nights and back again.I didn’t sleep.

And then,the gut punch hit me.

Francis.

There he was,my cold,distant husband,standing with a pregnant woman cradled in his arms.They looked like a perfect family,with two children clinging to their sides.

And that woman?None other than his so-called adopted sister,Natasha.

For a moment,I thought I had to be hallucinating.

Had I really just seen that?

But then Natasha smiled,reached up,and rested her hand on his chest,confirming the truth I wasn’t ready to face.

"That kid may not be yours by blood,”she said,“but he was your wife’s whole world.You let him starve.And in the end,you left him to be torn apart by vultures for a ritual sacrifice?Was it worth it?

Oddly,Francis looked at her with a tenderness that was almost sickening,and sneered.

"The sacrifice was fake,Natasha.That boy isn't mine,and Kierra raised that kid as her own.Only when he’s dead will Kierra accept our two kids."

I stood there,rooted to the spot,my world shattering around me in slow motion.For so long,I had believed Francis was a good man.He wore morals like a second skin—ethics,discipline,devotion.

'A spiritual man,'I told myself.

The kind of man you could trust,depend on,and build a life with.

But I was wrong.

He wasn’t a man of substance—he was a man of performance.A wolf in sheep’s clothing,shrouded in borrowed integrity and borrowed righteousness.

Six years of marriage—six years of sacrifices,of silence,of pretending,of hoping.

And in the end,it was all a joke.Cruel,hollow,and fake.

——

Kierra's POV

I watched as Francis,usually so indifferent,dropped his mask.

He crouched down,pulling Natasha’s kids into his arms as if they were his flesh and blood.

“Natasha,”he murmured,his voice oddly soft.“Raising the three of you here in Silverstone is just a temporary cover.Once you've got your new identity,I’ll bring you back home.After all,Ella and Noah can’t stay here hiding forever.”

Natasha smiled,standing on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.“Francis,I knew you were the best!You built Silverstone to keep me safe,right?I’ll be patient.I know you’ll take care of Kierra soon.Will you stay here tonight?It’s been forever since we had some time together…”

Her hand slid casually over him,her touch lingering,but Francis stiffened,his breath quickening.

“Natasha,you’re pregnant,”he said,his voice tinged with concern.“It’s not the right time."

Natasha quickly reasoned,"The doctor said it’s safe now.We can…"

Then,she saw Francis's hesitation.

Right then,Natasha stomped her foot in frustration."If you won't touch me,is it because you've fallen for Kierra?Stop playing games."

His gaze remained tender,but his following words hit me like a bucket of ice-cold water.

"Back then,everyone said you were the one who seduced me.If I didn’t need to shift the public’s view,why else would I have married her?I never touched her in six years,and I’m sure as hell not starting now."

Then he kissed Natasha,a kiss that seemed to burn with a need I had never felt from him,as if she were the only person who mattered.

“My everything belongs only to you,baby,”he whispered.

Even after their figures disappeared into the distance,I stood frozen in shock.

My heart felt like it had splintered into a thousand pieces,each one stabbing deeper as the truth sank in.

My legs refused to move.My hands were cold and trembling.

I wanted to scream,to shout,to make sense of what I'd just seen,but no sound came.

I had loved Francis in secret for ten years.

Ten years of longing.Ten years of sacrifice.

I gave up everything just for the chance to stand beside him.

But every time,he turned me away with that same distant indifference.

Everyone knew Francis for his unwavering faith,leading a life of simple devotion,prayer,and ritual,marked by abstinence and a complete avoidance of women.

But I believed,stupidly,that I could warm a man who had built his entire life around ice.I thought love could be enough.

Then came Natasha.She got into trouble.

The Westons were obsessed with appearances,grooming their sons to be noble,dignified,and restrained,and their daughters molded to be graceful,modest,and untouched.

But Natasha shattered all of that.

A scandal broke out:a livestream—impossible to deny.

She brought a man home.

Into her room.Into her room.Before marriage.

It was all caught on camera.The backlash was immediate and merciless.

To save the family's reputation,the Westons disowned her on the spot.Right then,Natasha was cast out in disgrace,stripped of her name,nearly left on the streets.

Chapter 2

Kierra's POV

After that,Natasha vanished without a trace.

I never imagined it was Francis who had hidden her all along.

Even Silverstone City,that glittering,opulent place we built together,had been built for her.Every stone,every flower,every breath of that city existed for her protection.

At first,I thought the whole idea of a secret mansion to hide a mistress was just some old-fashioned myth.But then I found his journal.

Francis’s diary.

He’d poured everything—his time,his brilliance,his money—$600 million into building Silverstone City,claiming it was to bless Brookfield’s.

But the truth?It was all for Natasha.

Thinking of this,I pulled up the news article back when Natasha's indecent photos had been exposed.

I paused the video and captured the frame where the man’s hand flashed by.When I saw the red mole on his ring finger,I staggered and nearly collapsed.

It was Francis.

Even then,Francis loved Natasha.His marriage proposal to me had nothing to do with love;it was just a distraction for his family.

Just a decoy.A smokescreen.

Something to quiet his family while he protected the only woman he ever truly wanted.

Six years of cold silence,of celibacy,of nothingness.

He’d wrapped it all in the language of deceive and said he wanted a life of simplicity and worship.

He prayed.Meditated.Disconnected from the world.

And like a fool,I supported him.I thought I was helping him find peace.

But this?This betrayal?I couldn’t forgive.

Francis had been living with Natasha and raising two children with her while I sat alone in our house,convinced that his rejection and reserved attitude were due to his sacred vow as a devout.

So,right there,standing on the riverbank,the cold wind cutting through me,my tears had nearly dried up.

I didn’t cry.I couldn’t.

The pain was too deep,too vast,too empty.

As the sky began to lighten in the morning,I pulled out my phone and called my lawyer.“Atty.Lawson,help me prepare a divorce agreement.”

I hung up and,with a cold fire in my chest,began tearing through every corner of Silverstone City in search of Percy.

And since my husband was gone,it was up to me to save my son.

But I was still too late.

I tried everything—bribed one of Francis’s bodyguards,coaxed the location out of him.

But when I finally found him…

His body was barely recognizable.

The vultures,scavengers,had gotten to him.Picked him clean.

My baby.My beautiful,bright,gentle boy.

Percy had been murdered,then devoured.Feasted on like he was nothing.

I couldn’t breathe.

My legs buckled beneath me as I collapsed to the ground,the weight of it all pressing into my chest like a vice.

I wanted to scream—to rip the sky apart with the sound of my agony.

But no sound came.

Just air.Just pain.'Percy!My baby!'

The words clawed their way out of my throat,raw and ragged.

The pain hit so hard I coughed up blood.

My vision blurred.

Though not my biological child,I devoted years of love and care to raising him.Although only five,Percy was way more sensible than kids twice his age.

He would just smile through the tears,hold my hand,and say,"Mommy,don't cry.I'm not hurt.I'm okay."

Such a small child,yet he already felt sorry that Francis always ignored me.

In six years of marriage,Francis had never given me a single gift.So Percy spent days carefully drawing a family portrait just for me.

He even used his pocket money to buy a rose from a street vendor,handing it to me with a shy smile.

“It’s from Daddy,”he said.

How could Francis do this?How could he destroy a child so pure?

I wrapped Percy’s tiny,lifeless body in my arms,the warmth long gone.

My knees nearly buckled,but I held on.“Don’t be scared,Percy.Mommy will take you away from here.”

But then one of Francis’s bodyguards stepped forward,blocking my path.“Mrs.Weston,you can’t take the child with you.”

I glared at him coldly,reached into my coat,and handed him a bank card.

“There’s$5 million in there,”I said.

He paused.Then snatched the card like a drowning man grabbing for air.

“Can I leave now?”

He glanced around nervously,then leaned in.“You can...but don’t tell anyone I let you take him.”

...

Later,I bought Percy his final suit.Arranged his cremation.Held his tiny urn to my chest and walked beside his ashes,numb.

Just like that,my bright,kind little boy had turned to dust.

When Francis finally came home,he opened the door to find me sitting there,cradling the urn like it was still warm.

He was dressed sharply.Slick.A businessman again,no longer cloaked in his monochromatic attire.

He paused,forcing sorrow on his face like it was just another role to play.

“News came from Silverstone City,”Francis said.“Percy...something happened to him.”

Chapter 3

Kierra's POV

I didn’t look up.

Francis paused for a beat,his voice heavy with guilt.But I wasn’t buying it.

“Probably some occult group kidnapped him,”he said,his voice flat and emotionless.“I heard they starved him for three days before he passed.When I found him,vultures had already picked him apart,and his bones...were treated like some ritual offering.”

He finished speaking and handed me a small,weathered photo of Percy taken before he died.

“Please accept my condolences,”he added,his voice too smooth,like it was rehearsed.

I calmly looked up at him.There were fresh,suspicious red marks on his neck,like a cruel joke reminding me just how foolish I was.

The mockery felt like a slap to my face.

For six years,I had played the dutiful wife,accepting a marriage without intimacy to stay close to him.

Every night,he claimed to be lost in worship,kneeling and praying for his'supreme higher being,'but all I could think was that he was probably with Natasha.

Last night,he didn’t come home.

Of course,he didn’t.He had stayed in Silverstone with her.

He had no clue.No clue that I had already cremated Percy,his ashes quietly resting in my hands now,a painful reminder of everything I’d lost.

For days,I had been losing my mind.

I called the police,hired private investigators,and threw money at the problem as if it could bring him back.Exhausted and delirious,my body finally gave out,burning with fever.

And that was the day I was admitted to the hospital…

This was the first time Francis showed me the first flicker of tenderness I'd ever seen from him.

“Why don't you take a rest first,Kierra?”Francis asked in feigned concern,his words almost foreign to me.“I’ll take care of everything.I’ll find Percy.I’ll bring him home.”

But now?He handed me a broken photo of Percy as if somehow it would replace my son.

I wanted to laugh,but the tears burned my eyes.

“Francis,did you really treat Percy like your own child?”My voice cracked,but I couldn’t stop myself.

He froze for a moment,then nodded,convinced of his lies."Certainly.We've maintained a celibate marriage,and Percy is our sole child.”

I laughed,though it wasn’t a sound of joy.It was bitter and cold.

He never even wanted to touch me.

So,how could he have had children with me?

We’d spent six years together,Francis in his world of spiritual rituals,while I desperately tried to win his affection.I racked my brain,thinking of ways to strengthen our marriage.

But Francis?He wasn’t worried about us.He was thinking about Natasha,about getting her back.

I trembled as I took the photo and said cynically,“You really worked hard,didn’t you?”

He thought I believed him.

Right then,Francis retreated to his study,calling Natasha in a voice that wasn’t quite as careful as it should’ve been.

“Natasha,Kierra believes it.She’s upset now,but she’ll come around in a few days.After that,I’ll bring Ella and Noah back.”His voice dropped lower,but there was an unmistakable spark of anticipation.“In three months at most,we’ll be a family.I’ll finally be able to be with you openly.”

I didn’t want to hear it,but the words cut through me,anyway.

The child we had raised together for five years,my son,was dead,and Francis hadn’t shed a single tear.

Instead,he was already planning the next steps as if nothing had happened.

I stood there,leaning against the wall,my body shaking as I laughed bitterly through my tears.

What was I doing?

What was I holding on to for six years?

Why had I stayed with him,compromising every part of myself?

It all came back to that moment ten years ago,at a party,when I saw Francis with such compassion save an injured bird.

I couldn’t let go of that image,that feeling.That secret crush slowly consumed me until I couldn’t keep it to myself anymore.

Back then,my best friend had caught on and warned me with a serious look.“You really like him,don’t you?You’d better not,Kierra.Everyone knows Francis is not into women.Even if you were the most beautiful girl on the planet,he wouldn’t even look at you.”

But I didn’t listen.I didn’t believe it.

I chased him for ten years.I used every trick,played every game,and tried everything I could think of to get him to notice me.But he still ignored me.

Francis never smiled,never even looked my way.

I was ready to give up,to walk away.I cut up all the pictures of him,buried my secret crush diary,and promised my family I would settle for the marriage they arranged for me.

Chapter 4

Kierra's POV

But then,out of nowhere,Francis came downstairs into my home and found me.

He just walked straight up,his eyes unreadable,closing the distance like he’d already made up his mind.

Then he backed me up against the wall,leaned in close,and said,“Will you marry me?”

It was the heaviest snowfall Brookfield City had seen in years.I’d always hated winter—hated the biting cold,the way snow muffled everything like a silencer over grief.

But in the six years that followed,I found myself longing for that night.

Not because it was beautiful.Not because it was still.

But it was the last time I let myself believe in something impossible.

That maybe Francis Weston had truly seen me,or that the man I had loved in silence for a decade had finally looked back.

And for a breath and a second,maybe he would feel something too.

But dreams are delicate things.And fantasies?They don’t survive the freeze.

Mine didn’t.

They cracked beneath the weight of reality.

And when they shattered,all that remained was the truth.Stripped of all illusions,the world revealed itself for what it really was.

Cold.Blunt.Unforgiving.

...

The private detective slid the surveillance footage and evidence across my desk.

“Miss Kierra,you were right.Based on everything we gathered from Silverstone City,it was indeed Francis’s doing.Would you like to call the police?”

I gripped the photo tightly.

Percy had not suddenly disappeared.

It wasn’t an accident.

Francis orchestrated everything.He had gone to Silverstone City to watch a magic show because Francis had instructed him to go with the driver.

And my sweet,innocent boy obeyed.He believed in his father and didn’t know he was being led to his death.Until Percy was thrown into the desert of Silverstone,starved to death,and then pecked by vultures.

My poor baby,Percy,who never doubted his father,whom he revered,and didn’t realize that his father only wanted to kill him.

“Call the police.I want to report this,"I said through my clenched teeth.

I had all the evidence.I was going to hand it over myself.But before I could even move,Francis came back with two kids in tow.

Ella,the five-year-old girl,and Noah,the three-year-old boy.

“Kierra,”Francis began,his tone almost too rehearsed,“I know you’ve been through the pain of losing a child.I couldn’t handle it either,so I took the liberty of adopting two children.They have no parents.They’re very well-behaved and...look a lot like Percy.”

Before I could respond,Francis crouched down,guiding the children.

“Ella,Noah,”he said gently,“call her‘Mommy.’”

I froze,staring at them.My eyes scanned their faces with forced calm.

Their features were so similar to Francis’s that it was like they were cut from the same mold.Anyone who saw them would immediately know who their father was.

And yet,Francis still treated me like I was blind.

“Why adopt children now?”I asked,my voice steady despite the storm inside me.“Percy just passed,and I don’t have the energy to take care of them.”

Francis blinked,taken aback for a moment.“You don’t need to worry about that.I’ve hired nannies and tutors for them.”

He tried again,this time coaxing them to call me'Mommy.'

Ella,the older girl,hesitated,then reluctantly mumbled,“Mommy.”

But Noah,the younger one,crossed his arms and scowled.

“I don’t want to,”she said stubbornly.“She’s not my mommy.”

Ella,in a moment of childhood sweetness,hugged Francis’s leg.“Daddy,I miss Mommy.Can you take Noah and me to find her?Please?”

A flicker of panic flashed in Francis’s eyes,but he quickly masked it,his voice shaky as he tried to explain.

“Don’t misunderstand,”he said,his tone too casual.“I often visit the orphanage with the temple,give them snacks,and pray for them.The children call me‘Dad’sometimes.”

He was trying so hard to make me think it was normal,but his actions and words told a different story.

I looked at Ella’s face—the one that looked so much like Natasha’s—and my heart broke.If I were to be honest with myself,I’d already started connecting the dots.

If I went by the timeline,Ella would’ve been born the same year Francis and I got married.No wonder he had always found excuses to leave,to travel far away,to pray in distant places.

The truth was simple.

Francis loved Natasha.

He had always loved her.He longed to be with her and their children.

I should just let them be together.

I nodded slowly,as calm as I could muster.“I won’t overthink it.You’ve always been clear about wanting a sexless marriage,haven’t you?As for these two kids...do as you see fit.”

I turned and walked away,back to my room,my feet heavy as I moved.The door shut quietly behind me,but I still heard the sigh of relief escape Francis’s lips.

And just like that,he started openly playing with the two children in front of me.

Chapter 5

Kierra's POV

If Francis wasn’t buying toys,he was in the study telling the kids stories and making them laugh.

“Daddy,do you think the family portrait I drew looks good?This is me,this is my brother,and this is mommy…”Ella’s childish voice echoed from the study.

Francis’s voice followed,warm and amused.“Ella,you’ve done a great job!You’re definitely my daughter.”

I froze,the sharp sting of a needle pricking my finger.A drop of blood quickly welled up.

Once upon a time,Percy had drawn family portraits.His were always the best,full of life and love.

Before he died,he had clung to my leg,his voice shaky as he murmured,“Mommy,do you think Daddy will like the family portrait I drew?He doesn’t seem to like me lately.He won’t talk to me.Did I do something wrong?”

Poor Percy.He was so careful,always worried about upsetting Francis.

A single look or a cold gesture from Francis would leave Percy silently heartbroken,and he would be sad for days.He shouldn’t have had to carry that burden.

The thought twisted my chest.

...

Later that afternoon,I fell into a light sleep on the couch.Then,a loud bang from the study,followed by the unmistakable sound of something shattering.

I didn’t think much of it at first,but when the nanny came by to clean the trash can,something caught my eye.

A broken urn.

I felt the world tilt.My heart raced as I rushed into the study.

“What are you doing?”My voice came out sharp,panicked.

In front of me,Ella and Noah were playing with Percy’s ashes,spreading them across the floor and using them like paint on a canvas.

Ella looked up at me with a mix of annoyance and arrogance.“We’re drawing.Can’t you see?Are you blind?”

I could barely process the scene in front of me.Percy’s ashes—the last piece of him I had left—were scattered,destroyed,scattered across the room.

“Put that down!”I snapped.

Ella didn’t even flinch.

She tilted her head defiantly.“No!This is my daddy’s house,and my daddy said I can do whatever I want.”

As if to prove her point,she poured water over the ashes,turning them into a muddy mess.

Something inside me broke.I lost control.In a rush of anger and pain,I slapped her across the face.

Noah,wide-eyed and frightened,cried out,the sound cutting through the air like a knife.

Just as I turned to gather the ashes,Francis burst into the room.

He saw the scene and immediately shoved me to the ground,shielding the two children with his body.

“Kierra,what the hell are you doing?”he growled,his eyes flashing with rage.

I didn’t respond,tears streaming down my face as I desperately tried to salvage the ashes that were slipping away.

The weight of everything from Percy’s death to Francis’s betrayal was too much.

Francis stood there,confused and somewhat stunned,his brow furrowing.“It’s just ashes.Percy’s dead,Kierra.You should let it go.Now you’re the mother of these two kids,and you should focus on taking care of them.”

That was it.My restraint cracked.

I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Francis,do I owe you something?Or is it Percy who owes you something?”My voice broke,the words heavy with everything I’d been holding in.“You had Percy killed for your illegitimate kids!And now you won’t even let me have his ashes?”

The words hit Francis hard.

He stepped back,his face paling as he absorbed what I’d just said.

“What...what did you say?When did you find out about this?”

I didn’t answer.I just stared at him,every ounce of anger and betrayal swelling inside me.

“Kierra,”he said,stepping closer and grabbing my arm.“Listen,those are just rumors.I couldn’t stand seeing you in so much pain after losing Percy,so I adopted these two kids.You’re their mom now,and I thought—”

I looked down at his hand gripping my arm.

I couldn’t help it.I smiled bitterly,the coldness of the moment sinking in.

Six years we’d been married,and Francis had never wanted any physical contact with me.He wouldn’t hold my hand,let alone kiss me or sleep beside me.

On special occasions,I could only hold on to the sleeve of his jacket.

And now,here he was,desperate to explain himself,to cross all the boundaries he’d set for himself for the sake of keeping these two children.

I pushed his hand away and closed my eyes,blocking out the man I once thought I knew.

Chapter 6

Kierra's POV

“Francis,I’ve had enough of this life.Let’s get a divorce.”

There was a long silence.

It felt like an eternity before he finally spoke,“Do you really want a divorce?Are you sure this isn’t just a momentary impulse?”

I didn’t hesitate.“Yes,I’m sure.”

“Alright.”He let out a deep breath,almost like he was steeling himself.“Then come with me to a party.After it’s over,I’ll sign the divorce agreement.”

I felt numb,like I had already died inside.I just wanted to escape him as quickly as possible,so I agreed without a second thought.

That night,I slipped into the evening gown he’d given me—a dark,form-fitting dress—and showed up at the extravagant banquet.

The entire place reeked of excess.

Francis,the aloof,distant man who had always avoided women,especially loathed these kinds of events.

He didn’t even try to tell me what to do,so I ended up sitting alone in the corner of the room,nursing a drink as I watched the festivities unfold.

I was deep in thought when a female server approached.She smiled apologetically and then spilled something on my gown,the liquid spreading across the fabric like an unforgivable stain.

“Oh my God,I’m so sorry!”the server said,pretending to be flustered.“Let me take you to a room to change.”

I didn’t think much of it at first.

I simply nodded,letting the female server guide me through a hallway.But when she turned to leave,the door clicked shut behind her.

The lock snapped into place.

And then the air grew thick,a suffocating haze filling the room as smoke poured in.I couldn’t breathe.

My eyes burned,and I coughed violently,desperate to see and get out.But there was no one coming,no one answering my frantic shouts for help.

And then the beam above collapsed,and I couldn’t move fast enough to avoid it.

The last thing I remembered was the world crashing down around me.

...

When I opened my eyes,everything was blurry.I could barely focus,but I could tell by the sterile smell and the beeping of machines that I was in a hospital.

“Don’t move,Kierra.”Francis’s voice cut through the haze,unusually soft.

He was sitting by my hospital bed,looking concerned in a way that didn’t sit right with me.

“I just had your skin graft done.You were hurt.The doctor will be performing cosmetic surgery on you later.”

I glanced at him,but my thoughts were foggy.

His hand was wrapped around mine,and his voice was oddly gentle as he said,“Don’t worry.I’ll stay here with you.”

I could hear the nurses whispering nearby.“Your husband really loves you,doesn’t he?He’s so handsome and gentle.If I had a husband like that,I’d feel like my life was complete.”

I froze.

The words hit me like a punch to the gut.

I remembered the diary I had seen by accident not long ago—Francis’s carefully written plans.

It all made sense now.

'It won’t be long before I figure out how to make Kierra undergo cosmetic surgery to look like Natasha.By then,Natasha can return to my side,fully legitimate.'

The party.

The sudden fire.

The skin grafts.

The cosmetic surgery.

All scattered fragments of a puzzle that had tormented me in the dark.Now,each piece clicked into place with terrifying clarity.

So that’s what this was all for!

That cryptic phone call—Francis telling Natasha that within three months,their family would be whole again.

He wasn’t talking about me.He never was.He had planned to remake me and reshape me into her.

He wanted to erase me and turn me into a living replica of Natasha.And then bring her back to take my place,in my life,in my name,in his home.

A classic bait-and-switch.A cruel,sinister scheme.

I staggered back,nausea twisting in my stomach.

I wanted to run,to rip off the bandages and to claw my way out of this white,sterile prison and scream until someone listened.

But my body wouldn’t move.

And then I saw her.

Natasha.

Standing in the doorway,wearing my face—our face.

The woman who resembled me smiled a twisted,malicious curve to her lips.

“Kierra,”she hissed,her voice laced with venom,“you’ve always been just my stand-in.The one he truly loves is me.From now on,you’ll be the one trapped in Silverstone City,living my life...while I become you—the rightful Mrs.Weston.”

My heart clenched.Vision blurred.Her words crashed over me like a tidal wave I couldn’t outrun.

I had no strength left to fight.

Numb,shattered,I threw myself from the window.

As I fell,the last thing I saw was Francis.His arms were wrapped around Natasha,comforting her as she sobbed so pathetically,as if she were the one who had been betrayed.

...

Francis's POV

Natasha clung to me,her face pale,tears streaming down as she clutched me like I was her lifeline.

"Francis,I was just trying to help when I saw Kierra fall.I didn’t expect her to try to kill me with a knife..."

I turned to tend to her wounds,my hands shaking with frustration.

"Where is my wife?"I asked."Haven’t you found her yet?"

My assistant stood there,helpless,shaking his head as if there was nothing more to be done.Then,just as panic started to grip me,one of the bodyguards rushed in,his face pale.

“Mr.Weston,something’s happened!Someone saw Madam trying to escape the hospital by jumping out of the window.It’s the 22nd floor.She fell...She fell to her death on the spot.”